Computers and digital interfaces are now a standard part of both professional and academic musical life. It is safe to say that many accomplished musicians’ primary instrument is the computer, and that some of the most exciting developments in music are taking place in the digital realm. Just as students of music today need to become familiar with concepts of digital synthesis and computer manipulation of audio, students interested in computer interface design, software development, and cognitive science benefit from an understanding of the various elegant systems (both “analog” and digital) used to create music. My teaching on music, math, and computing has developed during two years of designing, coordinating, and teaching Cosmos UCI’s course Psychoacoustics, Math, and Creative Computing and as a teaching assistant and lecturer for John Crawford’s Digital Media course series. Video of a lecture I gave for Prof. Crawford’s class is available here. I am interested in teaching various topics including:
Courses for musicians and nonmusicians
- digital media with a music and science perspective.
- introduction to musical systems (rhythm, pitch, and instrument/interface design) and digital applications of these systems.
- interactive computer performance, computer composition for beginning musicians, and digital arts.
Courses for musicians
- music, mathematics, and improvisation
- computer-based composition and musical practice
- creative use of digital audio workstations (Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton, Reason, Cubase, etc)
Systems of musical sounding and the logic based world of computing share certain basic aims–development of effective expressive techniques, refined interface design, even data management and retrieval–that can be studied and developed using innovative tools of musical research. From ancient tools such as the monochord to computer programs like max/msp and chuck music has always informed development in technology and science yet progress in music and technology yields contrasting (but equally astounding) results. Today a computer literate person can use garageband or songsmith to generate new music with few creative limitations, without needing much (or any) musical training. A musically literate performer can, without electronics, use an instrument whose design dates back hundreds or thousands of years to evoke memories, tell stories, recreate notated or aurally transmitted music, and improvise in emotionally powerful yet often nonverbal ways. The seamless integration of real time creativity, virtuosity, and technology is an approaching reality, and our interfaces for aural expression, whether they are computer programs or instruments, will be at the forefront of this exciting development.
Given this rapid development of computing power, how can music and digital media be explored to further advance both music, computer software, and interface design? Academic study that integrates musical and computational processes, histories, and creative practice will lead students to discovery of new musical and technological forms. Coursework on music, math, and computing seeks to bridge the divide between musicians and non-musicians, expand the abilities of amateur musicians who use computers for music, and unite scientific inquiry and creative production.
My courses in music, math, and computing contextualize historical musical practice and current methods in computer music while investigating improvisational process, compositional form, rhythm, and science based discussion of music cognition. Coursework includes readings and web-based research, creative projects using various computer applications, and scientific examination of musical phenomenon.
For the past two summers I have been teaching Psychoacoustics, Math, and Creative Computing, a month-long full time course I developed for teaching musically and academically talented high school students. Each student attending this course is provided an up to date laptop computer with special music applications pre-installed. Students study tuning and rhythmic systems, computer audio synthesis, learn to perform various African diasporic rhythms, begin to internalize intervallic relationships, and explore broader scientific subjects related to perception of music. In addition, students work together to create finished computer music compositions (using Logic, a digital audio workstation), and relate their creative work to a project examining mathematical, scientific, or music theory principles. Student work in this course has been excellent, and shown how creative music and study of scientific principles can be integrated into a single course of study. Below are pictures of the scientific projects students completed for Mathematics of Music in summer 2009:
A study of harmonic symmetry as a compositional tool.
An explanation of tunings based on pure intervals.
Construction and use of a square wave oscillator.
An experiment and composition testing music’s effectiveness as a mnemonic.
Auditory perception experiment; can subjects discern subtle changes in tuning system structure?
A study of infrasounds and their compositional application.
composition and research into how music influences emotion.
An examination of how tonal phenomenon function in a student composition.
An experiment testing subjects’ pitch retention and sense of melodic contour.
An experiment concerning gender differences in the ability to tune a pure octave.
The Mathematics of Music teaching team (L-R): John Crooks, Martin Jaroszewicz, Ania Briscoe, and Jim Simmons.
