MUSC 108. Introduction to Music Technology - Fall 2013

Midterm Project Details

[Syllabus]

In Class Presentations Tuesday Oct. 15 and Thursday Oct. 17.

Goals

The goal of the midterm project is to simulate an expressive musical performance using the computer as your instrument. You have full control over the articulation, phrasing, dynamics, tempo and instrument balance at any point in the performance. Manipulate the MIDI data to make the performance musical, not mechanical. You will be graded on the musical performance of your project, your class presentation, and your written paper. You my use handouts, power point slides, screen shots, pictures or any other supplementary materials.

Copy your SMF and all supplementary material to the course Hand-in folder. You'll be able to use use the instructor computer, projector, and audio system for your presentation.

The following software is available on the instructor computer:

• AuLab
• MIDIDisplay
• iTunes
• Ms Excel
• Ms Word
• Ms PowerPoint
• Apple Keynote
• Web browsers

You will be expected to play your SMF in class. The method I use on the iMac is to single click the SMF icon and then press the space bar to play it.

If you require any special applications that may not be on theinstructor computer see me.

Guidelines

• All materials due in class Tuesday October 15 even if you present on the 17th.
• Order of presentation is by lottery, split between October 15 and 17
• You'll have access to your Hand-in folder on theinstructor computer.
• Discuss your project and development process following the general outline of your paper.
• Play your SMF.
• Minimum presentation time is 7 minutes, cutoff time time is 9 minutes. Plan accordingly.
• Standard MIDI file play time is a minimum of one and a half minutes.
• Bring a backup copy of ALL your presentation and handin files to class on your USB flash drive

Midterm Work Suggestions

MidtermWorkSuggestions

Grading

Midterm is 30% of course grade. You will be graded on:

• presentation (10%)
• technical execution (35%)
• musicality (35%)
• paper and accompanying materials (20%)

Materials Checklist

Printed Materials To Be Turned In

Submit a printed copy of these materials:

1. Your working score (if used) or a written explanation of why not.
2. Your paper

1. A Xerox copy of your working score with all your markups

If you are not working from a score check with me first.

Xerox copy of the portion of the musical score (working score) you worked from to create your midterm project. All of your markups and performance directions should be included on the copy.

2. A printed copy of your paper.

Paper should be 3-6 pages in length in essay format and will be graded on content, organization, spelling and grammar. Your paper should be an extended version of your class presentation. It must contain these two sections.

Section 1 - SMF Details

1. Your name, musc108, and the date
2. The title and composer of the music
3. Tempo
4. The number of instrument tracks and MIDI channel assignments
5. The patch number assignments for each track, e.g.:
   • Channel 1, patch 0, Acoustic Piano
   • Channel 2, patch 70, Bassoon
   • etc.

Section 2 - Body of paper

1. Why did you chose this piece?
2. How did you choose the instrumentation?
3. How did you mark up your working score to facilitate the data entry?
4. How did you mark up your working score to indicate an expressive performance?
5. How did you keep track of time between score and Excel.
6. Explain your methods of realizing a musical performance using the MIDI language.
7. Discuss interesting musical features of your project.
8. Discuss problems encountered and solutions found.

Hand-in Folder Materials

Create a folder on your local machine called: YourEmailName_m108_midterm. Mine would be jellinge_m108_midterm. Copy your final SMF, paper, and all supporting files into that folder. Copy that folder into the course Hand-in folder. Make a backup copy of that folder on your USB drive and bring that USB drive to class with you.

Your Hand- in folder must include all of these items:

1. Standard MIDI File
2. Excel Spreadsheet
3. Your paper
4. A Sibelius score of your MIDI file.

1- Standard MIDI FIle

Your SMF must have a .mid file extension. Your SMF must be playable through QuickTime Player in the MRC Lab. If it works in the MRC it will work in the classroom. Your finished SMF must contain these items.

Track 1

1. Meta event for key signature
2. Meta event for time signature
3. Meta event for tempo
4. Additional meta events for tempo changes throughout the piece (Optional)

Instrument Tracks

1. Reset All Controllers message at beginning of track
2. Track name meta event (optional)
3. Patch Change message
4. Volume Control message
5. Pan Control message
6. Expression Control messages
7. NON NOF MIDI messages
8. Reset All Controllers message at end of track
9. End of track meta event

2 - Excel spreadsheet

Your spreadsheet must contain these worksheet tabs:

• 1. The SMF version of your midterm
• 2. A MIDIDisplay chronological time version of you midterm.
• All additional tabs in MIDIDisplay format you used in preparation for the SMF template.

Tab 1 "SMF"

Your midterm project in Standard MIDI File (SMF) template format. This should be the final version you copied to MIDIDisplay when you exported the SMF.

Tab 2 "MIDIDisplay Ms"

Your midterm project in chronological Ms format. All tracks must be present and sorted in chronological time format. This version should be ready to copy, paste, and play in MIDIDisplay. The MIDI Display playback should sound identical to playing your SMF through QuickTime.

Additional tabs

Any additional worksheets you used in preparing the Standard MIDI file.

3 - Your Paper

Your paper can be in MS Word, Open Office, RTF, or TEXT format. MS Word format preferred.

4 - Sibelius Notation File

Open your SMF in Sibelius and save the file. Copy the Sibelius file to the Hand-in folder.

[Syllabus]