Computer-based Music Composing class offered Winter 2010
The Department of Music, Theatre and Dance offers MUS 220: Computer-based Music Composing, taught by Dr. Lettie Alston, in Winter 2010.
This four-credit class will be held in the MTD Technology Lab in Varner Hall. It offers hands-on study of creative computer music composition in a variety of musical styles and genres. Creative concepts in composing will be introduced through the use of Digital Audio and MIDI interfacing through project-based activities. MUS 220 satisfies the university general education requirement in the knowledge applications integration area, if it is taken after one of the pre-requisite courses - MUS 100, 200, 236, 334, 336, or 338.
The main focus of the class is on the project/lesson. Students will apply what they learned in the first general education course (prerequisites) across a range of experiences by engaging in multiple composition assignments and computer projects. Weekly meetings will focus on items of common interest, but new to everyone--new software or hardware in the studio, listening and discussion of consolidating musical styles/trends, processes professional composers use and how they interact with related art forms, copyright issues by guest speakers from a variety of related disciplines, and common informational needs that show themselves through lessons. Other topics include the integral role played by music technology in enhancing all the different aspects of creative music composition, and how this music technology might continue to shape our musical culture. Students will probably also get a better sense of how they could use music technology in your creative musical endeavors.
No textbook is required. Students will utilize software applications that are available in the MTD Technology Lab (237 Varner Hall) mainly Garage Band – a fun tool for creating 'instant music', but Sibelius and Finale, music notation software for printing notated music, are also available. This is not a class in teaching the use of music software tools, but a course exploring creative compositional techniques supported by the above music software tools.
Students should have basic computer skills and have had some interest in the using Garage Band to realize there creative works. Students can also bring your own lap top computer with whatever software programs they are comfortable using.
All projects and assignments must be submitted on disk.
The Department of Music, Theatre and Dance offers a hands-on study of creative computer music composition in a variety of musical styles and genres. Creative concepts in composing are introduced through the use of Digital Audio and MIDI interfacing through project-based activities. Computer-based Music Composing satisfies the university general education requirement in the knowledge applications integration area. Course will fulfill requirement only if taken second in sequence after one of the prerequisite courses.
Created by Joni Hubred-Golden (hubredgo@oakland.edu) on Thursday, December 3, 2009 Modified by Carly Uhrig (uhrig@oakland.edu) on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Article Start Date: Thursday, December 3, 2009
