Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025

Module COMP4221: ADVANCED MUSIC COMPUTING

Department: Computer Science

COMP4221: ADVANCED MUSIC COMPUTING

Type Open Level 4 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2024/2025 Module Cap Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • ● COMP3717: Introduction to Music Processing. Students do not need to have theoretical or practical expertise in music beyond what is developed and used in COMP3717

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • This course develops advanced understanding and skills for computational modelling, analysis, creation and performance of music. The focus will be on the practical application of recent developments in the field.

Content

  • Mathematical and computational models of musical structures and features
  • Automated analysis of individual and collected pieces of music e.g. in setlists, albums, published collections and corpora
  • Creative practices in computational music, including algorithmic processes for creation/composition of music and live coding
  • Examples of computational techniques and software used within popular and classical music

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • On completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
  • Understanding of recent developments in computational techniques for representing, manipulating, analysing and creating music
  • Advanced knowledge of software tools used in computational music practice
Subject-specific Skills:
  • On completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
  • The use of recent software tools to perform automated analyses of pieces or collections of music
  • The creation of music using advanced computational tools
Key Skills:
  • On completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
  • Analysis of large and disparate data sets
  • Selection and application of mathematical and computational concepts in a specific domain

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Lectures introduce specific topics, primarily from recent developments in the field (both academic reports and major code base updates).
  • Practicals enable students to experiment with the topics at hand. Each practical serves as the basis for a possible final submission (see ‘summative assessment’).
  • Summative assessment involves student-proposed/selected projects (individual or group) to create artefacts related to computational music: tools, analyses, compositions or performances. Assessment will be based on techniques used, not artistic merit.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
lectures 20 1 per week 1 hour 20
workshops 20 1 per week 1 hour 20
preparation and reading 160
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Coursework Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Computational music project 100%

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment involves presenting work in progress to the group, to receive peer review and instructor review on the feasibility, novelty, and value of the proposed project.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University