MUSI43815: Computer Music

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• To instil a critical understanding of the history and the current research frontier of computer music
• To develop programming skills particular to computer music tasks through a series of practical workshops
• To inculcate contextually aware evaluation of students own research projects

• This module treats the exciting and rapidly developing field of computer music, engaging with the research frontier, from new creative music systems to music information retrieval. Learning contexts may include live computer music, interactive music software, sound synthesis, audio analysis, audio FX, network and online music, algorithmic music, music AI, and computational corpus studies. Research in historical computer music will inform treatment of present day creative computing and data science topics. Students will develop computer music programming skills across a range of platforms, such as SuperCollider, javascript Web Audio API, and python, with a view to a final programming led project engaging with the research frontier.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Familiarity with a range of theories and techniques in computer music, as well as the perspective and critical understanding required to apply them to an individual project
• Knowledge of historical and contemporary computer music repertoire and research

Subject-specific Skills:

• Students will develop computer music programming skills and their awareness of the potential of music software
• Advanced competence in engaging with musical materials in digital formats (e.g. audio recordings, musical programming code, music data representations)
• Ability to run corpus based studies in computer music, treating larger databases of audio recordings or other music data files
• Compositional skill in computer music will be developed in line with students own particular project needs, where this may include aspects of generative and interactive music
• An advanced ability to engage critically with theories and methodologies pertinent to the academic study of computer music

Key Skills:

• The module will facilitate development of those techniques most appropriate for the articulation of each student's project idea
• Through programming workshops and an independent research project students will develop transferable research skills

• Lectures will demonstrate the conceptual and theoretical foundations of computer music, and outline the contemporary research frontier
• Workshops provide chance to develop practical programming skills in particular computer music case studies relating to lecture content.
• Group tutorials push students to plan for their individual projects with peer and module leader discussion and feedback
• The summative assignment project is designed to test engagement with the computer music research frontier through a contextual critical commentary and associated program code

The module handbook will outline a series of weekly readings and set listening, which will inform discussion and also reflect formative practicals held in the workshops.

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