The 20th century marks a time of rapid transformation in the world’s conception of sound, music, listening, and communication. Technologies that electronically store, transmit, and generate sonic information have caused a fundamental shift in how and why we listen. In this course we will immerse ourselves in the technologies and ideas that continue to shape our ongoing relationship with the auditory and each other.
Equal parts theory, historical study, and making, participants of Sound Studies: Modernity and Synthesis will deepen their understanding of listening and its relationship to technology, creative expression, and community. Students will compose new works utilizing modular synthesizers while investigating the illuminating history of audio technologies and their reciprocal relationship to concurrently developing conceptions of gender, race, art, consumer culture, and the environment. As much as technology shapes society, these realms shape technologies in turn. Through research, discussion, collaboration, and direct participation, we will discover together the myriad pathways of understanding that exist between an accelerating society and our most rapid sense.
In brief, students will create new works for electronic hardware systems while investigating related topics in sound and critical listening. We will learn the basics of modular synthesis and gain inspiration from some of the foremost thinkers on the subject of the auditory.
No prior experience with music-making is necessary, but students should be prepared to perform and show work on a regular basis.
Equal parts theory, historical study, and making, participants of Sound Studies: Modernity and Synthesis will deepen their understanding of listening and its relationship to technology, creative expression, and community. Students will compose new works utilizing modular synthesizers while investigating the illuminating history of audio technologies and their reciprocal relationship to concurrently developing conceptions of gender, race, art, consumer culture, and the environment. As much as technology shapes society, these realms shape technologies in turn. Through research, discussion, collaboration, and direct participation, we will discover together the myriad pathways of understanding that exist between an accelerating society and our most rapid sense.
In brief, students will create new works for electronic hardware systems while investigating related topics in sound and critical listening. We will learn the basics of modular synthesis and gain inspiration from some of the foremost thinkers on the subject of the auditory.
No prior experience with music-making is necessary, but students should be prepared to perform and show work on a regular basis.
- Teacher: Matthew O'Hare