Designing an Introduction to Music Technology Course

1
Designing an Introduction to Music Technology
Course

• David B. WilliamsIllinois State University
• Peter R. Webster
• Northwestern University

http//www.emtbook.net
P
D
2
Overview

• Trends
• Goals and Philosophy
• Course Outline
• Hardware and Software Needs
• Sample Unit
• Variations on the Theme
• Closing Thoughts

D
3
Music Technology Trends

• Its all going digital
• Hardware transformed as software
• Music software more flexible accessible
• Beyond stereo
• Internet connectivity and sharing

D
4
D
5
Philosophy of Design

• Constructionist teaching/learning strategy
• Equal weight given to
• People (the applications)
• Data (music information being transformed)
• Hardware (the hardware tools)
• Software (the software tools)
• IPOS model to understanding computer operations
• Historical context

D
6
D
7
Course models designed to meet the skills needed
for

• general music student population,
• theory/composition students, or
• music education students.

P
8
Course Goals

• Student should gain an understanding of
• computer operating systems, network, and Internet
  concepts
• basic concepts of acoustics and music synthesis
• how a computer processes music for display versus
  music for performance

P
9
Course Goals, cont.

• features and operational concepts of music
  software for
• Audio editing and recording
• Sequencing and mixing with digital audio and MIDI
• Notation
• Instruction

P
10
Course Goals, cont.

• file types and translations for exchanging music
  data
• practical, hands-on experience with music
  software in a variety of situations
• Historical context

P
11
Questions
12
Outline of Course

• OS and Internet skills
• Basic acoustics and music synthesis
• Digital audio
• Multichannels/tracks with surround-sound and MPEG
• MIDI basics
• Digital audio MIDI combined
• Notation

D
13
Basic Hardware Needs
D
14
More Advanced Hardware Needs
D
15
Software Needs

• Low budget
• Browser
• Audacity
• GarageBand or ACID
• Band-in-a-Box
• NotePad

• Healthier budget
• Browser
• SoundForge or Peak
• Cubase SE or Logic Express
• Sonar or Logic Pro
• Finale or Sibelius
• Reason

P
16
Sample Unit (Digital Audio)

• Concepts of acoustics
• Concepts of analog to digital to analog
• Basic hardware setups
• Music sharing and file types
• Editing digital audio
• Digital audio recording and editing project

P
17
Sample Unit (Digital Audio)

• Concepts of acoustics
• Concepts of analog to digital to analog
• Basic hardware setups
• Music sharing and file types
• Editing digital audio
• Digital audio recording and editing project

iTunes
P
18
Sample Unit (Digital Audio)

• Concepts of acoustics
• Concepts of analog to digital to analog
• Basic hardware setups
• Music sharing and file types
• Editing digital audio
• Digital audio recording and editing project

Audacity
P
19
Questions
20
Variations Theory/Composition

• OS and Internet skills
• Notation
• Basic acoustics and music synthesis
• Digital audio
• MIDI basics
• Multichannels/tracks with surround-sound and MPEG
• Advanced sound shaping and synthesis
• Composition project

D
21
Composition Software

• Cubase SE
• Reason
• Sibelius or Finale
• Max/MSP
• And more

D
22
Variations Music Ed

• OS and Internet skills
• Basic acoustics and music synthesis
• Digital audio
• CAI instructional applications
• MIDI basics
• Multitrack with GarageBand and/or ACID
• Notation
• Onsite classroom technology unit

P
23
CAI Software

• Auralia, MiBAC, Practica Musica
• BIAB
• Smart Music
• And more

P
24
EMT Textbook

• Viewport I Musicians and use of technology
• Viewport II OS and Internet skills
• Viewport III Basic acoustics and music synthesis
• Viewport III Digital audio
• Viewport IV Multichannels/tracks with
  surround-sound and MPEG
• Viewport V MIDI basics
• Viewport VI Digital audio MIDI combined
• Viewport VII Notation
• Viewport VIII CAI Instructional Software

D
25
DVD-ROM Tutorials

• Safari and IE
• iTunes
• ACID and GarageBand
• Audacity and Audition
• Cubase, Logic, Home Studio, Sonar
• Finale and Sibelius
• Band-in-a-Box
• MiBAC, Auralia, Practica Musica

D
26
P
P
P
27
Computing is not about computers anymore. It is
about living.

• Nicholas Negroponte, Being Digital (1995)

P
28
www.emtbook.net
P
29
CMS Technology Institute

• www.cfa.ilstu.edu/cmscenter
• June 4-9
• Instructors Henry Panion, Peter Webster, and
  Dave Williams
• Illinois State University
• Sponsors Apple, MakeMusic!, MiBAC, Sibelius,
  SoundTree, Thomson/Schirmer

D
30
Questions