ThinkSpace Education Reviews 179

I took the "Cinematic Orchestration" course, and i have been disappointed because of many things : over-dated course (virtual librairies advice are not up-to date, low video quality, i guess this course's been made more than 10 years ago), no subtitles in the videos, the content is also too light in my opinion, there are not enough .pdf, not enough voicings, examples etc. and too much dedicated time to how an instrument sounds like and how to write the sound variations on the sheet: it might be maybe worth it for beginners but not for more advanced musicians. The comments of professional composers do not bring added value, imo again. I had a lot of expectations in this training vs the price, wanting training which goes straight to the point but i had the feeling it actually did not. Maybe the more recent ones on their website are better..

Hello and welcome to my review of ThinkSpace Education's "Learn Music Theory" course!

About the course:

"Learn Music Theory" is one of many short courses offered by ThinkSpace Education. It's a self-paced course, meaning you can access the material whenever you want, jump around to other bits, skip sections, it's completely up to you. The course is designed to take you from "zero to hero" in music theory and can be taken if you are an absolute beginner. By the end of the course, you come away with a really good grounding in music theory that you can then apply to your own music. The course seems to focus on cutting out "irrelevant" information, instead opting to give you the important, practical fundamentals to "get you going" with music — Whatever it is that you want to do, and whoever you are.

The content:

"Learn Music Theory" is broadly presented as two parts — Part one is the fundamentals or what you really "need" to know, and part two is where things get spicy and you see music theory "in action". Part two also features a chapter introducing the orchestra, which I appreciated.

The course content is presented in the form of videos and written text for each chapter. The course text is solid and could very well be considered the course by itself, but the real star of the show is each topic's video. These are presented by Guy Michelmore, whose enthusiastic style makes learning each topic engaging and (most importantly) fun! They give you a really interesting dive into each topic and there's never a dull moment.

Certain topics in the course offer "further explanations" if they've been found to be a bit difficult for learners. Some topics also have "going deeper" videos to help you learn more about them. I feel that these further explanations and deeper dives add a lot of value to the course.

Throughout the course, there's many points where Guy offers you practical advice on further study, for example how to work towards learning how to read written music.

In the majority of chapters in the course, there are also bonus "theory for guitarists" written topics, which are a nice addition.

The text and videos complement each other very well. They come together to form what feels like "the complete package".

Improvements:

I felt that certain topics could have been explained better or were a bit too brief. One such topic that stood out to me was time signatures, however I have always struggled with the topic of rhythm and meter in general.

The design of the ThinkSpace website was updated some time ago. I think that on mobile devices, the new design leaves a bit to be desired in terms of general layout and making efficient use of space. It's difficult to navigate and view the courses, and in general things feel a bit "cluttered".

I've also experienced a problem a couple of times on desktop where I access my course, click on a topic, and am then asked to sign in again, within the course. It's as if I am viewing the website and course again but embedded "within" the course as one of the topics.

Summary:

Overall, I really cannot fault this course. It is incredibly accessible, and most importantly, fun. It never felt like a "drag" to be learning; I was always engaged. You can tell a lot of effort went into making it, and it's worth the money in my opinion. The regular sales make it even better value for money. If you want a practical and entertaining way of learning music theory, then I would highly recommend looking at this course! You won't be disappointed.

The ThinkSpace Education courses really helped me to compose music. Guy is very funny so you will NEVER EVER get bored when doing the courses. And the things that he teaches is really useful for my music. Thank you for all your courses Guy!

Signed up for two courses, but I found another course that fitted me better. Asked for a refund and got it the day after, no questions asked. Good service!

I've taken 2 online short courses so far: Learn Music Theory; How to Write Music. I am in my late 50's with absolutely no previous musical training. I have been amazed at how quickly I have learned to read, write and understand music. I've written a couple of simple scores which have had good feedback from family and which I know are kinda quite good.
Guy's style of teaching is great fun and (for me) makes the knowledge go in easily and stick really well. I now find myself thinking musically all of the time. I wake up thinking about the Circle of Fifths and having great ideas of how to improve the tune I have been playing with the previous day.
Can't praise the 2 courses highly enough. I am about to sign up for more.
The format of the lessons, and the layout of the website are really good. The self assessments throughout ensure that you truly have understood the information. The coursework and videos remain available indefinitely. There is a no-quibble money back guarantee if you find you don't get on with the style of teaching. If you follow Guy Michelmore on his YouTube channel then you already know whether you find him entertaining or annoying. I wish I had Guy as my teacher 50 years ago.

really great, love Michael

Arnie

How To Write Music (HTWM) Course

Because I have watched virtually all Guy's YouTube videos and been entertained, inspired and educated by them I felt an obligation to contribute to his business as a reward for what I have received. A donation if you wish. So I signed up to his cheapest course.

I am an amateur music producer and very basic on the piano but have written some decent songs but had an open mind about HTWM. It is primarily piano based and as it turned out for me it was a really good series of piano lessons and in particular the exercise to improvise. My playing improved immediately as it gave me some more confidence. I particularly like the chords to melody section as that is my slow area of composition.

I gained far more out of the course than I expected and if you are new to writing music I can say with 100% confidence you are getting a bargain and you'll have some laughs along the way (no surprise there!).

I've really enjoyed Cinematic Orchestration. It's Informative without being stodgy. The assignments are a lot of fun whilst also developing your orchestration skills. The course has given me the confidence to continue developing my orchestral writing.

Thinkspace Education is a great resource to learn composition!
Guy is a fantastic teacher & always presents the material in an energetic and fun manner!

The information is presented in a clear and engaging manner. I found this course most helpful.

I am currently following the beginner's "How to Write Music" course, and intend to also subscribe to the "Harmony 1" course later on.

The course is very well structured, the material and information is presented clearly, and the videos are interesting and also entertaining to follow.

I think, that Mr. Michelmore is the music teacher I should have had in school, but unfortunately hadn't. His excitement about music, his love to the subject matter is really an inspiration.

Having taken a number of courses (Template in a Weekend, Composer Blueprints Training, DAW to Score, Sampled Orchestration in a Weekend) and am currently in the middle of Music for the Media, I can highly recommend Thinkspace courses to anyone interested in music composition for film, TV or games.
Course texts and video tutorials are comprehensive and - most importantly - you get to see Guy working 'realtime' warts and all. So important (IMHO) that you don't just get to see (hear ...) the finished product. You get to see behind the scenes on how things are constructed - which you can then take and use in your own compositions.
Also worth pointing out that Thinkspace have a very responsive help / support ticket process - for any questions you may have.

ThinkSpace Education's courses are the best online courses I have ever taken. Guy Michelmore must be among the greatest didactical talents in the world. I stumbled across one of his YouTube videos and was immediately hooked, then bought my first courses, starting with "Template in a Weekend", because that was what I needed at the time. But because the course was so excellent, I ended up taking more and more courses, even on topics I already knew quite a bit about (e.g. Harmony), just because the material is presented in such a fresh and motivating way that it is just pure joy to watch. But what is best: Watching Guy composing in real-time is so motivating and inspiring, that I always end up writing "a piece of music" afterwards, I just can't help it. These courses are the best medicine against writer's block ever.

I`m a huge fan of Thinkspace Education.

However, I must admit my great disappointment with them in deciding to drop the option of offering students the choice of sending their projects to tutors for feedback. This option really set them apart from the rest and I feel they really dropped the ball with this decision.

Paul Therriault

Exceptional real-world education! Thank you, ThinkSpace!

Thinkspace Education has transformed my career trajectory as a professional musician, and provided excellent online training and support. The wide variety of courses, course materials and real world projects have been instrumental in providing hard skills, which are essential in a technologically fast changing musical landscape, and one in which I was failing to keep up with beforehand. I would strongly recommend joining this community as a novice or as a professional.

Looking back after a year of signing up for my first course,its incredible on how my composition and music technology skills have gone to a much higher level.I am so grateful for the support and the solid advice that i have received from the Think Space staff and more important,the educational material and tutorial guidance under Mr.Guy Michelmore. Its hard to find someone to let you look over their shoulders while they teach you Hands On.That is how it feels when you study at ThinkSpace Education.

Excellent value for money, lots of information provided, as well as helpful and entertaining videos. Useful for revision and consolidating, or beginning composers. Very enjoyable, with lots of encouraging ideas to try.

While some courses are a bit pricey, the ones I have signed up for have been affordable for me, informative, succinct, and somewhat entertaining as well.
I intend to keep up with these programs as best I can.