Jordan Ali is an artist / teacher based in NYC.

Hey! I’m Jordan Ali. I’m a composer, musical artist, and teacher. Welcome to my online home.

Studying music is an incredible way for us to explore ourselves and what it means to be human. Armed with this core belief, I practice music by composing for film and concert, and teach music on this website.

Many of us became musicians because of powerful experiences that have moved us at our core. My written work tries to answer, how does tonal music do that?

I approach music by emphasizing free listening and by focusing on the direct experience of sound relations. My goal is to share a deeper understanding of hearing harmony, one that explores our embodied imagination to celebrate creativity and musical expression.

During my junior year of college, I discovered the philosophy and pedagogy of Konrad von Abel, a renowned conductor based in Munich. Captivated by the approach, I applied to his conducting masterclass in Târgu Mures, Romania. After scraping together the tuition and booking a last minute flight on Wizz Air, I had the privilege of participating in what was a transformative experience for me and the orchestra with whom we were making music.

Over the next five years, I conducted various ensembles across six countries in Europe. These teachings and experiences with my teacher transformed my worldview and revolutionized my understanding of harmony and composition. Since returning, I try to share the new ideas and knowledge I gained to help other musicians, the creatively inclined and the intellectually curious to gain a deeper understanding of the great art that we call music.

I love writing about musical composition and sharing these big and intimate ideas about music and life with my readership.

For a personal essay, check out Do you write the sounds you hear?

My most popular article so far: The Bach Chorale Exercise

If you love music theory, here are some articles from my harmony email course (which is a free experience you should definitely consider signing up for):

• Can the roots of music be found in nature?

• What are the smallest elements of tonal harmony?

• How do you write beautiful chord progressions?

• What are musical cadences?

• How do you change keys?

• Some articles about musical analysis: here, here, and here.

For my philosophy of music, I recommend this piece: The Music of a Symphony

And here’s an essay about how we can improve the way we understand and teach music: Four Ways of Knowing

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