1 - Why MRes in Computer Music?

 

The relationship between the people who make music happen and computing technologies is pivotal for the future of the music industry.

 

The computer is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in all aspects of music. Smart sound design and synthetic music pervades a wide range of creative practices, from avant-garde contemporary music to entertainment media for mass consumption. Computer technologies are having a profound impact on how music is studied, composed, performed, listened, stored and distributed.

 

The Master of Research in Computer Music provides an exciting opportunity to pursue an individual research project of your choice on the interplay between music, science and computing.  Projects may range from the development of innovative approaches to composition and performance using computers, and the design of assistive music technology, to studying how music is processed in the brain.

 

The MRes in Computer Music conveys the skills necessary to progress to more advanced research towards a PhD. It is delivered within the context of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR), which underpins this programme with an impressive research activity of international significance, with over 100 peer reviewed research papers published within the last 5 years, books and music on CDs.

In addition to being interdisciplinary, ICCMR is a truly international centre, with staff, PhD students and post-doctoral researchers from all over the world. ICCMR is very strong in the academic scene internationally, with the highest number of papers ever by a single institution accepted for presentation at the 2011 International Computer Music Conference (ICMC 2011): a total of 12 papers!

 

 

2 - Is it for you?

"I graduated with degrees in computer science and mathematics, and worked for a year on a project in artificial intelligence. However, having an interest in music and some training as a singer of Indian classical music, I was looking for an opportunity in which I could learn and contribute to music research while making use of my academic background. At Plymouth, I have been encouraged to work on areas of my interest, and with the support of staff and post-graduate students at ICCMR, I think this year has been very productive. In the process of preparing my thesis, I have not only acquired a significant amount of knowledge on my area of focus, but have also learnt a great deal about working independently and presenting my work. I think this course has prepared me well for starting a PhD, which has always been part of my plan to becoming an academic."

Asad Malik, M.Res Computer Music with distinction, 2011

The notion of interdisciplinarity is key to this programme. The overall theme of the MRes is at the crossroads of music, science and computing and we welcome students from a variety of backgrounds.

 

The MRes in Computer Music is for:

 

·      Practising musicians: It provides a platform to explore systematically ways in which computing technology may enhance your practice. This category includes composers wishing to look into the possibilities of computer-aided composition or computer-aided sound design, and/or performers wishing to explore the potential of performance with live electronics.

 

·      Music graduates, musicologists and music educators: It gives you the opportunity to pursue a research project involving computing technologies to complement your skills, while enhancing your career with a post-graduate academic qualification. For example, this category may include a music graduate interested in learning a music programming language to complement skills not covered in a traditional BA (Hons) Music degree.

 

·      Music technologists, sound engineers and software developers: It provides you the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the needs of musicians and the music industry, in the context of a research project, whose outcome may be a technological development. For instance, a computer game developer wishing to investigate the possibilities of computer-generated music.

 

·      Graduates from other areas, but with proven knowledge of music and/or music technology:  The course enables you to explore ways in which you may combine your background and your passion for music. This category may include a physicist interested in exploring concepts from modern physics to design new music synthesizers; or a psychologist interested in developing computational models to study music perception, creativity, etc.

 

Foreign students are very much welcome: ICCMR is a truly international centre, with staff, PhD students and post-doctoral researchers from all over the world (including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and of course, the UK). We are particularly keen to encourage applications from students whose music background is not necessarily Western European “classical” music.

 

MRes in Computer Music students are encouraged to engage in the annual Peninsula Arts Contemporary Music Festival, which provides an unparalleled opportunity in the South West of England to experience the most recent developments in new music and showcase their own work.

 

 

3 - Entry requirements

 

• Applicants should hold, or be in the process of gaining, an upper second (2:1) or first class degree in Music, Music Technology, Computer Music, Music Informatics, Audio Engineering, Music Production, or equivalent. (Titles of degrees vary enormously from institution to institution. Please enquire if you are not sure.)

 

• An upper second (2:1) or first class Honours degree, or equivalent, combining Music with fields such as Digital Arts, Computing, Computer Games, Engineering and Physics (e.g., BA/BSc Digital Music & Computer Games Design, BA/BSc Music Multimedia and Electronics, BSc/BEng Electrical/Electronic Engineering with Music, etc.) are also acceptable. (If you are not sure, please enquire.)

 

• Candidates from other areas, but with proven suitable knowledge of music are very welcome to apply. Please enquire.

 

• In exceptional circumstances candidates who do not hold a first degree compatible with the UK system, but possess significant professional experience may qualify for entry. Please enquire.

 

• If English is not your first language, then you are required to provide evidence of proficiency in written and spoken English (IELTS or TOEFL).

 

 

4 - Part-time is possible

 

Although it is always desirable for students to engage solely on their programme of study, we offer a part-time route, which makes it possible to study and work (in Plymouth or elsewhere) at the same time.

 

But please note that part-time is not distance learning. You will be required to attend classes in Plymouth. Despite all advances in technology, we believe in face-to-face tuition and the benefits of experiencing our research environment, which is an asset on its own right. And Plymouth is a great place to be!

 

To give you an idea, typically, the course would run as follows (see provisional dates below):

 

• In full-time regime, the taught components would be scheduled to take place every other week, on the same day of the week (e.g., every other Thursday) in Term 1 and Term 2 (from October to Easter holiday). The final project would be developed through the whole year. During the whole year you would be encouraged attend seminars, participate in concerts, etc.

 

·      In part-time regime, the taught components would take place as in the full-time regime during the first year (i.e., in Term 1 and Term 2 - from October to Easter holiday). The difference is that you would have the opportunity to develop the final project and participate in other academic-related activity (seminars, etc.) over two years.

 

If this is unclear, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

 

5 – What disciplines are required for the MRes degree?

 

The programme comprises three modules focusing on the following:

 

Advanced Topics in Computer Music Research – 30 credits

In this module you will have the opportunity to learn music programming techniques and/or operate music software, which could be Csound, SuperCollider, Max/MSP and/or PD, or a combination of these. You will study the work of representative composers or practitioners of electronic/computer music (past and present) and will be exposed to current trends in research into Computer Music, with focus on the research activity being developed at ICCMR. There will be 2 or 3 hours-long sections twice a month in terms 1 and 2 (totalling 12 sessions from October to Easter holiday). Each session will be held on the same weekday at the same time (e.g., Thursdays afternoon). Although the lectures are every other week, you will be given homework, course assignments and further reading to do outside class hours.

 

Research in the Arts & Humanities – 30 credits

In this module you will study approaches to develop research projects, with focus on interdisciplinary approaches to research into the arts & humanities and technology. You will be encouraged to put theory into practice through a negotiated project. The module will develop your skills in writing up research reports and papers for publication, and presenting your work at conferences/workshops. The module will run in 5 intensive days during the academic year. The exact dates will be announced at the beginning of the course; we will try to timetable these sections on the same day of the week as the module above (e.g., Thursdays).

 

Masters Thesis in the Faculty of Arts – 120 credits

The MRes thesis may be in the form of written theoretical work (between 20,000 and 30,000 words) or a critical evaluation report (between 8,000 and 10,000 words) plus appropriate evidence of creative and/or professional practice (e.g., technical development or a portfolio of compositions) responding to a research question. The central aim of this module is to enable you to operate autonomously (and with others as appropriate) to plan, manage and achieve defined research outcomes for your MRes project. The module content is determined in negotiation with the programme team and is often in the form of face-to-face tutorials with an assigned project supervisor (e.g., one of the academics of the core team – see below - or academics from other departments or schools, depending on the nature of your project).

 

 

Provisional schedule for 2011/2012: Lectures and activies are scheduled to take place on Thursdays!

 

NOTE: Times are not confirmed yet. It is unlikely, but the time of the lectures may change. We will endeavour to keep this information updated on this webpage.

 

• Advanced Topics in Computer Music Research: will run as 3 hours-long sessions on:

 

 

• Research in the Arts & Humanities: will run as 1 day-long sections (typically from 9.30 am – 4.00 pm, with a brief lunch break) on:

 

TERM 1:
Thursday 13 October 2011, 9.30 – 16.00
Thursday 10 November 2011, 9.30 – 16.00
Thursday 08 December 2011, 9.30 – 16.00

TERM 2:
Thursday 19 January 2012, 9.30 – 16.00
Thursday 15 March 2012, 9.30 – 16.00

TERM 3:
Assessed Presentations (full time students): Thursday 10 May 2012
 

 

Additionally, ICCMR will run a series of Computer Music Research Seminars on Thursdays, which are scheduled take place on the same day as the Advanced Topics in Computer Music Research lectures. Please check ICCMR's website for the schedule: http://cmr.soc.plymouth.ac.uk/seminars.htm

 Note: These seminars are not compulsory. It is a bonus opportunity, which is on offer for those wishing to learn more about what is going in the field. At the seminars you will meet ICCMR’s PhD students and other researchers, and will learn more about their work. Also, there will be invited speakers from other institutions in the UK and abroad.

 

6 – Job perspective, career progression

 

This programme is not a vocational training course. And we will not spoon-feed you. Rather, we are a University, and as such we encourage independent thought, initiative and creativity. This MRes is aimed at offering you knowledge and skills (research skills, writing skills, presentation skills, IT skills) to equip you for a range of graduate-level opportunities, such as:

 

·      Careers in Research: The MRes Computer Music qualification may lead to meeting the requirements to enrol on a doctoral programme  (e.g., PhD) at the University of Plymouth or elsewhere.

 

·      Careers in Music Industry: The qualification may lead to employment in a wide range of opportunities in the music & media technologies industry, including computer games, film, animation, television and radio.

 

·      Careers in Education: The knowledge gained through the MRes may be relevant to pursue a career in secondary education, tertiary education and community education.

 

·      Career enhancement: For those professionals already in employment or self-employment, the MRes may open new opportunities for promotion or career change.

 

 

7 – Core programme team

 

Note the truly interdisciplinary background of the team!

 

Prof Eduardo Miranda

MSc in Music Technology and PhD in Music. Areas of expertise include electroacoustic music, algorithmic composition, sound synthesis and assistive music technology.  He is the author of Composing Music with Computers (Oxford: Focal Press, 2002) and co-editor of Evolutionary Computer Music (London: Springer, 2007). He is a member of the editorial boards of Leonardo Music Journal (MIT Press), Organised Sound (CUP) and Contemporary Music Review (Routledge).

Dr Alexis Kirke

BSc in Mathematics, PhD in Artificial Neural Networks, PhD in Computer Music. His research interests include composition, evolutionary computing and systems for expressive performance of music.  

 

Dr  David Bessell

Studied composition with Simon Bainbridge (Guildhall School of Music) and Edwin Roxburgh (Royal College of Music) and has written a series of pieces exploring spectral composition and composition for acoustic instruments based on electronic principles which have been performed in the USA and Europe. David has over twenty years experience in the music industry as a session guitarist, arranger and programmer and has worked with many artists, including Killing Joke and Suede.

 

De Lee Miller

BA (Hons) Drama/History, MA in Contemporary Theatre Practice, PhD in Theatre. Dr Miller teaches research skills and methodological approaches in the arts, humanities, cultural industries and associated fields.

 

Dr Roberta Mock

MA in Theatre Studies and PhD in Drama. Areas of expertise include cultural identities in performance, and radical and avant-garde performance practice. She is the author of Jewish Women on Stage, Screen and Television (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) and editor of Performing Processes: Creating Live Performance (Bristol: Intellect, 2000).

 

 

8 – Application forms and instructions

 

For an application form please contact:

 

Postgraduate Research Programmes

Research and Graduate Affairs Office 

Faculty of Arts

University of Plymouth

Plymouth PL5 8AA

Tel: +44 (0) 1752 585 030

Email: artsresearch@plymouth.ac.uk

 

Also available on the web: http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=5732

 

 

9 – Price

           

Information on tuition fees, modes of payment, etc. are available here: http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=22926

 

Note: The course is not available in part-time mode for overseas students.

 

 

10 – Informal Enquiries

 

Should you require more information, please do not hesitate to contact artsresearch@plymouth.ac.uk