[PD] OT: Computer music grad school

[David Merrill]

Hi Chuck -

You should check out the CCRMA program at Stanford. I was a graduate 
student in computer science student, but I spent a lot of time with the 
CCRMA community, and I took much of the coursework that a masters 
student in their 1-year "Music, Science, and Technology" would take. MST 
students are formally in the music department, but get a good dose of 
synthesis techniques, algorithmic composition, and signal processing - 
along with elective options where they can explore controller-building 
and human-computer interaction, perceptual audio coding, acoustics, and 
other topics. I think there's a course on music cognition, and the 
symbolic systems program also at Stanford features some connections 
between music and psychology/perception.

here is the description of the 1-year masters program at CCRMA:
http://ccrma.stanford.edu/info/mst-info.html

I think that you could connect these technical topics very tightly to 
musical studies, and the degree to which that's done varies from student 
to student, based on interest. One year feels like a short amount of 
time to absorb all of this technique and do creative work with it (this 
observation is based on conversations with students in the program), but 
Stanford is on the quarter system - so you get three rounds of courses 
rather than 2 that you'd have with semesters.. The facilities are good, 
some of the pioneers of computer music/sound are there (and others come 
through to visit fairly regularly), and the community is dynamic and 
stimulating. Let me know if you want any other info - and there are 
undoubtedly other CCRMA students/grads on this list, since PD is a tool 
of choice in the music controllers class.
http://ccrma.stanford.edu/courses/250a/

cheers,
-David Merrill

Chuckk Hubbard wrote:
> Hi.
> I am entering senior year as a composition major, at Univ Arts in
> Philly.  I'm interested in going to grad school for computer music,
> and I want a little more of a challenge.  I like freedom to pursue
> lots of things, but at my current school that has meant pursuing
> things the faculty can't really help me with.
> Ideally, I want a good mix of computer and musical studies.  I am
> interested in learning all I can about computers, but I don't want to
> abandon "traditional" things like melody and themes.  I've tried to
> learn C in the past, but I can't justify spending lots of time on it
> while studying here.  It's mostly live performances, and mostly jazz,
> here.
>
> I've checked out some stuff about UCSD, and their including of music
> cognition as an actual field of study is great, it's my other favorite
> subject.  Not so big on algorithmic composition, but I'd be curious.
> Does anyone have any recommendations for other places I should check
> out?  I'm willing to relocate, considering I would probably have to.
>
> Thanks.
> -Chuckk
>


-- 
MIT Media Lab
dmerrill at media.mit.edu