Newman later studied composition and orchestration for two years at the University of Southern California, before transferring to Yale University, where he graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1977 and a Master of Music in 1978.
Newman kemudian belajar komposisi dan orkestra selama dua tahun di Universitas California Selatan, sebelum melanjutkan di Universitas Yale, di mana dia meraih gelar Bachelor of Arts pada tahun 1977 dan Master of Music tahun 1978.