About the Instructor:
Joe Mariglio (pronounced mah REAL yo)
Email: Joe.Mariglio@gmail.com
Office Hours: By Appointment
Office Location: WLH 2123
Scope of the Class:
In this class, we'll be looking at various traditions of music-making which involve electronics. In particular, we will focus on musical practices whose very existence depends on freshly emergent technology. This is to differentiate our field of study from music which merely enjoys the benefits of electronics-- which would include the majority of the music all of us encounter on a daily basis.
So, our topic is electronic music, from Babbitt to booty-bass. Who makes it? Who listens to it? How is it made, and why? We will be looking across genres and labels of "high" versus "low" art, while examining the cultural practices that surround such categorizations.
Basically, we get to listen to some of my favorite music and talk about it. Sound ok to you?
Grading Rubric
| Attendance & Participation: | 25% | |
| Homework: | 15% | |
| Midterm: | 15% | |
| Final Exam: | 20% | |
| Final Project: | 20% | |
| Final Project Proposal: | 5% |
Weekly Assignments
Weekly writing assignments will be due every Monday at 11:59pm. Late assignments depreciate in value by 10% every 24 hours. You should write about 3 things we listened to, and all the readings. One or two thoughtful sentences for each item is sufficient. You must email me with the header [MUS6] in the subject line. I get a lot of emails, and there is a good chance I won't see your email if you neglect to do this. This is your chance to speak your mind directly to me about anything you loved, hated, found confusing, or totally understood.
Final Project
The final project could either be a paper or creative work of some kind, due on Thursday, 7/31. If it is a paper, it should be 5 pages long. If you decide to do a project, you must still produce a 3 page write-up about it. Proposals for the project are due Tuesday, 7/15. All papers are expected to be double-spaced, 12 pt Times, with 0.79" margins (standard). Cite your sources in a manner appropriate to your field. Don't use Wikipedia.
Topics
N.B. These are subject to change. I'm not a robot, and neither are you. I'll post the readings weekly.
- Tuesday- Introductions, Methods
- Thursday- Mysticism & Noise, "Electrical Music"
- Tuesday- Recording, Early Studios
- Thursday- Replications & Sampling
- Tuesday- Afrofuturism (Proposals Due)
- Thursday- Synthesis (Midterm)
- Tuesday- Computers
- Thursday- Cyborgs & Automation
- Tuesday- Atavism & Nostalgia
- Thursday- Final Projects (Final)
