Program Overview

Program Overview

The Exploded Ensemble is Carnegie Mellon University's experimental music research wing. The program's research areas include, but are not limited to:

• Electro-acoustics
  • Multi-channel sound
  • Audio-visual performance (live video, computer-controlled lighting)
  • Wearable electronics & hybrid instruments
  • Performance of non-Western and/or non-notated musics
  • Creation of new music

Course Description

The Exploded Ensemble course is led by instructors Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh and Jesse Stiles, with TA Mitch Borkowski. The course meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30PM to 3:20PM, with reserved team meeting time on Fridays from 5:00PM to 7:00PM. The course is held in the Hunt Library Media Lab, HLA10A.

Attendance and Participation

Attendance is expected, and unexcused absences are disruptive and disrespectful. If a student is unable to attend class, they must email the instructors in advance. Failure to do so will result in an unexcused absence, which will negatively impact the student's grade. Participation is also expected, and students are invited to engage actively in discussion, reflection, and activities.

Assessment

The course includes two concerts, one around mid-terms and one in the last weeks of the semester. Students will be expected to develop materials for these concerts, including scores, Ableton project files, and Max patches, and submit them to a shared Google Drive folder. The submissions will be worth points towards the student's final grade, with the following breakdown:

• Concert #1: rough (10 points), revised (10 points), and final (20 points) submissions
• Concert #2: rough (10 points), revised (10 points), and final (30 points) submissions Overall participation, both online and in class, counts for the remaining 10 points towards the student's final grade.

Equipment and Facilities

The course utilizes the IDeATe facilities, which are shared student resources and spaces. Students are expected to be respectful of the equipment, spaces, and fellow students, and to clean up after completing their work. Students may be required to purchase materials to complete class projects, and some materials are available for borrowing and purchase at IDeATe Lending.

Using the Media Lab

Students will have access to the Media Lab outside of class hours, and are expected to make a reservation using the online reservation system. When using the Media Lab outside of class, students must comply with the policies indicated on the IDeATe website.