NYU Music Education Technology Practicum syllabus

Posted byEthan 5 Comments on NYU Music Education Technology Practicum syllabus

This week I begin another iteration of my NYU class, a music technology crash course for future music teachers. Given the vastness of the subject matter and the constraints of a one-semester course, the challenge is always to figure out what to put in and what to leave out. I continue to take a project-based approach, where students produce an original track for each module. I don’t expect students to absorb all the details of the technical material around audio recording and such, I am mostly just giving them things to bookmark for future use. We do a recording studio project that isn’t listed here because it’s all hands-on during class time. If you want to use this syllabus for something, please do, and please let me know!


About the class

Materials and tools

  • All assignments and readings etc are on Canvas, and you should submit all of your materials there as well. There is no required text.
  • You will be posting music you create for the class on SoundCloud. If you have a SoundCloud account already, you are welcome to use it.
  • You will be posting all of your written work on your own blog. If you don’t have a blog, set one up. I recommend using WordPress or Tumblr. If you already have a blog and would like to use it for the class, that is fine too.
  • You can do the music creation assignments using GarageBand. It comes free with Macs; just make sure you have the full sound library installed. You can also use an online DAW like Soundtrap or Bandlab. You are free to use any other music software: Logic, Ableton Live, FL Studio, etc.
  • Noteflight, Flat.io, and Musescore are useful browser-based notation tools.
  • Audacity is a free audio editor available for all operating systems. It does basic audio recording and editing, and it can convert audio from any file format.

Getting started

Favorite song, least favorite song

In a blog post, link to your favorite song (or any song that you find exceptionally wonderful), and explain why you like it. Then link to your least favorite song (or any song that you find exceptionally terrible), and explain why you dislike it.

Loops and song structures

Resources: Loops and song structures

Four bar loop

Create a four bar loop using only the loops that come included with your production software. Include at least one drum or percussion sound and at least one melodic sound. Post it to your SoundCloud profile.

Song structure analysis

Choose a song and analyze its structure. In a blog post, list the sections of the song: Intro, Verse, Chorus, Breakdown, Bridge, Drop, Lift, etc. For each section, give its length in measures and its start time. Be sure to embed or link to the song you’re talking about.

Loop song

Expand your loop into a full length piece of instrumental music (approximately two to four minutes.) Add more sounds if need be, but try to create structure mainly through having sounds enter and exit. I recommend copying and paste your groove to fill two or three minutes, then deleting things to create song sections. Feel free to edit the loops, by splitting them into segments and shuffling them, by transposing, or by adding effects. Post your track on SoundCloud. Make sure to enable downloads for your track.

Loop song process documentation

In a blog post, briefly explain the process behind your loop song. Which loops did you use and why? How did you approach creating a structure? Do you feel like your song is a successful piece of music? If so, why? If not, why not? Do you feel like creating music in this way is a legitimate form of musical creativity? If so, why? If not, why not?

Drum programming

Resources: Drum programming

Groove Pizza beat

Use the online Groove Pizza app to create a beat. You can start with one of the Specials, use the Shapes, or just work by trial and error. Create a blog post that links to your beat. What musical style or genre do you think it belongs to?

MIDI and synthesizers

Resources: MIDI and synthesizers

Ambient song

Using any combination of synthesizers, create a short (two to four minute) piece of ambient music and post it on SoundCloud.

Ambient song process documentation

In a short blog post, explain the process behind your ambient song. What synths or other instruments did you use? Why did you choose them? What mood were you trying to evoke? Did you feel you were successful?

MIDI song

Create a song using only MIDI and software instruments. The MIDI may come from any source and does not need to be an original composition. Feel free to incorporate your Groove Pizza beat and/or Ambient song. Post your track on SoundCloud.

MIDI song process documentation

Write a blog post explaining the process behind creating your MIDI song. Where did you get your MIDI from? What software instruments did you use and why? Do you feel like the end result was satisfying? What would you do differently if you had unlimited time and ability?

Audio recording, mixing, and effects

Resources: Audio recording, mixing, and effects

Phone recording

Record an environmental sound with your phone and post it to SoundCloud. It must be set to be downloadable. Your sound should be between five seconds and five minutes long. It does not need to be “musical.”

Found sound song

Create a piece of music using at least one of your or your classmates’ found sounds. You may use any additional loops, MIDI or other materials.

Found sound song process documentation

Same process as the other posts. Which sound did you use and why? What steps did you take to make it work in a musical context? Do you feel that the result was musically successful?

Playing the studio

Resources: Playing the studios

Production analysis

Pick a song recorded since 1960 and write a blog post identifying all of the sound sources. These can include voices, acoustic instruments, synthesizers, and samples. Be as specific as you can: which synthesizer was used? Did the drums have any special effects or processing on them? List each sound in the order that it appears in the track. Be sure to identify the producer(s) and engineer(s).

Real vs hyperreal vs surreal

In a blog post, describe three recordings with different recording aesthetics as specified below. Embed or link to each song.

    1. Choose a “realistic” recording, one that accurately represents the sound of people performing live. It could be an actual live recording, or a studio recording with a live sound. What makes it sound realistic?
    2. Choose a “hyperrealistic” recording, one that sounds like a perfected or enhanced live recording. What makes it sound realistic? What makes it sound artificial or manipulated?
    3. Choose a “surrealist” recording, one that could not possibly have been recorded live using instruments. What elements make it sound unreal? How would it affect you differently if it were somehow created “live” with acoustic instruments?

Self remix

Using your greater knowledge of audio mixing and effects, remix one of your own projects. You may edit or alter the structure as much as you see fit, add or remove songs, and take any other steps necessary to make the track sound better.

Self remix process documentation

Which of your projects did you remix? What changes did you make and why? Link both to the original and the remix so we can compare and contrast.

Sampling and remixing

Resources: Sampling and remixing

Sample genealogy

In a blog post:

    1. Find an example of a song containing a direct audio sample of another song. I recommend using WhoSampled.com. Post links to both songs and explain how the sample was used. Does it form the basis of the beat? Is it a background texture? Does it run throughout the song or just appear once?
    2. Find an example of a song containing a quotation or interpolation of another song, and post links to both of them.

Sampling ethics

Write a blog post answering the following question: Do you think that sampling without permission is morally acceptable? If so, why? If not, why not? Does it matter whether the person doing the sampling is profiting from it? Does it matter if they acknowledge the sample source? If you believe that sampling without permission is always wrong, would you be willing to effectively ban a substantial amount of creative electronic music production?

Peer remix

Remix one of your classmates’ class projects. You may alter it as much or as little as you see fit.

Peer remix process documentation

Whose original track did you use? How and why did you alter it?

Mobile music

Resources: Mobile music

Mobile song

Create a piece of music using only a phone or tablet. You may use any app, or combination of apps. Not all apps make it easy to record, so you may perform live if you would prefer.

Mobile song process documentation

What app or apps did you use? How did you approach the creation of your song?

5 replies on “NYU Music Education Technology Practicum syllabus”

  1. Hi Ethan, thanks so much for sharing this. I wish NYU offered this class when I went there as a jazz piano major…Class of ’84! I had to learn all of this by doing and trying to make a living in the city, Anyway, I teach an intro to Music Production at my local high school in New Jersey and was wondering if I can share/use some of these links in my class? I understand if that’s not cool.

    Thanks,

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