Digital Musicianship Training for Classically Trained Music Students in a Laptop Orchestra

Cheng, Lee

Abstract

Laptop orchestra is a music platform that focuses on collaborative music making within a computer-mediated environment. It is usually formed by an interdisciplinary team with expertise in different disciplines such as music, composition, multimedia, and computer science that contribute to various aspects of a laptop orchestra. The iLOrk presented in this paper is a laptop orchestra from the Hong Kong Institute of Education that specializes in teacher education. It was formed by a group of music education students who were not familiar with computer music and performance technology. To complement the team's lack of a technical foundation, it is necessary to develop iLOrk members' knowledge and skills in the manipulation of digital instruments and participation in a laptop orchestra performance. A series of activities were designed to transform their classically oriented musical competencies into technologically oriented digital musicianship, including (1) development of an iOS app i-Orchestra for orchestral simulation; (2) the use of MIDI controllers as musical instruments; and (3) compositional work dedicated to a laptop orchestra. This paper details the strategies and pedagogical considerations in the digital musicianship training of classically trained members of this laptop orchestra.

Citation

Cheng, L. (2016, May). Digital Musicianship Training for Classically Trained Music Students in a Laptop Orchestra. Presented at 22nd International Symposium on Electronic Art, Hong Kong

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: 22nd International Symposium on Electronic Art
• Start Date: May 15, 2016
• End Date: May 22, 2016
• Publication Date: May 15, 2016
• Deposit Date: Aug 10, 2021
• Pages: 40-43
• Book Title: Proceedings of the 22nd International Symposium on Electronic Art
• ISBN: 978-962-442-397-6
• Keywords: iLOrk; laptop orchestra; digital musicianship; i-Orchestra; iOS app
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2792538