Electroacoustic Music Composition (MUS4203)

Baylor University MUS4203 Spring 2025 course syllabus and online course-guide.

Instructor

Dr. Ben Johansen

Course Description

Literature study, composition, and performance of fixed and interactive electroacoustic music.

Students who do well in MUS4203 may move on to MUS4V09 (Adv,. EA Music Comp.) in order to work on a significant electroacoustic music project of their choice in the style of an independent study.

When

• MW 2:30-3:20PM

Where

• Marrs McLean Science Building Room 330

Required Attendance Outside of Scheduled Class Time

None.

Grading

Engage and take risks with technology. Search and be curious.

• badges (12 points each)

  1. musique concréte - due Feb.5

  2. Live Electronics - due Feb.19

  3. Advanced Physical Computing - due Feb.24

  4. Pure Electronic Music - due March 5

  5. Generative Composition - due March 19

  6. Spatialization - due March 26

• final project (28 points) - due April 7 (begin project March 31)

Scale:

• A = 96-100

• A- = 90-95

• B+ = 87-89

• B = 83-86

• B- = 80-82

• C+ = 77-79

• C = 73-76

• C- = 70-72 (this is failing for a music major)

• F = 0-69

Defining Electroacoustic Music

New York City Electronic Music Festival (NYCEMF) definition:

Electroacoustic music is music whose sound incorporates electronic tools and instruments, including software, in its production or performance. Electroacoustic music often seeks to explore all the sonic possibilities of new technologies, and it includes both works performed live on stage and works created in the studio and played back in concert ...

Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) definition:

Electro-Acoustic music is a term used to describe those musics which are dependent on electronic technology for their creation and/or performance.

Composing Electroacoustic Music

Baylor Composition Area's ultimate mission is to help students develop their creative abilities to uniquely compose the music of the future (rather than just "learn the trade of composing"). MUS4203 begins with projects focusing on typical pedagogical electroacoustic works (a musique concréte piece, an interactive piece using Max, etc.) in order for students to develop timeless audio editing and manipulation techniques. By the time students take MUS4V09, they should be creating works that move the electroacoustic music world forward (rather than "treading water" in the known pool of electroacoustic possibilities).

Course Topics:

The following indicates the topics covered. Each topic has supplemental reading material that changes yearly in order to stay current.

• History of Electronic Music (mediums and aesthetic foundations)

• Digital Audio (how it works … how filters work at a sample level)

• musique concréte (how to manipulate recorded sounds)

  • minute project for speakers alone (fixed media)

• Audio Synthesis

  • minute project for fixed media and live musician

• Interactive Music (introduction to Max)

  • minute project for computer (Max) and live musician

• Extending inputs and outputs with microcontrollers (and a deeper look into computer hardware and software)

  • minute project for Arduino

• Video art and film scoring with electroacoustic music

  • minute project for moving image and electroacoustic music (all fixed media)

Projects given only to graduate students:

• minute project for live generated computer music (generative music)

• minute project for interactive video art (Jitter) and live musician

Course Objective

Principal Objective = by the end of this course, you will be able to compose electroacoustic music.

Additionally, by the end of this course, you will be able to:

• List various forms of electroacoustic music along with historical examples.

• Perform basic electroacoustic music analysis.

• Identify and describe foundational/basic digital signal processing (DSP) tools.

• Creatively manipulate recorded sounds to fit your compositional objectives using DSP tools.

• Develop code to use in live electroacoustic music performance.

• Create an original electronic music complete with edited score(s) and parts (if applicable).

Course Materials

• Resources (patches, readings, etc.): MUS4203_2024spring Box Folder

• Max by Cycling '74 (you'll get a license to use for the semester from the instructor)

• Online Course Guide = https://benjohansen.gitbook.io/eacomp/

• books (available online through the Baylor Library)

  • The Digital Musician by Andrew Hugill

  • Composing Electronic Music by Curtis Roads

  • Inside Computer Music by Michael Clarke, édéric Dufeu, and Peter Manning

• Electrothèque online electroacoustic music database (subscription paid for by Baylor)

• Library Listening Reserves

• Max Cookbook

Attendance

The following is straight from the School of Music Undergraduate Handbook:

School of Music policy requires that to earn credit in a course a student must be officially enrolled by the end of the second full week of the semester and attend at least 75% of all class meetings. Faculty members may establish additional attendance requirements as outlined in course syllabi. Any student who is not present for at least 75% of the scheduled class sessions for any course will automatically receive a grade of “F” in the course. Any University-related activity necessitating an absence from class will count as an absence when determining whether a student has attended the required 75% of class meetings.

Missing 20min of any portion of a class meeting during the official class meeting time, will result in a 1/2 absence (for example, leaving a class meeting 20min early).

Attendance is not calculated in your grade, but you must attend at least 75% of class meetings in order to be eligible pass the course.

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Academic Success

Accommodations

Any student who needs academic accommodations related to a documented disability should inform me immediately at the beginning of the semester. You are required to obtain appropriate documentation and information regarding your accommodations from the Office of Access and Learning Accommodation (OALA). Stop by the first floor of Sid Richardson, East Wing in the Paul L. Foster Success Center or call [phone] or email [e-mail].

Success Center

I believe every student who has been admitted to Baylor can be successful, and I want to partner with you to help you thrive academically. Be sure to take advantage of the many resources available for academic success, including coming to see me during my office hours. Students who regularly utilize the great resources in the Paul L. Foster Success Center such as tutoring, Learning Lab, and Academic Mentoring are among my most successful students. If your academic performance in this class is substandard, I will submit an Academic Progress Report to the Success Center so that the team of coordinated care professionals can ensure that you get the help you need.

First Generation College Students

Baylor University defines a first-generation college student as a student whose parents did not complete a four-year college degree. The First in Line program is a support office for first-generation college students to utilize if they have any questions or concerns. Please check out First in Line, visit us in the Basement of Sid Richardson West Wing or email [e-mail].

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Unless I instruct you otherwise, all assignments should be your original work and should not be produced in part or in total with the assistance of artificial intelligence (for example, ChatGPT, Grammarly, or some other resource). Use of artificial intelligence without explicit permission from the instructor constitutes a violation of the Honor Code at Baylor University. I may at times use artificial intelligence tools for instruction or allow or expect you to use them to complete your assignments, but in these instances I will provide clear permission and guidance for their proper use.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism or any form of cheating involves a breach of student-teacher trust. This means that any work submitted under your name is expected to be your own, neither composed by anyone else as a whole or in part, nor handed over to another person for complete or partial revision. Be sure to document all ideas that are not your own. In addition, you must not provide course materials to other students, whether individually or generally (such as online) that would enable them to gain an unfair academic advantage. Instances of plagiarism or any other act of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Honor Council and may result in failure of the course. Not understanding plagiarism is not an excuse. I expect you, as a Baylor student, to be intimately familiar with the Honor Code.

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Baylor University does not tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, race, color, disability, national origin, ancestry, age (over 40), citizenship, genetic information or the refusal to submit to a genetic test, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, Texas, or local law (collectively referred to as Protected Characteristics). These policies also prohibit discrimination and harassment based on pregnancy or related conditions.

If you or someone you know would like help related to an experience involving:

1. Sexual assault, sex-based harassment or discrimination, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, sexual exploitation, or retaliation for reporting one of these types of prohibited conduct, please visit https://titleix.web.baylor.edu or contact us at [phone], or [e-mail].

2. Harassment or discrimination (excluding those issues listed in #1) based on Protected Characteristics, please visit https://civilrights.web.baylor.edu/, or contact us at [phone] or [e-mail].

For pregnancy or related conditions, the University will provide reasonable modifications to policies, practices, or procedures as necessary to ensure equal access to educational programs and activities. Individuals who need to request reasonable modifications should contact the Office of Access and Learning Accommodation. More information on pregnancy and parenting resources can be found here.

The Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office understands the sensitive nature of these situationsand can provide information about available on- and off-campus resources, such as counseling and psychological services, medical treatment, academic support, university housing, and other forms of assistance that may be available. Staff members at the office can also explain your rights and procedural options. You will not be required to share your experience.If you or someone you know feels unsafe or may be in imminentdanger, please call the Baylor Police Department (254-710-2222) or Waco Police Department (9-1-1) immediately.

Except for Confidential Resources, all University Employees are designated Responsible Employees and thereby mandatory reporters of potential sexual and interpersonal misconduct violations. Confidential Resources who do not have to report include those working in the Counseling Center, Health Center, Athletics Mental Health, and Baylor Psychology Clinic, and the University Chaplain and LHSON Chaplain.

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I recognize that students face many struggles during their Baylor career. The Department of CARE Team Services is a group of dedicated and caring case managers who work with students facing mental health issues, financial struggles, and anything else affecting a student’s ability to be successful in the classroom. You can find them on the second floor of the Student Life Center, suite 207. Contact Information: [phone] ; [e-mail].

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Baylor University is strongly committed to addressing the physical well-being and mental health of students by providing access to on-campus healthcare resources. Baylor Health Services includes Primary Care, Psychiatry, Physical Therapy and Pharmacy and is staffed with fully certified and licensed physicians and nurse practitioners, as well as nurses and administrative staff. Appointments may be made by calling their main number or by logging into the health portal located on their website. Contact Information: [phone]; [e-mail].

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At Baylor, we want all students to have access to food resources that will support their holistic well-being and success. If you or someone you know experiences food insecurity at any time, you can find information on campus and community food resources by visiting The Store. You can also contact Store staff at [phone]. For additional basic needs assistance, please reach out to CASE or the Care Team.

Spirituality

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