What's That Noise? Experimenting with Music and Sound

Course Description

What’s that noise?? Forget everything you know about music and join us in delving into a new world of sound! This course pushes the boundaries of how we define music, illuminating infinite possibilities for creativity within music and sound studies.

Each day will introduce new alternative techniques for music-making and listening, inspired by various sound art and experimental practices. Through discussions, demonstrations, and experiential activities (collaborative and independent creations), student work will culminate in a final project, presented on the last day of class.

In this course, students will gain new perspectives on music and sound across areas such as:
- Music/Sound Technologies: AI, production softwares, sound sampling, social media, and more! How have technologies helped achieve exciting new modes of music-making? How can you use music/sound technologies to create?
- DIY Instruments: What makes an instrument musical? How can everyday objects inspire musical creativity and exploration? Let’s learn about customizable/home-made instruments, circuit bending, and DIY playing techniques.
- Improvisation and Extended Musical Techniques: Through workshops and listening activities, students will be introduced to musicians who use traditional instruments in experimental ways.
- Nature and Sound: Students will learn about soundwalk practices and tune into the sounds that surround us. They will explore listening techniques, and create projects using nature recordings, making music with found objects, re-creating sounds, field-recordings, and more!
- Vocality: What can your voice do? What do you want your voice to do?
- Mixed Media: How can music and sound become elevated by incorporating other artistic mediums? Students will experiment with sampling and layering of sound, as well as other forms of media.
- Noise and Silence: What is noise? What is the power in silence?

This course is accessible to students with various musical backgrounds and experiences. Previous musical training or knowledge (i.e., reading music notation, etc.) is not a requirement nor expectation for participating in this course.