This course teaches the fundamentals of jazz writing and harmony. Through listening, students learn to analyse an extract or a work, and grasp the tools specific to jazz aesthetics and songs (numbers, form, harmony, voicings, etc.). By the end of the course, they will have mastered the practical aspects of composition, arranging and orchestration. Introduced to the various techniques of arranging, the specific languages of improvisation and, more broadly, writing for various small ensembles, students are invited to apply this knowledge to the production of original pieces composed, arranged and orchestrated for a redefined instrumentation.

The aim of the fugue and forms class is to deepen the practice of counterpoint by writing fugues in the styles of Bach and Beethoven, and to compose large-scale musical forms using models from the repertoire. The various components of the musical discourse are studied, using a variety of forms, principally the sonata allegro in the styles of Bartók, Beethoven and Brahms.