Students of this course may try their hand at their own sound interventions and musical compositions, or simply focus on learning more about diverse musical traditions, sonic experimentation, and acoustic phenomena in everyday life. Designed by artist and Duke professor, Pedro Lasch, and UdK composer Mathias Hinke, this course is also co-taught by scholar and musician Jace Clayton (DJ Rupture) and curator Candice Hopkins (Documenta 14). The lectures link major artistic developments of recent decades to wider ideas about sound in specific social and spatial contexts.
Art of the MOOC: Experiments with Sound
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8
(72 reviews)
Beginner level
No prior experience required
10 hours to complete
3 weeks at 3 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Details to know
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Assessments
8 assignments
Taught in English
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There are 8 modules in this course
This module introduces the four co-teachers of the course (Lasch, Clayton, Hinke, Hopkins), along with five analytical concepts that we will use throughout its sections and projects: Frequency, Perspective, Material Frame, Time Frame, and Concurrency. These concepts are designed to encompass a wide range of acoustic phenomena within spatial and social experience.
What's included
2 videos2 readings1 assignment
This lesson expands on specific terms or ‘sound elements’ that include tuning, resonance, silence, improvisation, rhythm, synchronization, duration, and timbre. It also addresses traditional tools in sound production, from musical instruments to sampling, auto-tunes, and other more recent technologies. The module concludes by exploring the role of sound in specific non-musical social settings and practices, such as clapping, fan culture, sports, traffic jams, mass demonstrations, and more.
What's included
10 videos1 assignment
The practical component of this section is optional, asking learners to choose a space with specific ‘sound rules’ and change or alter these rules through actual experimentation.
What's included
1 video1 reading1 assignment
This lesson begins by focusing on the relationship between experimental practices and scores or notation systems. It also examines how sound has been used and understood by artists in specific urban contexts, such as ports, train stations, and airports, as well as rural settings, including forests, gardens, and the wider landscape. We conclude with an examination of how sound and music travel, be it through the populations who produce it, or the objects and digital files that are used to record and share it.
What's included
8 videos1 assignment
The practical component is optional, inviting learners to ‘erase a sound in space’ through a range of possible strategies.
What's included
1 video1 reading1 assignment
This lesson provides an overview of the methods and ideas from different schools of listening. It also presents a critical examination of the term ‘world music’ and how it has evolved in relation to economic and cultural globalization. With this global perspective in mind, the concluding portions of our lectures are dedicated to acoustic experience and musical experimentation on the net, the radio, cellular networks, and various social media, including all of the glitches, accidents, and failures we associate with these platforms.
What's included
8 videos1 assignment
The practical component of this module is optional, asking learners to produce their own experiment with media and technical failure.
What's included
1 video1 reading1 assignment
This module is optional and only for those who wish to put what they learned from the course into one final project that is more open and ambitious in scale. Two options are given for this, one being your most ambitious project, and the other based on the creation and use of your own musical instruments.
What's included
1 video1 reading1 assignment
Instructors
Instructor ratings
4.9 (19 ratings)
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4.8
72 reviews
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Showing 3 of 72
GG
5
Reviewed on Nov 19, 2019
A very well put together overview of experimental sound techniques and case studies
HH
5
Reviewed on Aug 26, 2019
This has been the best course so far that I have came across online.
TR
5
Reviewed on May 4, 2024
Really interesting, enjoyable, fast moving and slick presentation. I look forward to trying the assignments in my own time and doing further research about some of the artists mentioned.
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Frequently asked questions
You can access all videos, readings, and discussions, free of charge. You can also submit assignments and earn a grade for free. If you want to earn a Course Certificate, you can purchase the course for $49 or apply for Financial Aid.
No. Completion of a Coursera course does not earn you academic credit from Duke; therefore, Duke is not able to provide you with a university transcript. However, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.