Course Description
Projects in Music and Media (MAS 826J, 3-3-6)
Professor Tod Machover
Wednesday 2:00-4:30 pm in E14-493
What do Pierre Boulez David Bowie and Marvin Minsky have in common (or not)? Can microbes make music? What is the next generation of musical intelligence – for people and for machines? Do animals make music or just noise, and can we collaborate with them expressively? Can we engineer humans for better aesthetic perception, expression, communication?
If these questions intrigue you and if you want to turn them into practice, then this spring term course – MUSIC + ??? – may be the one for you!
We will be exploring the bold futures of music in intersection with a wide range of disciplines, including biology, artificial intelligence, cognitive neuroscience, interspecies communication, architectural experience and spatial design, next-gen gaming and VR, “concerts++”, and many other areas. We will be joined each week by a prominent scientist and/or artist in each field, and will explore the bleeding edge of current knowledge, the most exciting potential at each confluence, and the translation of these investigations into exciting new experience. The course will involve extensive background reading, vivid class discussion and debate, and the development of significant projects that will be presented in performance, installation and/or “other” format at the end of the term. In addition, the class will be attending several unusual events in Boston as well as making a field trip to New York City to explore the cutting edge of performance/installation/experience.
Course TA: Charles Holbrow
Course Admin: Kelly Donovan
First class is on Wednesday, February 3 at 2pm. Come join us!!!!!!
(MUSIC + ??? is a special edition of Projects in Music and Media (MAS 826J) and will be limited to 15 students. Permission of the instructor is required.)