“Sarah Rimkus is dedicated to fostering creativity and providing a safe space for her students to explore their artistry. Through her extensive professional experience, Sarah guides her students from the early stages of a composition to finalizing a performance ready score. During my time studying with Sarah, I have expanded my knowledge on orchestration and improved my process for developing ideas."
–Nick, K-12 music teacher
Clear, compassionate, consistent, empathetic, precise, passionate, professional, intelligent. Great professor!
–Student teaching evaluation comment
In addition to my activity as a composer, I am passionate about teaching composition. I am currently an assistant professor of music theory and composition at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. I truly love my job!
My teaching experience ranges from lecture halls with over fifty students to one-on-one lessons, and my individual composition students have ranged from high schoolers to adult beginners to musical professionals with masters degrees. In my teaching positions at Sewanee, Michigan Technological University, and as a teaching assistant at the University of Aberdeen, I have taught many different courses in addition to composition, including all levels of the music theory and aural skills sequence, and general education offerings such as music appreciation and history courses. In my current position, I have facilitated visits from professional ensembles and reading sessions with the University’s large ensembles and individual performers to ensure that my students experience their work live – an important part of the learning process.
Discussions and activities in composition lessons can cover a wide range of topics, from figuring out your process to professional issues and considerations. I believe my strong mix of academic and professional experience helps me help others through all steps of the composition process, from initial musical ideas to proper presentation of scores and parts. As a teacher, I have seen great variety in students’ compositional processes and workflows, and helping people find what works for them is always a high priority. Many of my students most enjoy my compositional exercises with specific parameters – it’s counterintuitive, perhaps, but constraints breed creativity and learning. I embrace all musical styles and I’m eager to help students develop and refine their individual musical voices.
I have had many virtual composition students on an individual basis over recent years. If you are looking for a composition teacher, I would love to hear from you! Composition lessons actually do work well via Zoom. As a full-time university professor, I am most likely to have time for composition lessons during the summer break, but sometimes I have time during the academic year as well.
Send me an email to inquire further.