Table of Contents
Abstract
The Electronic Music Ensemble is an IUPUI student music group under the direction of Jordan Munson, a music technology professor. The Electro-Acoustic Ensemble is also an IUPUI student group directed by Dr. Robin Cox, another music technology professor. These ensembles mostly perform many different types of electronic music in an attempt to capture the attention of different types of people in an audience.
The music that is being performed is what the students collectively create which means it could reflect the development of what music could be like in the future. These live performances were to show appreciation towards what all it takes to be able to perform electronic music that is captivating to an audience of many tastes and interests. This is an opportunity to give aspiring musicians the chance to show what they are capable of doing in terms of composition and performance.
Who are these Individuals?
This is the Electronic Music Ensemble, ExME, paired with the Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, E/A, consisting mostly of music technology majors. ExME is under the direction of Jordan Munson, a music technology professor who focuses on having computers being the main instruments for his ensemble. E/A is under the direction of Dr. Robin Cox, a music technology professor who focuses on taking acoustic and wind instruments and modifying the sounds through the use of technology.
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These two ensembles represent an opportunity for an aspiring musician to collaborate with like-minded individuals to produce something the audience has never seen and/or heard before through the use of music composition/performance and visuals.
Where did they Perform?
They performed at the Campus Center Ball Room (450A). Since there was a copious amount of technology being implemented into the music they wanted to perform for the audience, they wanted to have a large room to display their content. The area that the ensembles performed in was very large which had an effect on how the music sounded in terms of texture. The music seemed to have a larger and more developed sound due to the reflective surfaces of the room that the sound bounced off of to create that effect.
What were they Performing?
Collectively, these two ensembles performed electronic music in many different forms to capture the attention of an audience with many different musical tastes. The majority of the songs that were performed in the concert were composed by the students involved in the ensembles as well as other music technology professors at IUPUI. Since this is the case, our culture may start to enjoy listening to music similar to what was performed at this concert in the future.
ExME performed mostly electronic music using their laptops as the main sound source. There was a large table with several laptops lined up with each other and there were keyboards and other MIDI instruments hooked up to each laptop. All music that was heard was being performed live by students playing on those MIDI instruments. Each electronic piece seemed to have different qualities and styles to keep the concert interesting to the audience. The first song that was performed was a fusion of hip hop, orchestral, and house music where the drums were the driving rhythm and synths represented the main melody.
The second song was more relaxing and ambient without much emphasis on beat and rhythm and rather focusing on chords that go with the melody being played. The third song was all about taking sounds of random objects and trying to make it sound musical. The last song focused on having random vocal syllables being the main melody.
E/A performed what was considered contemporary electronic music where electronic and acoustic/wind instruments come together to create unique music. They take acoustic instruments and modify the sound of them through digital processing and amplification. There is a handful of students that play instruments, but there are also students who are controlling the lighting as well as creating visuals to compliment the piece that is being performed.
Having visuals going with the music can allow the music to be more expressive since the visuals can contribute to the story or message being portrayed for the performance. The videos for each song seemed to sound simple on paper but the way it was presented with the music made it look more complex but effective.
For example, one song had a video of different colors of dye being put into water. That allowed the creation of some interesting visual effects that seemed to fit well with the music. Each performer wore bone conduction earphones and the function of this tool is to send vibrations through the head at a constant pulse that matches the tempo to the music. With this tool, a conductor would not be needed since the performers can already remain in synchronization with each other.
What is the Purpose?
The role of the music presented in ExME was to entertain and educate how computers can communicate with each other musically, technically, and expressively. Those performers are there to use what they know about music and apply it to performing unique instruments they haven’t generally performed on before, a computer according to this context.
The role of the music present in E/A was to entertain and educate the audience on how any type of instrument can be digitally processed and amplified. The performers are there to show how you can take any kind of instrument and make it evolve into a unique sound through these two processes and the use of computers. I personally believe the audience is there to listen to music they generally do not hear very often and would like to take the moment to appreciate how that kind of music is performed in a live setting.
How does this Represent Culture?
This is the type of event that allows people from around the area to come as they please to listen to a group of young adults perform what could potentially be the future of the electronic music and other kinds of popular music. As previously stated, the performers are the individuals who have composed these pieces. If they truly have a passion for doing this and this is the type of music they are presenting to an audience, then there is a large possibly that this type of music may become more popular in the next few years after they graduate from college.
In conclusion, music comes in many genres and people continue to have different preferences for what they like to see and listen to. With this, a change in popular music is bound to happen once the next generation of musicians take control.
