Criticism useful at all to developing composers?

What is really useful to say to budding composers?

"Such and such i don't think should be in here"

"blah blah blah this is out of place"

No, I don't think this is helpful at all. It is based entirely on a subjective opinion.

HOWEVER, if you hear something you LIKE in a budding composer's work, and you tell them to simply do MORE of that. or to ADD something to their music, you aren't asking them to CHANGE or to CONFORM. you are only asking them to do more of what they are already doing, or simply add to it.

In my perhaps not so humble opinion, this is vastly more useful and inspiring to budding composers than criticism of any sort. It seems to me criticism should be reserved for only the most experienced composers, and then ONLY when they are trying to emulate a style for which there are many objective parameters.

"No-one ever erected a statue to a critic" - Sibelius

As a composer you generally only will show pieces that look/sound good to you. The key phrase in that statement is to you. Does it mean it sounds good or meaningful to anyone else? No, not at all. The purpose of someone saying you should do such and such is to help you improve and to help you expand your ideas. It's up to you to believe if they are right or wrong. If someone only told you this was good do more of it then what is bad wouldn't dissappear. Also telling someone something is good is as subjective as telling them it is good. It would then have to be your opinion that good or bad criticism is pointless and should not be giving.

Criticism is very important for a young composer. Without criticism good and bad, how would the younger composer improve besides trial and error? With criticism you find out what sounds good to people and what doesn't. Also it is important to know when I say "sounds good" I mean what works in a certain piece.

I have simply found in my own experience that positive reinforcement and suggestion have caused me to improve VASTLY more than when I have recieved criticism. I suppose that may not be true for other people though, so I reserve judgement.

perhaps what I REALLY meant is that sometimes people criticise in a very unhelpful WAY.

perhaps what I REALLY meant is that sometimes people criticise in a very unhelpful WAY.

I agree. Simply saying "this is bad" isn't helpful. However, say this doesn't sound right, because of this maybe you could try this, is much more helpful. criticism and postive reinforcement are one and the same. You need both to grow. If everything you write is said to be good then you might start thinking you are mozart and everything you write is good! It is important to point out the flaws(and good) in people's work when they ask for criticism or they can never improve.

I've found most praise of my work to be extremely unhelpful to me; if you like something, tell me exactly what you like!

But on the subject of criticism, I think it's fine, as long as the critic is also specific about not only what he/she thinks is bad but why he/she thinks that way. That way, the composer has some grounds to consider whether or not to accept the criticism.

I have simply found in my own experience that positive reinforcement and suggestion have caused me to improve VASTLY more than when I have recieved criticism. I suppose that may not be true for other people though, so I reserve judgement.

I have found the exact opposite. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy when someone says they liked my music... it gives my that tingly sensation in my back. But overall, that is just me flattering myself and padding my ego - I don't need that. I prefer if they tell me what they didn't like and why. It pushes me to challenge myself, reinvent myself, etc. Positive criticism can lead to such static music.

I agree with everyone in here. Mostly, because most people have giving their views on how criticism helps themselves.

I think that there is a discernable level of quality to criticism, just as there is one to compositions. Good criticism is clear and descriptive and not biased. It points out strengths and weaknesses in equal(if possible), and it offers advice on how to continue working on the piece. Simply stating "I think where you did that, is good." does help in a way, but that alone offers no advice.

Having what people liked and disliked pointed out clearly helps me a lot. Whether or not I percieve it to be biased, or if it's exaggerated, is my perogative. If I find it to be genuine criticism that's worthy of my notice, I reflect on it and see what I can pull from it. I'd like to say criticism has helped my music greatly, but maybe it's just that I haven't recieved a whole lot of 'good(quality)' comments.