In decades past, musicians didn’t have much of a choice: if they wanted to record music and get it out to the public, they needed the help of a record company.
But the year is now 2008, and technology is at a point where artists can record their own music and post the work to the internet for the masses before money-hungry corporations come into the equation, if at all.
To do this, however, one needs a working knowledge of how to actually use a computer to create music. And with the announcement of Introduction to Digital Music (MUS 225), students can now gain that knowledge at BMCC this fall.
Introduction to Digital Music
Floating around as an idea for years, Introduction to Digital Music at BMCC is now a reality. The inaugural class will be taught by Dr. Joyce Moorman, an assistant professor in the Department of Music and Art, who has studied the topic at CUNY’s Brooklyn College. Moorman said now is the perfect time for the course to begin at BMCC.
“Computers have become so important in the production of music,” she said. “If you’re going to be a musician in the 21st century, you really need to understand the application of computers to music.”
“Music recording used to be such an expensive venture that only large companies could do it. With computers, it’s possible for individuals to set up a recording studio in your own home and produce a recording that’s very good.”
Moorman said there are many Web sites devoted to giving artists a place to upload their own music. For composers, there’s the American Music Center, which maintains an online library of scores and recordings used by both artists who upload their own work, and others who are looking to listen to it. Then, there are also internet spots more popular to the student-age population, like MySpace.com, which allows users to make their own Web pages, complete with recordings and information about the artist.
Others go as far as creating their own site from scratch, and maintaining full control of design, using to post and sell music.
“Some of the artists doing these sorts of things are really succeeding,” said Moorman. “They’re being noticed by recording companies because of their home recordings.”
Class Details, and What to Expect
Music 225 will be held on Thursdays and Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. in Murray, room 1218. While the course schedule says students are required to have taken MUS 105 (Basic Music), Moorman said that any student with solid knowledge of reading and writing music — such as one who has taken MUS 140 (Piano I) — has a good chance of getting in.
According to Moorman, “the class will center around creating music from start to finish, and any student with a strong background in music would fit in and learn a lot.”
Moorman plans to take the class through the entire computer music production process. First, student-artists will write their melodies and music using the award-winning program Sibelius. After that, students will take their audio to the BMCC Media Center’s recording studio, where they will add vocals to instrumental audio. Putting it all together, students will then burn their recording to a CD, and voila — they will have their own recording. From there, the journey begins.
