First of all, hello, this is my first post as I am obviously new here. My primary instrument I play is the trombone which I play for my high school's Jazz Band and formerly Wind Ensemble. I also play the euphonium which I have only been playing for about a year for my school's Wind Ensemble currently but I also play the electric guitar which I self-taught myself.
I have been composing music for my trombone and guitar using what minimal tools I had for composing which is simply manuscript paper. I have used Finale Notepad and Sibelius for composing before but I find that they are sometimes difficult to deal with regarding the slow note input.
It's clear that I want to get into something in the field of music when I get out of school but currently I am looking at doing music composition. However, I know that it will be a long and difficult road to get there. Even though I use the music theory I am taught in school to compose little by little, I don't usually get much done as I'd like to. I have all these big ideas for songs but can't always put them down on paper or on the computer. Thinking about how I am going to manage composing music in the future seems hopeless if I can't generate some good pieces within a month or so.
This leads me to asking, do Music Theory classes help composers make music easier using the acquired knowledge or not? If so, that's what I plan to take in college as I will major in music composition. It is just that my mindset of having a create a perfect piece usually takes away all the inspiration I have to trying to create something.
What should I start with and how can I improve my composition abilities so that I can turn a hobby into a profession? Any advice would be great. Maybe I am over thinking about this topic but I can't stress how important it is.
