code-warrior
commented
4 years ago This is good, and we’ll revisit this content as we prepare the syllabus. The form only requires about 100 words. Thus, here’s the edited version:
In this course, students will learn how to create a New Interface for Musical Expression, or NIME. They will understand how to effectively map sensory data onto custom interfaces designed to generate sound as an expressive musical instrument. Using a strong, hands-on approach, students will learn about electronic music composition, sound design, synthesis, effects processing, musical form, structure, development, and nonstandard notational principles. The course will culminate in an end-of-semester concert where students will perform original works, complete with NIME-specific notation, composed to showcase their NIMEs.
sbambrick1217
This course will walk students through the process of creating a NIME (New Interface for Musical Expression) and using it to compose and perform an electronic work. Students will learn skills in both technical and creative fields in order to effectively map various sensory data onto a custom digital interface. These interfaces will be designed to generate sound as an expressive musical instrument. Various topics in electronic music composition will be covered to give students a wide range of possible directions in which to direct their NIMEs. This includes sound design, synthesis, effects processing, musical form, structure, and development, and nonstandard notational principles. The course will culminate with a final concert, where students will perform original compositions using their NIME.
The method of discourse will be varied. In order for students to succeed, a technical foundation must be set with regard to electronics, circuitry, and programming. This course will be front-loaded somewhat with these topics. An active learning environment will be heavily emphasized so that students are not just conceptually fluent, but capable of practical application as well. In short, from the beginning to the end, this course will be “hands-on.”
Once students have a basic technical foundation we will move on to some of the more creative topics, namely sound design and electronic music composition. These lessons will be administered in a similar way, through a synergistic lecture-lab approach. Here much of the work will be individualized, moving in the direction of each students’ final project. With regards to electronic music composition, students will also be involved in group discussions, analyzing and critiquing various trends in contemporary electronic music. This will help students spark ideas and decide on a direction for their final projects.
Throughout this course major emphasis will be placed on documentation, both technically and musically. This will aid students in their work in the event of mistakes and troubleshooting, and it will also serve as a lesson in professional development. Documentation can be used to share and collaborate on projects, and graphic scores can be used to garner new performances and recordings of electronic music compositions. Both are important for furthering academic and career development. By the end of this course, students will walk away with working experience of electronics, hardware, software and computer programming, sound design and synthesis, product and interface design, and a completely new perspective on digital instruments and musical expression.