Posts tagged Chiptunes
Intersections of Popular Musicianship and Computer Science (2022)

Although some popular musicians engage in computer science practices for music-related purposes, such engagement is seldom discussed within music education or CS education discourse. This session begins with an exploration of hardware practices popular musicians use to modify, design, or build electronic devices for their music. I then introduce coding practices to create and modify music software, as well as to compose and perform with code. The session concludes with a discussion that unpacks potential implications and considerations for educators interested in the intersections of popular musicianship and CS practices.

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Integrating CS && Music in K-8

This exploratory mini session explores hardware practices popular musicians use to modify, design, or build electronic devices for their music. I then introduce coding practices to create and modify music software, as well as to compose and perform with code. The mini session concludes by sharing a variety of resources for diving deeper and having an open Q&A about the intersections of popular musicianship and CS practices.

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Intersections of Popular Musicianship and Computer Science (2021)

Although some popular musicians engage in computer science practices for music-related purposes, such engagement is seldom discussed within music education or CS education discourse. This session begins with an exploration of hardware practices popular musicians use to modify, design, or build electronic devices for their music. I then introduce coding practices to create and modify music software, as well as to compose and perform with code. The session concludes with a discussion that unpacks potential implications and considerations for educators interested in the intersections of popular musicianship and CS practices.

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Intersections of Popular Musicianship and Computer Science (CSTA)

Although some popular musicians engage in computer science practices for music-related purposes, such engagement is seldom discussed within music education or CS education discourse. This session begins with an exploration of hardware practices popular musicians use to modify, design, or build electronic devices for their music. I then introduce coding practices to create and modify music software, as well as to compose and perform with code. The session concludes with a discussion that unpacks potential implications and considerations for educators interested in the intersections of popular musicianship and CS practices.

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Blurring Disciplinary Boundaries through Chiptunes

My portion of this panel session begins with a brief discussion on the broad landscape of music engagement as it relates to video games (e.g., music engagement within, through, and around video games). I then dive deeper into the potential for such engagement to blur disciplinary boundaries across multiple disciplines. As a main example, I discuss how chipmusicians might engage in computer science, entrepreneurial, and visual art practices for music-related purposes. Such engagement raises questions for the field of education and demonstrates an underexplored potential evident within the intersections of music, video games, and education.   

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A Corpus-assisted Discourse Analysis of Chiptune-related Practices Discussed within Chipmusic.org

This study examined 245,098 discussion forum posts within a website dedicated to chiptunes, which are electronic music compositions or performances either emulating the sounds of or created through early computer and video game sound chips. Corpus-assisted discourse analysis tools and techniques assisted with revealing patterns of discourse across 10,892,645 words written between December 30th, 2009 and November 13th, 2017 within chipmusic.org.

Findings indicate seven interconnected themes of chiptune-related practices that demonstrate potential transdisciplinary connections between computer science education and music education: (a) music composition practices, (b) music performance practices, (c) maker practices, (d) coding practices, (e) entrepreneurial practices, (f) visual art practices, and (g) community practices. Abstract continues . . .

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Interacting with 8-bit

The early technological constraints imposed on 8-bit composers can act as project criteria for composing and performing 8-bit music that interacts with live 8-bit video games. This two hour session will begin with an interaction with 8-bit media and then break out into groups to create short musical excerpts and sound effects for a live video game. After all of the groups share what they created, the session concludes with a discussion on musical problems, technological constraints impacting creativity, and future projects. 

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Old School Video Game Projects

This session will explore potential projects that involve composing and performing music in the 8-bit aesthetic. We will also explore how the 8-bit aesthetic can be used to explore technology, music theory, and music history through composing and performing with 8-bit video games. Experience with video games is not required as the focus is on the unique musical affordances students can experience when composing and performing music to old school video games. Please feel free to bring a laptop with a way to write music notation as we will create and perform music to a live video game in the session. 

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Engaging with Popular and Participatory Cultures: Implications for Music Teaching and Learning by Tobias, E., Box, C., Johnston, N., & O’Leary, J.

In this panel we (a music teacher educator and three doctoral students) address our engagement with popular and participatory cultures to develop understanding, skills, and dispositions related to such engagement for K-12 and higher education. We demonstrate how new musicianship and musical engagement situated in participatory and popular cultures can inform contemporary approaches for music teaching and learning, broadening beyond garage band-focused approaches to address popular music and culture in music programs. We discuss key principles and concepts related to participatory culture and transforming or recontextualizing music in terms of 1) musical engagement; 2) musical learning; and 3) future practice. NOTE: The resources on this website only pertain to my portion of this panel presentation. 

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8-bit Composition Unit? Composing for Old School Video Games

Students are highly motivated by video games as they can spend dozens of hours playing each week. What if educators could channel this motivation into composing by allowing students the opportunity to compose to old school video games? This presentation demonstrates a variety of 8-bit musical experiences that integrate technology, theory, history, composition, and performance with 8-bit video games.

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