Sound Creation in Educational Applications

This course examines sound design techniques as both a subject and a learning tool. Correlations between ways of composing and structuring a sound work and current learning theories are developed, and the contemporary role of sound creation in formal and informal education is approached. Aspects of the wider sound field, such as digital media, acoustic ecology, conceptual design, and music research, are explored and ways of placing them at the center of the learning process are sought. The theoretical part of the course includes listening to examples, discussing research results, and analyzing theoretical principles, in order to provide the necessary framework for the educational use of sound, while the laboratory part deals with the demonstration of creative tools and technical exercises that allow students to experiment with creative acoustic environments as the main agents of teaching practices.

This course aim to foster and accomplish:

• the connection of digital sound creation with the educational process
• the ability to design educational programs based on sound
• the familiarity with digital audio creation environments as both the objects and the tools of teaching practices
• the development of compositional thought and the structuring of the creative process centered on the user experience

The course is structured in sessions based on the following axes:

• Introduction to sound properties, morphological features, micro- and macro-levels of sound organization
  
• Elements of sound visualization: waveform, frequency spectrum, graphic score
• Acoustic ecology: priciples of soundscape creation
• Audio game learning mechanics: mapping cognitive content onto audio parameters, creation of audio puzzles
• Educational audio technology: e-Learning, m-Learning

Lectures, presentations, listening examples, feedback, collaborative activities, individual assignments

the Internet, free audio synthesis and editing software (i.e.: Reaper, Audacity), free graphic score design software (i.e.: Acousmographe)

Participants are assessed through:  

• corpus of small assignments/exercises or mid-term assignment (during the semester)
• end-term work (during the examination period)

Assignments require live presentation. The complete participation in the evaluation program (assignments, exercises, presentations) is mandatory for the final grade.