Over the years, Behind the Score has been adopted by universities across the US and UK as both required reading and a supplementary resource. Institutions include the University of Westminster, the University of Liverpool, Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute, NYU, and Berklee College of Music, among others.
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Our approach
Behind the Score teaches harmonic ideas in the context of real film and game music — so you can turn theory into music, not just pass a theory exam.
Meet our authors.
Our courses are created by Berklee graduates* with professional experience across composition, arranging, game audio, film, advertising, and music education.
From scoring AAA games and creating music for Disney, Netflix, and Amazon campaigns to collaborating with Grammy-nominated artists and teaching at music colleges, our authors bring real-world experience into every course.
Learn from musicians who are actively working in the industry today.
*Robert Davis joins as Guest Lecturer and is not a Berklee graduate — but his career and musicianship are every bit as impressive.
You can experience Behind the Score in two ways: via our Video Courses or as a physical Paperback.
*The paperback edition includes all lessons except for "A Second Look at Melodic Minor", "Master Music Modulation", "Basic Chromatic Harmony", and "Shaping Music for Dramatic Scenes".
Subjects you can apply right away — from modes and modulation to genre writing and dramatic adaptation.
Each lesson pairs analysis with scores, mock-ups, and PDFs — focused on what media composers use most.
Get full access to every course on Behind the Score — 9 courses focused on helping you write music, not just study it.
“While there's no shortcut to becoming a great composer, we believe there's always a better academic approach that can help you through the process.”
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207+
Reading material
141+
Video lessons
105+
Score PDFs
162+
Audio recordings
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Testimonials
“Wonderful course, total no-brainer. Heartily recommended.”
Ed Buller
Producer / Composer
“The Behind the Score course is an incredible resource for musicians to take the leap into becoming a composer. It takes some big concepts, lays them out very clearly, and makes them easy to understand.”
Michael Nielsen
Principal Composer and Co-Owner of Ninja Tracks
Featured courses
Explore any course before you enroll! Every course includes multiple preview videos, giving you a clear idea of what you'll learn and what to expect.
