Summer Enrollment is Open! Courses begin June 23, 2025.

Composing Music for Animation

MUSC X 485

Learn the aspects of scoring for animation including musical jokes, quick changes in style, and mood in wall-to-wall score by following broad schools of animation: story driven, action-oriented animation, and hip and quirky.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS COURSE
Fall
In Person
Starting at $835.00
As few as 11 weeks
4.0

What you can learn.

  • Understand the traditional and new approaches to composing for animation and how to build tempo maps
  • Analyze the differences between composing for animated films and TV shows
  • Compose your own cues for peer discussion and instructor critique every week

About this course:

Composing music for animation places special demands on the composer. Musical jokes are more prevalent, there are quicker changes in style and mood, and the music is often "wall-to-wall." This course addresses each of these characteristics in the following broad schools of animation: story-driven, action oriented animation, and hip and quirky. You learn about the traditional and new approaches to composing for animation and how to build tempo maps, which in many cases is half the job. The differences and similarities between scoring an animated movie and scoring an animated TV show also are discussed. You compose, arrange, and orchestrate cues in your home studio for scenes every week. Both peers and instructor critique each cue in class.
Prerequisites
One course in or demonstrated competence in harmony, composition, standard orchestration techniques, and proficiency in MIDI/sequencing. Students should have access to sequencing software (e.g., Logic, Cakewalk, Pro Tools) and a project studio to create cues.

Fall 2025 Schedule

Date & Time
Details
Format
 
-
Wednesday 7:00PM - 10:00PM PT
Future Offering (Opens July 28, 2025 12:00:00 AM)
See Details
Instructor: Charles Fernandez
404714
Fee:
$835.00
In Personformat icon
Location: UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
Notes

Enrollment limited; early enrollment advised. Internet access required. 

Refund Deadline
No refunds after October 05, 2025
Course Requirements
Internet access required to retrieve course materials.
Schedule
Type
Date
Time
Location
Lecture
Wed Sep 24, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212
Lecture
Wed Oct 1, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212
Lecture
Wed Oct 8, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212
Lecture
Wed Oct 15, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212
Lecture
Wed Oct 22, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212
Lecture
Wed Oct 29, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212
Lecture
Wed Nov 5, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212
Lecture
Wed Nov 12, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212
Lecture
Wed Nov 19, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212
Lecture
Wed Nov 26, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212
Lecture
Wed Dec 3, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center in Westwood
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center 212

This course applies towards the following certificates & specializations…

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