Music 47/147 Intro to Electronic Music FALL, 2015 Tues.

2:30-5:00 in MUS 234

+ minimum 1 hour lab with TA Zach Mariano, zmariano@mills.edu + individual studio time
Maggi Payne, maggi@mills.edu, ext. 2187, Office Hours Wed. 5:15-7:15 Rm 32
class alias = mus047-fa-2015, mus147, see equipment room door for TAs on duty .5-1credit
Meets the Creation and Criticism in the Arts Gen Ed requirement, and is required for music
majors specializing in Composition with an emphasis in Media Technology or Electronic Music
09/01 Discussion of the contents of the course, requirements, grading, general principles of
acoustics.
09/08 Oscillators, waveforms, Fourier analysis, recording, mixing. Exercise 1) oscillator piece :
30-:60 due 15 Sept. Set lab times, sign contracts.
09/15 Filters. Exercise 2) filter piece :30-:60 due 22 Sept.
09/22 Voltage control: AM and FM. Exercise 3) AM/FM :30-:60 piece due 29 Sept.
09/29 Envelope Generators: DC voltage control (keyboard). Exercise 4) Envelope generator
:30-:60 piece due 06 Oct.
10/06 Sequencer, sequential switch, etc. Exercise 5) piece using sequencer :30-:60 piece due
13 Oct.
10/13 Summation of techniques to date. Review. 1st main project due 20 Oct.
10/20 First individual projects due. Three to five minutes duration. Mixed to CD.
10/27 Interfacing the Moog. Exercise 6) Process external signals through Moog, :30-:60 piece
due 03 Nov. Exercise 7) 5 minute Moog basic track for class project due 17 Nov.
11/03 Multi-tracking and mixing in the Moog studio. 2nd main project due 01 Dec.
11/10 Electronic Music History, listening. 5 minute Moog basic track for class project due 17
Nov.
11/17 5 minute Pieces for class project due. Listen, sequence, lay to 24 track.
11/24 Mix class project. 2nd main project due 01 Dec.
*12/01 Final individual projects due. 3-5 minutes durationCD format.
ALL PROJECTS DUE THIS DATEABSOLUTELY NO LATE PROJECTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
CLASS REQUIREMENTS
no final, no exams
projects: due Oct. 20 & Dec. 1, and 7 exercises.
grading: class and lab attendance and participation 50%. exercises 25%, individual projects
25%.
I WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION on Mondays around 1:00, between the hours of
5:15-7:15 Wednesdays, and by appointment. Our teaching assistant will also be able to assist
you (times TBA), as will other TA's between 9 am-12 noon and 1-5 pm weekdays.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS: Read related text on handouts. One individual lab time (one hour
per week, but you can sign up for more if needed) and one lab with TA (one hour per week).

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OTHER READINGS (optionalall available in the library): Appleton, Jon H. and Ronald C.
Perera, eds. The development and practice of electronic music (chapter by Joel Chadabe).
Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1975. ISBN 0132076055; Strange, Allen. Electronic music;
systems, techniques, and controls, 1st ed. Dubuque: W. C. Brown Co.,1972. ISBN 069703612X;
Chadabe, Joel. Electronic Sound. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1997. ISBN
0133032310.
You will need about 1-5 CD-Rs and possibly 1 type II audio cassette.
Course description: Introduction to the techniques and theory of electro-acoustic music,
musique concrte, and basic recording techniques. Introduction to acoustics, the operation of
standard analog electronic audio modules, and a survey of the compositional and artistic
developments of the last 50 years. Hands-on experience in electronic music composition,
recording, multitracking, signal processing, mixing, and creation of short compositions and
studies using these resources.
Learning: In this class you will be expected to learn the Moog III P synthesizer and the
principles of hearing, basic acoustics, voltage controlled oscillators, voltage controlled filters,
voltage controlled amplifiers, amplitude and frequency modulation, DC control using the
keyboard and sequencer, multi-track recording, and mixing. You will also learn electronic music
composition.
You will demonstrate the skills you have acquired by presenting seven brief exercises and
two major compositions (projects) during this course. These exercises and works will all be
presented and discussed in class and will be evaluated both technically and compositionally by
the instructor and students in the class. You will be expected to use the basic vocabulary
learned and to communicate effectively when discussing your own and others works.
Students are assessed on their comprehension of the technology and techniques taught and
on their compositional skills as demonstrated by the seven required exercises, their contribution
to the class composition, and two large scale pieces that they create, which are all presented to
the class. They are also assessed on their ability to discuss their own and others works, and by
their attitude and behavior in class and labs.
If you must miss a class, please email or call me ahead of time to let me know and to let me
know the reason or let met know afterwards, as otherwise I will count this as an unexcused
absence. Since this class meets only once per week attendance is required unless you are sick
or have a compelling excuse. LABS ARE REQUIRED AND GRADED. Projects are due on time. If
you are unable to complete a project on time, please let me know why, and be sure to turn in
your late project as soon as lateness affects the grade for the project. You must complete all
assignments (there are 7 exercises, one 5 minute track for the class piece, and 2 major
projects). The last day of class is the last day to turn in projects, and the last project must be in
on time. If you fall behind or your projects and class projects or class or lab attendance is poor
you will receive a deficiency notice. Please seek help from me, the TA for the class, or other TAs
if you are having difficulty. We are here to help you.
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please
contact Services for Students with Disabilities in the Cowell Building immediately.
430-2130

The Music Department is committed to providing a creative atmosphere based on mutual

respect between all members of our community. Any audio or video recording made without the
knowledge or permission of those who are being recorded constitutes a violation of that
respect. Surreptitious recording is NOT allowed in any Music Department
class, lecture, concert, or other sponsored event. Any infraction of this rule represents a

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Behavior Standard Violation as defined by the Mills Student Handbook, which can result in
disciplinary action by the College.

Food and drinks (with the exception of sealed/closed water bottles) are not allowed
in this wing of the Music building.
Please do not eat in or around the studios or in this wing of the building or throw
food away in this wing of the building.

More on mission, general education, and program goals.

Mission goals (I = Introduce; P = Practice; D = Developed)
1) Students will learn to think critically.
Students will analyze and understand functions of each system component, how these
components interconnect and interact, and apply their understanding in their artistic work. I P
2) Students will learn to communicate responsibly and effectively.
Using appropriate technical terms, students will describe their usage of the system so that
others can learn how they accomplished their patches/sounds and they will communicate
effectively using these terms and concepts when discussing the works of other students. I P
3) Students will develop as leaders and innovators in their chosen endeavors.
Students will develop innovative compositional approaches and techniques, and motivate and
inspire others. I P
4) Students will learn to develop and realize their own creative visions across the arts and
sciences. Students will demonstrate increasing technical proficiency to fully realize and express
their creative visions in this medium. I P
5) Students will learn to push the traditional boundaries of their disciplines.
Students will explore new concepts, possibilities, and approaches to become strong
individualists in their creative works. I
Gen ed goalsCreation and Criticism in the Arts
1) Engage with the creative process, either actively or critically.
Students will actively engage in the creation of exercises and works in the medium of electronic
music. Student work will be presented and critiqued throughout the semester, and will
demonstrate an understanding of the processes and creative possibilities of the medium. I P
2) Demonstrate familiarity with important artistic concepts (such as medium, form, device, and
gesture) in at least one art form, or create and present her own artistic work by applying these
concepts in her medium of choice.
Students will apply their knowledge of compositional concepts when creating works in this
medium. I P
3) Use the basic vocabulary fundamental to the criticism of art in her medium of choice,
whether her own work or that of others.
Students will listen critically to the sounds they, their peers, and established artists create and
they will use appropriate technical and aesthetic terms that they will learn in discussions of these
works. I P
4) Construct a response to an artistic work that incorporates some of the following issues:
genre, form and style, context, reception, aesthetics, or influence.
In discussions students will respond to artistic works of their own making, that of their peers,
and established artists regarding form, style, technique, and aesthetics. I P
5) Understand or use collaborative techniques for the creation of an artistic or literary work.

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Working in teams is encouraged, although each student is responsible for presenting their own
individual work. Students also work collaboratively on a class project in which each student
contributes individual work, and they will work in teams to mix all of their works together to
form a new composition. I
For Music MajorsProgram Goals
1) Understand music within a broad cultural, political, social, and intellectual context.
Students will come to recognize and acknowledge the pervasiveness of electronic music in and
across cultures and how their approaches to the medium are influenced by their conditioning. I
2) Possess a knowledge of and openness to a diversity of musical styles.
Students will explore different approaches to composing electronic music and broaden their
knowledge of and openness to the diverse possibilities within this medium. I
4) Have a thorough grasp of music theory and history.
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the fundamentals of acoustics and basic
electronic music theory by analyzing works by their peers and established electronic music
composers. I
5) For performers: to demonstrate technical mastery of her instrument or discipline, and a
comprehensive knowledge of its styles and repertoire, past and present, and to have learned
and developed improvisation skills in addition to studying the standard repertory.
For composers: to demonstrate the ability to write music, technical skills in the use of
electronic and recording media, and an understanding of how to use these skills for creative
ends. (For performers and composers) possess skills with improvisation as well as a standard
repertory and technical skills in electronic music, computer music, and recording engineering.
Students will demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, problem solve, plan out, and realize
their technical and artistic visions. I P D
Students are assessed on their comprehension of the technology and techniques taught and
on their compositional skills as demonstrated by the seven required exercises, their contribution
to the class composition, and two large scale pieces that they create, which are all presented to
the class. They are also assessed on their ability to discuss their own and others works, and by
their attitude and behavior in class and labs.

Definition of Mills Semester Course Credit. A typical academic course usually meets for 150 minutes
per week for 14 weeks, and requires a minimum of 9 hours of outside work per week.
College policy on Incompletes: students qualify for incomplete grades only if they have completed 2/3
of the total coursework and are responding to unforeseen circumstances. In this class, students must
complete all work except the final exam to qualify for consideration of an incomplete. Students who have
not completed substantial coursework should not assume that they will be "given" an incomplete at the
end of the semester.
Policy on Academic Integrity: Students shall honestly prepare assignments and take examinations and
submit them at the time and in the manner specified by the instructor. The content of all submitted
examinations and assignments is assumed to represent the students own work unless otherwise specified
(e.g., group projects).
Plagiarism is a serious breach of academic trust. For purposes of the Mills College Honor Code,
plagiarism is defined as intentionally or knowingly using someone elses ideas, words, and/or thoughts
without properly crediting the source. All work for which a source is not cited is presumed to be that of the
writer.
If the Academic Integrity Standards described above are violated, the instructor will decide on an
appropriate response that may include the assignment of extra work, lowering grades on a particular
assignment, failure of the course, and/or the report of the incident to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty
for further sanction.