Yes, this is a self-paced course. You can follow this program through at your own pace, and hypothetically take as long as you need to with each module.

While the program was designed to take 13 weeks to complete (one module per week), you could theoretically take as much time as you need.

Different students have different strengths and weaknesses. Some things you may find very easy, and speed through quickly; other things you may find more challenging and want to take more time over.

So the answer is: as much time as you need. Some people get through the program in a matter of weeks. Others prefer to take their time. Some complete a few modules, and then take a break to work on other projects, before coming back to finish the program. They still get great results.

Remember that these are skills which last a lifetime, so take as long (or as short) as you need with it, and come back whenever you like.

If you enroll now, you will have “lifetime” access – so if you wanted to enroll now, and then start working on the course a few months from now, that would absolutely be possible.  

In our Case Studies, Michael kindly said that “All levels really does mean all levels”. The exercises start out with the very basics of rhythm and pitch, before progressing in challenge gradually towards a university level. 

If your ears, reading, and music theory are already super sharp, you probably don't need this program.

If you feel like you need work on any of those skills, then this course will help you.

HOWEVER – if you are absolutely tone deaf, or unmusical, unable to carry a tune, unable to reproduce a pitch that someone else plays, unable to recognise what octaves are, unable to stay in time with a simple beat, then this program isn’t for you.

To get the most out of this program, you need to be able to self-correct, and hear when you've made mistakes. I’ve designed exercises to make that process easy, but if you’re totally unmusical and have no sense of pitch or rhythm at all, then this course won’t be appropriate for you.

Yes – there is a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. We wanted to make sure this program was a good fit for you. If you decide that it isn’t, you can write to Inside the Score within 30 days of purchase, and we will gladly refund 100% of your money – no hassles, no hard feelings.

Most courses and books teach you theory, but don’t train you. This program’s primary focus is on training you – making sure that you internalise everything that you learn. You’ll learn a piece of theory, and then immediately develop your reading, writing, and listening skills, so that that piece of theory sinks in deep. That’s how you truly become a better musician.

Also, this has been designed this as a holistic system. It will guide you every step of the way, through a wide variety of different exercises, to make sure that you’re developing your musicianship from every angle.

This holistic process is easy to follow – you simply go through the program, one step at a time, and will be guided in what to do next, every step of the way.

When designing the course, I originally referred to the UK’s traditional ABRSM Music Theory exams, and discovered that Musicality comfortably covers all music theory from ABRSM Grades 1-8, and even goes well beyond ABRSM in several areas.

The only aspect that  Musicality does not cover, which ABRSM does, is learning how to compose music in different historic styles. I decided that that specific skillset was beyond the core mission of this program, which is to develop university-level musicianship skills.

There are also several elements of theory and musicianship taught by Musicality which are not featured in traditional theory syllabi, such as score-reading progressions, transcribing music in multiple parts, and more.

Moreover, this course also gives you the opportunity to regularly TRAIN these skills with sight-reading exercises, ear tests, and writing/composing challenges – all designed to make you a better musician, on a practical level.

When I surveyed my audience, 90% said they had access to a piano or keyboard. So, I included some optional exercises to try out on your piano or instrument. These exercises are optional – they will help you to apply what you’re learning to an instrument. However, they are not essential to the course.

If you have an instrument, or ideally a keyboard available, then I recommend that you do these exercises. But if you don’t, then don’t worry. These Instrument exercises are additional, bonus exercises, and not essential to the backbone of the course.

Bernstein was a terrible singer, but you can be sure he could "hear" the notes in his head. You might not have the best voice, but I encourage you to sing the “singing exercises” anyway. As long as you can hear what note it’s supposed to be, even if your voice can’t perfectly replicate that, then you’re doing the exercise. Singing the exercises forces you to use your brain – it’s not just a matter of “pushing buttons” to find the right note. You actually have to think about the relationship between each note on the page, and then reproduce that with your body. In that sense, singing makes the learning process concrete - it turns what you hear in your head, into some kind of reality, and so it’s a powerful tool.

Having said that, if you’re truly dreadful at singing, then that’s okay - there are alternative ways of completing the singing exercises, which still use your brain but don’t involve you making sound.