Private Studio · West Hollywood
Private instruction from a working composer.
Piano, composition, music production, and film scoring — taught personally by Carlos Magaña, with a small number of students at any given time.
Study
Areas of study.
Piano
Technique, repertoire, and musicianship for players at every level — from first lessons through conservatory preparation.
Composition & Theory
Original writing and the harmonic language behind it, developed through the student's own music rather than a fixed workbook.
Music Production
Arranging and producing in the DAW — orchestration mockups, sound design, and finishing a track from sketch to session‑ready.
Film Scoring
Writing to picture: spotting, sketching, and building a score around story, drawn from active work scoring film and television.
The Studio
How lessons work.
There's no fixed curriculum. Every course of study is built around the student in front of me — their ability, their goals, and the music they actually want to play.
Chosen to match ability and interest — not assigned from a standard book series.
Set by progress, not a semester calendar. Some pieces take a week; others take a season.
Weekly sessions at the West Hollywood studio, or in‑home instruction anywhere in Los Angeles.
The Teacher
Carlos Magaña
Carlos is a Los Angeles‑based composer and pianist, trained at Berklee College of Music. His work includes co‑composing the score for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Season 2, alongside ongoing scoring work for film and television.
He teaches piano, composition, production, and scoring privately from his home studio, bringing the same standards he holds in the scoring room to every lesson.
Co‑Composer · Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Season 2Begin
Book a consultation.
New students begin with a free consultation. Use the form below to introduce yourself and find a first lesson time — piano, composition, production, and scoring are all available to book directly.
Home studio in West Hollywood · in‑home lessons available throughout Los Angeles
Questions
Get in touch.
Not ready to book? Send a message directly, or reach out at cmlessonsla@gmail.com.