Live Coding, Live Notation, Live Performance

This paper/demonstration explores relationships between code, notation including representation, visualisation and performance. Performative aspects of live coding activities are increasingly being investigated as the live coding movement continues to grow and develop. Although live instrumental performance is sometimes included as an accompaniment to live coding, it is often not a fully integrated part of the performance, relying on improvisation and/or basic indicative forms of notation with varying levels of sophistication and universality. Technologies are developing which enable the use of fully explicit music notations as well as more graphic ones, allowing more fully integrated systems of code in and as performance which can also include notations of arbitrary complexity. This itself allows the full skills of instrumental musicians to be utilised and synchronised in the process. This presentation/demonstration presents work and performances already undertaken with these technologies, including technologies for body sensing and data acquisition in the translation of the movements of dancers and musicians into synchronously performable notation, integrated by live and prepared coding. The author together with clarinetist Ian Mitchell present a short live performance utilising these techniques, discuss methods for the dissemination and interpretation of live generated notations and investigate how they take advantage of instrumental musicians’ training-related neuroplasticity skills

Action-based effects on music perception

The classical, disembodied approach to music cognition conceptualizes action and perception as separate, peripheral processes. In contrast, embodied accounts of music cognition emphasize the central role of the close coupling of action and perception. It is a commonly established fact that perception spurs action tendencies. We present a theoretical framework that captures the ways in which the human motor system and its actions can reciprocally influence the perception of music. The cornerstone of this framework is the common coding theory, postulating a representational overlap in the brain between the planning, the execution, and the perception of movement. The integration of action and perception in so-called internal models is explained as a result of associative learning processes. Characteristic of internal models is that they allow intended or perceived sensory states to be transferred into corresponding motor commands (inverse modeling), and vice versa, to predict the sensory outcomes of planned actions (forward modeling). Embodied accounts typically refer to inverse modeling to explain action effects on music perception (Leman, 2007). We extend this account by pinpointing forward modeling as an alternative mechanism by which action can modulate perception. We provide an extensive overview of recent empirical evidence in support of this idea. Additionally, we demonstrate that motor dysfunctions can cause perceptual disabilities, supporting the main idea of the paper that the human motor system plays a functional role in auditory perception. The finding that music perception is shaped by the human motor system and its actions suggests that the musical mind is highly embodied. However, we advocate for a more radical approach to embodied (music) cognition in the sense that it needs to be considered as a dynamical process, in which aspects of action, perception, introspection, and social interaction are of crucial importance

A Blended Learning Design to Improve Non-Music Students' Knowledge of Chinese Traditional Music in Hunan Agriculture University

This study is a quasi-experiment research. The aims of the study are to determine if the blended Chinese Traditional Music Appreciation Course using Superstar Learning Application improves the Chinese traditional music knowledge of non-music majors and to explore the students’ opinions towards the use of Superstar Learning Application as a teaching and learning tool in a blended Chinese Traditional Music Appreciation Course. The research site is at Hunan Agriculture University, China, involving freshmen students taking the Chinese Traditional Music Appreciation Course. The study used a mixed methodology design. The Pre-test and post-test were administered to determine the effectiveness of the blended learning course. An in-depth interview was also conducted to explore the opinions of volunteer participants about the blended Chinese Traditional Music Appreciation Course and the application used. Comparison of the pre-test and post-test scores showed that the Chinese traditional music knowledge of non-music major students improved after learning in the blended Chinese Traditional Music Course. Students who volunteered to be interviewed showed positive opinions towards the blended learning course and the Superstar Learning Application as a teaching and learning tool

MEDIA, MARKET ECONOMY, AND CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION: QIN MUSIC IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA

The qin, historically recognized as an instrument of Chinese literati, has been presented in various forms of mass media for over fifty years. After the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949, the government promoted public performances in a propaganda/persuasion media system; consequently, mass media started to play significant roles in reshaping aesthetic standards, performance practices, musical features, and meanings of the qin tradition. The mass media in China, however, went through a commercialization reform after the late 1970s and has shaped the current propaganda/persuasion model. This new media structure has hastened the emergence of new musical features and meanings of the qin in the commercial logic as opposed to the Party logic. Such interactions with technology have arguably constituted contemporary performance practices that have departed from traditional aesthetic standards held by literati practitioners who played the qin for self-satisfaction.This paper analyzes qin music as it has been produced and disseminated in different forms of mass media after 1950s, reveals the dynamic multiplicity of meanings of qin music, and unfolds a transformation through which qin music lost its aura that was handed down from antiquity, but is gradually conditioned in its new environment characterized by the tension between the political force and market forces. The paper focuses on one of the most active qin musicians, Li Xiangting, and his activities in the past decade, to show how a prominent qin player, by exploiting mass media technology, mediates his music and ideological theories to promote new perceptions of musical features, aesthetical forms, and social values of the qin. It is through collaboration with the development of mass media in China that many contemporary qin musicians carry on their practices via social conflicts, accommodations, and changing conditions of Chinese economy, society, and culture

Viajando com a música de Tan Dun: o Banquet Concerto para piano, coro e orquestra

With the development of global cultural exchange, a large number of Chinese music works are approaching the international and global world, while also paying more attention to local cultural exchange. The Banquet Concert is one of these works, created by Chinese composer Tan Dun. During the process of research on the Banquet Concert, a number of issues emerged that deserve to be investigated. The Banquet Concert was developed from the soundtrack of a Chinese film based on the context of ancient China. So this creation was, on the one hand, influenced by the range of classical Chinese cultures, including history, ancient poems and martial arts actions, on the other hand, supported by the presentation of an old oriental history in the new form of western music. Tan Dun transformed this soundtrack into the form of a Piano Concert and had been performing around the world from 2011. At the time of the Concert performance, the audience enjoyed western symphonic music along with footage from the classic Chinese film, experiencing a perfect combination of traditional Chinese culture and western classical music. Based on these characteristics, several issues arise to be resolved, including the cultural exchange between eastern and western culture, the relationship between music and image, the interaction between performance and body movement, and so on. This dissertation begins with theoretical research that contains several aspects. The first is to discover the theoretical framework of the concept of travel. The second theoretical orientation is linked to the relationship between music and image, which focuses mainly on the relationship between film and music. In addition, theoretical research is done on the relationship between piano performance and body movement. The second chapter of this dissertation focuses on the context of composer Tan Dun and his compositions. Through the study of Tan Dun's life and academic background, I intend to testify to the meaning of traveller in the composer's creative thinking. At the same time, I also want to draw on the diversity of his works to examine the characteristics of travelling across various cultures, disciplines and other elements. In chapter three, I intend to explore the intercultural and interdisciplinary performance in the development of the work under study. The fourth chapter is the specific analysis of the relationship between music and image, music and movement, demonstrating the multifaceted problems combined with the examples. Finally, a conclusion is drawn to answer the questions initially raised. I hope this dissertation will draw practical guidance for the analysis of various specific aspects of the Banquet Concert and can be instructive for future research into this genre of music.Com o desenvolvimento do intercâmbio cultural global, um grande número de obras de música chinesa está a aproximar-se do mundo internacional e global, ao mesmo tempo, prestar também mais atenção no intercâmbio cultural local. O Concerto Banquete é uma destas obras, criada pelo compositor chinês Tan Dun. Durante o processo da pesquisa sobre o Concerto Banquete, surgiu uma série de problemáticas que merece a ser investigada. O Concerto banquete foi desenvolvido a partir da banda sonora de um filme chinês baseado no contexto da China antiga. De modo que esta criação foi, por um lado, influenciada pela série de culturas clássicas chinesas, incluindo história, poemas antigos e ações de artes marciais, por outro lado, sustentado pela apresentação duma velha história oriental na nova forma de música ocidental. Tan Dun transformou essa banda sonora em forma de Concerto para Piano e tinha feito execução pelo mundo a partir de 2011. No momento de performance do Concerto, o público apreciou a música sinfónica ocidental juntamente com as imagens dos excertos do filme clássico chinês, experienciando uma combinação perfeita entre a cultura tradicional chinesa e a música clássica ocidental. Com base nestas características, surgem várias questões a serem resolvidas, incluindo o intercâmbio cultural entre a cultura oriental e ocidental, a relação entre música e imagem, a interação entre desempenho e movimento corporal e assim por diante. Esta dissertação começa com a pesquisa teórica que contêm vários aspetos. O primeiro é descobrir o enquadramento teórico do conceito de viajar. A segunda orientação teórica está ligada à relação entre música e imagem que, focaliza sobretudo a relação entre filme e música. Além disso, é feito a pesquisa teórica sobre a relação entre piano performance e movimento corporal. O segundo capítulo desta dissertação centre-se no contexto do compositor Tan Dun e as suas composições. Através do estudo sobre a vida e a formação académica de Tan Dun, pretendo testemunhar o significado de viajante no pensamento criativo do compositor. Ao mesmo tempo, também pretendo basear na diversidade das suas obras para examinar as características de viajar através de várias culturas, disciplinas e outros elementos. No capítulo três, pretendo explorar o desempenho intercultural e interdisciplinar no desenvolvimento da obra em estudo. O quarto capítulo é a análise específica sobre a relação entre música e imagem, música e movimento, demonstrando os problemas multifacetados combinando com os exemplos. Por fim, uma conclusão é elaborada com objetivo de responder as questões inicialmente levantadas. Espero que esta dissertação desenhe orientações práticas para a análise de vários aspetos específicos do Concerto Banquete e possa ser instrutivo para futuras pesquisas sobre este género de música.Programa Doutoral em Músic

Collaborative educational environments incorporating mixed reality technologies: a systematic mapping study

In this paper, we report findings from a systematic mapping study, conducted to review the existing literature on collaborative educational environments incorporating mixed reality technologies. There is increasing interest in mixed reality technologies in education, especially with the introduction of new Over Head Mounted Displays (OHMDs), such as HoloLens, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. with the consideration of areas such as education, dynamic technology and complex environments, a research area is identified. We carried out an extensive review of the literature from 2007 to 2017 and conducted an analysis of the works on mixed reality technologies and its subcategories applied to collaborative education environments. Results highlighted the lack of research across the mixed reality spectrum, especially in the augmented virtuality subcategory, as well as technical limitations such as response time in the development of mixed reality technologies for collaborative environments. Furthermore, the difficulty of teaching professionals to replicate mixed reality experiments in real environments, due to the technical skills required, was identified. The main contribution of this article is the discussion of the current works with visualization of the present state of the area, which is aimed to encourage educators to develop mixed reality artefacts and conduct further research to support collaborative educational environments

Embracing Goudiao 句鑃 and the Land of Wuyue 吴越: Cultural Voice and Historical Connections in Contemporary Music Composition

This thesis examines the complex relationship between cultural heritage, land, and historical instruments in contemporary music composition, with a focus on the Wuyue 吴越 region in southeastern China. The study explores the potential of the goudiao 句鑃, a historical bronze struck idiophone associated with Wuyue, for creating new music that reflects the cultural voice and historical connections of the area. As a native of Wuyue, the author also actively incorporates personal cultural memory and engages with Wuyue's traditional musical languages to create a collection of new music that resonates with her as a cultural bearer. The thesis employs a combination of theoretical research, fieldwork, spectral analysis, performance, and compositional practice to investigate how the goudiao can function as both a symbol representing Wuyue's cultural identity and a source of inspiration for contemporary compositions. It also considers the roles played by emotional geography and the concept of "everywhen" in shaping the nuanced musical expressions arising from cultural heritage. From a musicological standpoint, this research contributes to the realm of goudiao research and highlights the intrinsic value of cultural heritage, history, and geographic perspectives in understanding the creative processes underlying a nuanced interpretation of musical traditions. Compositionally, the thesis establishes a model for integrating cultural heritage into contemporary compositions and illuminates the possibilities of engaging with historical instruments. Additionally, the study addresses a gap in previous studies, characterised by a lack of compositions by Wuyue composers drawing inspiration from the historical discoveries associated with Wuyue culture