Research

Education as Meaningful Engagement

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:27:27 +1000

The theory of meaningful engagement is a philosophy of education that draws together research by Steve Dillon and myself. It represents a significant shift in educational philosophy with its emphasis on education as primarily concerned with the development of a student’s awareness of their relationship and interactions with others and the world. That is, how they manage their engagements with the world to maximise the meaningfulness of their lives. This is contrasted to previous philosophies of education that focus on the acquisition, construction or management of knowledge. The theory of meaningful engagement acknowledges the 21st century reality that knowledge (at least information) is abundant, if not overwhelming, and that reorganisations of epistemological frameworks are no longer sufficient as educational reform. Rather the theory suggests that education is primarily an ontological endeavour in which students seek ways to live well, upon which decisions about relevant and timely knowledge and skills can be made and acted upon.
Modes of Engagement
Appreciating: listening carefully to music and analysing music representations.
Selecting: Making decisions about musical value and relationships
Directing: Managing music making activities
Exploring: Searching through musical possibilities and assessing their value
Embodying: Engrossed in fluent music making
Types of Meaning
Personal: The activity is intrinsically enjoyable.
Social: Through activity the user develops relationships with others.
Cultural: The community value activity and, by participating (or succeeding) in it, the student achieves a sense that they too are important.

Software Development as Research (SoDaR)

Tue, 1 Jan 2008 14:37:26 +1000

SoDaR is an approach to research that involves software development as an active research method in the humanities. This theory describes how software development can be used as a method for research in the arts and design fields in particular. It explains how software development can be used to externalize emerging ideas, how such externalization can aid research by allowing reflection, how it stimulates acting upon theories, and provides evidence about the validity of theories in practice that involves new software-based experiences. There are parallels with interactive software development process and established research methods such as action research, case study, and activity theory.
The application of the SoDaR approach to music education research was outlined in the a paper published in the International Journal of Education & the Arts.

Collaborative Creativity

Fri, 3 Aug 2007 16:33:24 +1000

Computer supported, or assisted, creativity is a strong thread through many of my research projects.
My PhD thesis involved the case study examination of five professional music composers and an examination of the role the computer played in their practice. This research resulted in the modes of creative engagement theory.
I have been involved with a number of collaborative tools, such as Jam2jam (see picture above) where musical jamming is enabled across computer networks.
My work at the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design (ACID) focuses on technology mediated creative human interactions including the development of improved efficiency for workers in the creative industries, enhanced educational experiences in the creative arts, and community development through shared creative activities.
Relevant academic papers include:
Code Jamming (2007)
The role of generative arts in supporting cultural participation (2007)
Emergent Matters (2006)
How the computer assists composers (2001)

Computers in Music Education

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 08:08:54 +1000

This is my book published early in 2007 by Routledge on the applications of computers to music learning. From the back cover; “Computer technology has been rapidly changing, especially when it comes to the filed of music. From notation software to MIDI music creation, from downloading music for study and enjoyment to uploading personal files. Music teachers have traditionally been slow to embrace these technological advances, but that trend is changing. Computers in Music Education, written by a music educator and digital media specialist, cuts through the jargon to present a concise, easy to digest overview of the field, with practical suggestions throughout. This book will help educators keep abreast of new developments in the field and provide insight on the uses of a computer as a tool for efficient music making, a medium for sound and music manipulation, and an instrument for musical expression, amongst others. Because of the pace of technological change, the book focuses on the general principles of using computers in the music classroom rather than on the use of any particular software. Computers in Music education will be the standard text for the growing number of courses in this area.”

There are reviews of the book available online at Amazon.com, Computer Music Journal, Music Forum, Organised Sound, and on Jonanthan Savage’s blog.

Characteristics of Music Algorithms

Thu, 8 Jun 2006 06:59:52 +1000

The concepts and terms currently applied to discussions of algorithmic music are varied and, especially for new comers, often confusing. For example, consider the term “generative music”, which is used with different meanings by various scholars and famous practitioners. Myself, Rene Wooller, Joachim Dederich, Eduardo Miranda and Rodney Berry have developed framework designed to clarify discussion of algorithmic musical processes through cateogisation and clustering based on features. The framework is based on two principal attributes that enable intuitive comparison of algorithmic compositional processes, these are its type of function (analytic, transformational or generative) and its the breadth of its inclusion (encapsulation) of musical context.
Our framework for the comparison of processes in algorithmic music has several applications. It can help composers understand the processes and potential of algorithmic systems when designing or selecting algorithms that meet creative needs. It can assist musicians and researchers to differentiate between algorithmic processes and more clearly articulate the features of computer music systems. Unexplored applications of the framework could include tracking the evolution of algorithmic music systems and spot design trends. The framework, through extension, might also be applied to system evaluations. We look forward to seeing in what other contexts uses are found for applying this comparative framework.
For more information there is an academic paper on this that was presented at the Generative Arts Practice conference in 2005.

Computer Assisted Composition

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 19:25:51 +1000

Making Music with Java is a book that introduces the reader to music making through software development in the Java programming language using the jMusic library. It explains musical and programming concepts in a coordinated way. The book is written for the musician who wishes to learn about Java programming and computer music concepts, and for the programmer who is interested in music and sound design with Java. It assumes little musical or programming experience and introduces topics and issues as they arise. Sections on computer music and programming are interlaced throughout, but kept separate enough so that those with experience in either area can skip ahead as required.

Adaptive Music for Computer Games

Tue, 8 Mar 2005 06:45:04 +1000

My research at the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design has included working with Computer Game companies to develop adaptive music systems. Along with developing appropriate algorithms for music generation and variation, a significant part of understanding these systems is to have methods for describing the architecture of an adaptive system as it fits into a game scenario. To this end we developed the Interactive Music Architecture Description system, that showed the logical structure and organisation of adaptive systems. This has been used for both analysis of existing game music, development of new game music specifications, and as a compositional aid to the game music composer.

Digital Instrument Making

Mon, 8 Nov 2004 05:58:58 +1000

The methods of digital instrument building and the ways these enable creative expression are interests of mine. In 2003 with assistance of a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts and the efforts of some colleagues, Paul Doornbusch and Peter McIlwain in particular, I established a support site for digital instrument building, based on the jMusic library.
The site contains tutorials that cover cover topics including music software design, audio synthesis, digital signal processing, compositional systems, and computer programming concepts.
Tutorials draw upon the design and pedagogical skills of digital instrument makers from Australian Universities, with advice from experienced music software developers.
Visit the site here.

Modes of Creative Engagement

Sun, 5 Mar 2000 03:40:48 +1000

My research shows that creative activity is most importantly directed by how interested and involved a person is during the creative experience. It has also revealed, on closer examination, particular ways in which this experience can manifest itself as modes of creative engagement.
There is good reason to think that creative activities using a computer are inherently engaging, given the amount of time people spend at these activities, however, it is also possible for computer software to be boring or frustrating. Therefore, as designers or users we need to pay attention to the modes of creative engagement that different systems foster. When you are engaged in a creative activity, the theory suggests, you approach the task in one or more of the following modes.
• An appreciator – pays carefully attention to creative works and analyses associated ideas and theories.
• A director – manages creative activities
• An explorer – searches through possibilities and assesses their creative potential
• A participant – is involved in intuitive creative expression
• A selector – makes curatorial judgments about appropriateness or value of creative works or practices.

In a well-rounded creative life people can experiences different modes of creative engagement as they pursue their creative activities.
An outline of the modes of creative engagement applied to computer music composition was published in 2001 academic paper.