UACC 263 Collaborative Studio: Making and Playing Improvisational Musical Instruments

1.5 - 3 credits undefined hours
200 level undergraduate course

The course will serve as an introduction to essential principals of sound mechanics
and simple musical instrument design and building. Using essential materials and basic
woodworking processes, these principals will be investigated in a manner that encourages
spontaneity, critical awareness, and collaboration in design, making, and use. The
goal is an integration of personal studio practice with the social environment of music and sound.
The teaching method will combine lectures covering historical, cultural, and technical
information with demonstrations of tool and material use. The importance of temporal
and haptic experience in developing an appropriate level of workmanship will be
stressed. Much student/faculty contact will be one on one and students will be expected to actively
share critical input with each other. Students will learn to make simple musical
instruments/sound objects that demonstrate the several basics means of sound production. A
series of didactic demonstrations of mechanics, material possibilities, and techniques will be accompanied
by presentations of ethnographic instruments, music, and social environments. Three projects of
increasing complexity will ask for responses to this introductory material. Students will
research and develop concept proposals for each assignment, working initially ‘solo’ and later
within the context of ‘duets’ and ‘ensembles.’ Within these varied contexts designs will
be tested and implemented refining structure, material use, acoustic response, function
relative to the body, and aesthetic content.

Collaborative Studio engages students in cross-disciplinary and collaborative processes,
building links and connections across the disciplines through diverse cultural experiences,
critical writing and discussion.

Requires completion of 24 credits
This course is not repeatable for credit.