The Computer and the Controller: Dismantling Performance and Pedagogic Barriers to Music Composition

Abstract

Over the last decade, many new ‘clever’ technologies with expertise built in as part of their design have been developed with the novice market in mind, to enable the production of professional sounding music at home. Alongside these technologies, social media platforms and social channels support informal learning and instruction; the result is that the scope for producing and creating music within informal contexts has seen a significant step change. Within the school music classroom, the model of a single keyboard connected to a computer remains the primary default position from which music technology-based composing is facilitated. This model has largely remained unchanged for a significant time period, and there is much existing research that points to the dissonance between the formal (school) and informal (out of school) contexts. The aim of this research is grounded in a desire to seek to dismantle performance barriers to music composition, through disrupting the composer – keyboard – computer model. Set in the context of three UK secondary schools, this thesis frames five cycles of action research. The first three action cycles explore the potential of computer game controllers as an alternative to the keyboard at the centre of the model. The game controllers represent an example of a digitally native technology and are thus positioned as a user-relevant and ‘meaningful’ technology. As part of the research process undertaken within the first three action cycles, bespoke software was developed to enable the game controllers to work as a performance interface with classroom computers and to enable the mapping of controller functionality to music related parameters. The developed software is revised for each action cycle, in order to respond to the findings from pupil use within music lessons. The findings from the first three action cycles feed into the design and development of new hardware and software technologies within action cycles four and five. These new technologies are built from scratch as part of this research, harnessing electronics, software development and 3D printing to inform the realisation of a flexible controller to support individual approaches to composing. This redefines the previous position of a ‘meaningful device’ through moving away from a device considered externally relevant and towards supporting the construction of intrinsic relevance. Using the developed technology presented as part of this research, pupils are able construct their own meaningful device from building blocks. This supports the construction of a device that is unique to them, and enables influence to be drawn from current perceived musical expertise. Crucially this enables dynamic two-way conversations to take place between pupils, and between pupils and teachers, to discuss the rationale behind, and the approach taken to construct their device. The trajectory of this research over the course of the action cycles gradually moves away from the scenario where pupils must be able to translate their musical ideas through performing them via an instrument or defined interface, and towards supporting opportunities for greater experimentation of musical ideas through flexible, individualised and evidenced-based processes. This in turn enables the development and experimentation of musical ideas to be disconnected from the need for them to be performed via a keyboard as part of the compositional process. The implication of this, is that it enables a more accessible starting point to music composition in and beyond education sectors, including the academia.