Private composition lessons with
Mathew Arrellin
Are you looking to refine your compositional voice, improve your technique, or prepare for professional opportunities?
Work 1-on-1 with award-winning composer Mathew Arrellín to develop your craft and bring your music to life.
Who This Is For
✅ Aspiring and professional composers seeking expert guidance
✅ Musicians preparing for competitions, applications, or commissions
✅ Composers struggling with form, orchestration, or musical clarity
✅ Artists looking for personalized mentorship beyond traditional academia
What You’ll Get
🎼 Tailored Feedback – In-depth critique of your works-in-progress
🎵 Technical & Artistic Development – Improve your harmonic, contrapuntal, and structural writing
🖥️ Flexible Online Lessons – Work from anywhere with high-quality virtual sessions
Pricing & Options
🎓 Single Lesson
$125/hr
$65/.5-hour
A focused, deep-dive session on your composition, technique, theory questions, orchestration, etc.
🎼 Monthly Package (Best Value)
$400/four 1hr lessons $200/four .5-hr lessons
Consistent guidance with weekly lessons to help you grow and refine your music.
🔥 Trial Lesson (New Students Only)
$100/hr
$50/.5-hr
A one-time discounted session to experience personalized coaching.
If the links to book one of these options doesn’t work, contact me here with your preference
What People Said About Lessons
About me
Mathew Arrellín (pronounced: A-rre-yín) is a composer and cellist from El Paso, Texas (b. 1993), currently based in Chicago.
His solo, chamber, and orchestral works have been performed by ensembles such as Ensemble Dal Niente, Mivos Quartet, Third Coast Percussion, ~Nois, and others, at festivals including VIPA (2016), June in Buffalo (2018), and the SCI National Conference (2019).
He is a 2023 Barlow Endowment commission recipient and has earned awards from the Illinois Arts Council and Northwestern University, among others.
As an educator, Mathew teaches music theory at Northwestern University and has led courses in composition, aural skills, and interdisciplinary arts. He also teaches masterclasses and private lessons online.
He holds a bachelor’s in music theory, composition, and cello from the University of New Mexico, and a PhD in composition from Northwestern University, where he studied with Jay Alan Yim, Alex Mincek, and Hans Thomalla.
My Music
More Testimonials
“By a meeting, like, one hour, I learned something I couldn’t learn by six months.”
-Mahmoud, composer
“I feel like a composer again.”
-Joe, composer/violist
“The chances are that if you come with a piece of music, [Mathew] is going to point something out… that that person hasn’t heard before, and they’re gonna get some sort of benefit, and it might be a transformative benefit..”
-Guy, composer
“The suggestions were not vague, very specific, not heavy-handed... It’s a great alternative for someone that’s not in school studying composition.”
-Simmon, composer
“You would be surprised by the amount of good feedback you get and it really could help you, I think, grow as a composer.”
-Grace, composer
[The session] was awesome. It was awesome.”
-Larry, composer
“It’s very engaging, very friendly, very open. It’s a great experience.”
-Peter, composer
“I find it hard to imagine any kind of music that [Mathew] couldn’t improve with [his] insights. I think any composer could benefit from that.”
-Averyn, composer
“You’ll reap the benefits of not only making connections, but also you’ll have someone else hear your music and have coherence to that hearing.”
-Daniel, composer
“It’s amazing hearing your process… I think hearing someone else’s insight into your work is super valuable, super informative, and would definitely recommend for sure.”
-Wesley, composer
“By studying with Mathew, you’re definitely going to learn a lot.”
-Guang, composer
“You were able to identify what seemed to be the gold… I found that particularly helpful because you were able to do that very quickly.”
-Rob, composer
“It’s been very useful to see your process for composing… You’ve been really helpful!”
-Hazel, composer
“Mathew will give you what you need to get started on this journey of personal growth and empowerment.”
-Dan Galat, violinist/composer
“With your feedback, I feel like I can get somewhere with [my music].”
-Milly, composer
“You’ve been pretty helpful and understanding and it seems you know what you’re talking about.”
-Comet, composer