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A course examining the art of moving while standing still, and traveling far without moving. This will be approached through a study of form and variation techniques used in music. Students will be asked to make more from less while maintaining musical interest in their compositions.
Compositional techniques and styles studied include minimalism, ambient, alternative, musique concréte, popular, independent, experimental and sample based music. Assessment will consist of short composition assignments (1-2 min) rooted in class discussion and readings. These will be turned in as audio files. A single composition of 5-10 minutes will act as the final project.
By the end of this course students will be able to:
· Compose an engaging piece of music using a minimum amount of musical material.
· Critically engage with a piece of music through aural analysis.
· Analyze or break down music compositions to determine structural form and construction.
· Adapt compositional principles to their own music.
· Discover new approaches to music composition.
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Session 1: Critical Listening And Analysis Strategies Without Traditional Music Theory Session 2: Creating Music In A DAW And Composing A Simple Shape With Sound Session 3: How Loops Can Be Used To Create Harmonic Or Structural Changes And Discovering Different Pathways To Accomplish The Goal Session 4: Defining, Creating, And Losing A Sense Of Time In Loop Based Music Session 5: Examining Ambient Tracks And Analyzing The Compositional Elements At Work Session 6: Sources And Inspiration: Strategies For Sample Based Collage Works Session 7: Understanding EQ And Its Role In Composition And Mixing Session 8: Examining The Extramusical Content Of Your Work Session 9: Form As Musical Expression Session 10: Synthesis Of Ideas: The Many From The One And Back Again
