Interactive Music enables and empowers listeners/players to personalize, perform and explore composed music in greater depth. The democratization of music-making software, music video games, and the rise of DJ’ing has expanded the audience for interactive music to a growing group of people who don’t see music as something to enjoy passively, but as something to actively participate in. Interactive music is not specifically about generative music or audio synthesis, though it can include these topics. It is about realizing a musical idea as a collaboration between the composer and the listener. This course will guide students to make their own interactive music projects while considering how interaction enriches and augments the experience of music. The course will be structured around 1 final assignment in which students create an interactive music project. The technical part of the course will focus on Javascript , Web Audio (an HTML5 specification for audio synthesis, processing and playback) and Tone.js. Students will be encouraged to use Javascript, but ultimately, the language or platform is up to the students.

The class will focus on composing music for interaction by creating low-tech / no-tech interactive music projects exploring methods and dimensions of musical interaction. Topics will include exploring the spectrum of interactive music from playback to full- fledged instruments as well as relevant artistic questions such as “how much control should composers give to their players/listeners”. Students will be exposed to prior-art interactives in contemporary music, game pieces, and video game music. Intermediate projects will give students a chance to learn and apply the lessons on Javascript and the Web Audio API, specifically the interactive music framework Tone.js. Students will then combine the musical and technical lessons into their final projects. Possible projects might include: adaptive-length songs, music-based games, reactive/responsive compositions, interactive performances, collaborative jamming platforms, and interactive music boxes, interactive movie scores. The format of the course will balance instruction, discussion, and jamming.

Yotam Mann