Aug 25: Welcome
Aug 27: Beginnings: Music and Cyberculture
Readings
Nayar (2010)
Sep 3: Foundations: Musicological Perspectives
Readings
Attali (1985) - Paul
Small (1998), "Prelude: Music and Musicking"
Turino (2008)
Sep 10: History I: The Technocultural Sound Object
Readings
Horkheimer & Adorno (2002) - Ghadeer
Peters (2004) - Sarah
Benjamin (1935) - Arianna
Sep 17: History II: Disruptive Music Technologies
Readings
Gitelman (2004) - Keegan
Pinch and Bijsterveld (2003) - Hae Sun
Sousa (1909) - Yo-yo
Sep 24: Music, Technology, and Agency
Readings
Ellul (1964) - Charlotte
Taylor (2001) - Megan
Bell (2017)
Assignment
Creative/Research Project: Proposal
Final Creative/Research Project Proposal Instructions
Description
Before submitting a proposal you should schedule at least one meeting with me outside of class to discuss potential projects. The proposal will serve as an agreement between you and me concerning expectations for a final project, including project submission and presentation, as well as a guideline for executing your project.
Instructions
The project proposal should include the following:
- working title for project
- brief description (at least one solid paragraph) of project, including clear articulation of its relevance to course material and your own research/creative endeavors
- brief description (at least one solid paragraph) of planned process (methodology, steps toward implementation, etc.)
- description of proposal for final submission (whether a paper, performance, composition, etc.)
- description of proposal for final presentation (whether a paper reading, in-class performance, multimedia presentation, guided listening, etc.)
Delivery
The project proposal should be posted to the final projects page of the course wiki.
Oct 1: Music as Intellectual Property
Readings
Burkart (2009) - Ana Maria
Katz (2004) - Lisa
Mcleod (2005) - Tom
Oct 8: Music and Virtuality
Readings
Telharmony Stock Letter (1906) - Dr. Harvey
Telharmony Brochure (1904) - Dr. Harvey
Sterne (2012) - Tyler
Morris (2017) - LaBarrin
Assignment
Loop Composition
Loop Composition
Description
For this assignment, you will explore the creative possibilities of digital audio within Apple's GarageBand software application. Alternatively, you may sign up for a free trial of Soundtrap. In creating your song, you should apply creative techniques to pre-recorded digital audio loops available within GarageBand or Soundtrap.
Instructions
Compose a 2-3 minute song in GarageBand using built-in digital audio loops. You may expand your sonic pallet by downloading additional loops for GarageBand from 3rd-party vendors. Do not record anything yourself, neither a digital audio nor MIDI. Rather, limit your source material to loops built into or created for GarageBand (or Soundtrap).
Delivery
Upon completion of your composition, upload an MP3 version of your song (not the GarageBand file!) to the Loop Composition assignment page in the course wiki.
Oct 15: Internet Communities
Readings
Watson (1997)
Waldron (2011) - Lisa
Lysloff (2003)
Oct 22: Streaming and Patronage
Readings
Tan (2016) - Keegan
Thorley (2016)
Nguyen (2018), Chapter 2: "Tweeting and Tweet Seats"
Assignment
Research Project: Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography Instructions
Description
Annotated bibliographies are useful as a general method for keeping record and taking notes of literature encountered as part of a creative or research project. Generally speaking, annotations provide a brief summary and evaluation of the source (book, article, blog post, website, etc.), as well as the application of the source to the project at hand. The process of annotating bibliographic sources situates the researcher/artist within a scholarly/creative dialog by encouraging
- thoughtful evaluation of the source
- critical reflection regarding its application to your project
- record-keeping of surveyed literature for later analysis.
Instructions
Select six sources from your research bibliography to annotate. If you are undertaking a scholarly research paper, your sources should mostly be from academic articles or books. If you are undertaking a creative or applied project, your sources may include scholarly publications, but also technical papers, journalistic articles on related projects, how "how to" articles or books. Each should contain the following:
- Properly structured bibliographic reference.
- 2-3 sentences identifying the type of source, its position/value within the field of your project, and main points of the article/chapter/book.
- 2-4 sentences critically reflecting on the value of the source for your research project. This section should provide explanation of how the source fits into your project, how it will inform your stance (do you agree/disagree? why?) or process, and its relation to other literature you have surveyed. You may choose to include pertinent quotes from the source (make sure to cite the page number!).
Delivery
Upload your proposal to your final projects page on the course wiki.
Oct 29: Musical Collaboration
Readings
Carroli (1997) - Lex
Oliver (2016) - Charlotte
O'Brien (2016) - Hae Sun
Assignment
Remix Assignment
Remix Assignment Instructions
Description
For this assignment, you will remix a song using clips from the original song, loops from GarageBand, and/or original recorded material. We will discuss several options in class regarding the song to remix.
Your remix should demonstrate an original artistic perspective from the original song.
Instructions
Remix a loop composition from your assigned partner.
Delivery
Upload your remix to the remix assignment page.
Nov 5: Musical Cyborgs
Readings
Haraway (1991)
Jones, Bennet, and Cross (2015) - Ana Maria
Miller (2009) - Arianna
Assignment
Online Communities Field Report
Online Community Field Report Instructions
Purpose
From Small to Lysloff to Attali to Burkart, the concept of "community" has been central to or suggested in many of the readings we have encountered in regards to musical culture. Yet, the notion of "virtual community" is a contested concept within the social sciences. Frequently, when online social spaces are granted the label of "community" by sociologists, they are justified with qualifiers, such as "communities of practice" or "communities of affinity." Still others argue that Internet communities, with all the rights and privileges associated with the concept, indeed exist and are sustainable forms of sociality in the 21st century.
Your mini ethnography is a case study in reflection of the notion of musical communities on the Internet.
Instructions
Investigate a musical-oriented website or other cyberplace that arguably constitutes a "community."
Write a brief (600-1000 words) ethnographic account of the community. Your ethnography should be largely descriptive, but should clearly articulate aspects of the examined culture that point toward the ideals of community. In doing so, you should draw upon concepts introduced by readings from the class, applied to your research experience.
Delivery
You will read/present your ethnography in class and post it as a PDF document to the Online Communities assignment page.
Nov 12: Virtual Musicians
Readings
Auslander and Inglis (2016) - Sarah
Echard (2006) - Tyler
Jackson and Dines (2016) - Yo-yo
Nov 19: Music in Virtual Worlds
Readings
Miller (2007) - Megan
Cheng (2012)
Harvey (2014) - LaBarrin
Dec 3: Mobile Music Technology
Readings
Beer (2010)
Bull (2005) - Ghadeer
de Vries (2010) - Tom
Assignment
Virtual World Field Reports
Virtual World Field Report Instructions
Purpose
Music and sound play a significant role in creating immersive environments for virtual worlds. A virtual world is often used synonymously with massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs), a computer-based simulated environment populated by many users who interact with the virtual space and socialize with other participants via a personal avatar. More broadly, the concept of virtual world may be extended to any immersive, computer-generated environment that gives agency to the participant for exploring the digitally-rendered space.
Your ethnographic field report is an observational reflection on your musical experiences within your chosen virtual world. While I encourage you to explore a more conventional virtual world (e.g. Second Life), you may choose to investigate a console video game, mobile app, of film that provides a related experience.
Instructions
Investigate a virtual world, reflecting on the presence and affect of music and sound within the virtual space.
Write brief (400-500 words) ethnographic field notes of your experiences in the virtual world. Your notes should be largely descriptive, but should clearly articulate aspects of the examined culture that point toward the role of music in creating an immersive environment. In doing so, you should draw upon concepts introduced by readings from the class, applied to your research experience.
Delivery
You will read/present your ethnography in class and post it as a PDF document to the Virtual Worlds assignment page.
Dec 8: Final Presentations
8:00 - Sarah
8:10 - Ana Maria
8:20 - Megan
8:30 - Yo-yo
8:40 - Paul
Dec 10: Final Presentations
8:00 - Lex (https://www.twitch.tv/?no-reload=true)
8:10 - Ghadeer
8:20 - Tyler
8:30 - Arianna
8:40 - Keegan
8:50 - Hae Sun
9:00 - LaBarrin
9:10 - Charlotte
9:20 - Tom
9:30 - Lisa
Dec 17: Final Projects
All final project pages should be updated by midnight on Dec. 17.