Certificate in World Sound Arts

Overview

The Certificate in World Sound Arts focuses on musical study and creation in the broadest sense, especially in four areas in which the University of Alberta excels: ethnomusicology, world music, electroacoustic music, and popular music.

This certificate is offered by the Department of Music to the entire University community, including students enrolled in any bachelor degree program in any University of Alberta faculty. Students can add the certificate to any program by taking the requisite courses, though this may necessitate exceeding 120 credits in some cases. The number of incoming students may be limited by qualifications or classroom enrollment limitation. Students are not guaranteed space in any specific course.

This certificate is designed to give students a professional advantage in pursing the many non-traditional fields of music and the sonic arts, due to its focus on the larger constellation of musical and artistic activity around the world today. Some of these professions include the commercial film music industry, the video game industry, sound arts curation, world music archiving, digital music distribution, sound design, music journalism, media arts production, arts and cultural administration, and music technology industries.

In addition, students in this program who want to pursue graduate work will find themselves well-positioned for many of the newer graduate degrees in the sound art, technology, and integrated media arts, including McGill's MA in Music Technology, Dartmouth's MA in Digital Music, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's MFA in Integrated Electronic Arts, and the MFA in Interdisciplinary Studies at the Simon Frasier University's School for Contemporary Arts.

Students can apply for this program at any point prior to graduating, and all applicable courses will be counted even if taken prior to the application date.

The certificate will be available to students graduating in spring 2013, and possibly also to those graduating in fall 2012.

Requirements

Prerequisite: ability to read music (satisfied by documentation of prior musical experience or by taking MUSIC 100 Rudiments of Music)

Required: *27 as follows

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY AND ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC *6

• MUSIC 245 Introduction to Music Technologies

• MUSIC 445 Electroacoustic Music OR MUSIC 545

ETHNOMUSICOLOGY *9

• MUSIC 102 Introduction to World Music

• MUSIC 365 Introduction to Ethnomusicology

• One of the following:

MUSIC 464 Topics in Ethnomusicology: Music and Religion

MUSIC 465 Area Studies in Ethnomusicology

MUSIC 466 Topics in Ethnomusicology

MUSIC 467 Area Studies in Ethnomusicology: India and South Asia

MUSIC 468 Area Studies in Ethnomusicology: The Arab World

MUSIC 469 Area Studies in Ethnomusicology: Music and Islam

POPULAR MUSIC/MUSIC AND SOCIETY *9

• MUSIC 103 Introduction to Popular Music

• MUSIC 203 Issues in Popular Music Studies

• One of: MUSIC 313 (to be renumbered MUSIC 206) History of Jazz, OR MUSIC 413 Studies in the History of Jazz, OR MUSIC 484 Studies in Music and Society

WORLD MUSIC PERFORMANCE *3

• One of the following:

MUSIC 143, 243, 343, 443 Indian Music Ensemble

MUSIC 144, 244, 344, 444 West African Music Ensemble

MUSIC 148, 248, 348, 448 Middle Eastern and North African Music Ensemble

MUSIC 193, 293, 393, 493 Experimental Improvisation Ensemble

Proposed calendar copy

44.20.3 Certificate in World Sound Arts

Recently, digital technology has radically transformed the world of music by enabling new pathways for sonic creation, representation, fusion, and circulation, broadening musical horizons, and enabling unprecedented modes of scholarly access and research throughout newly interconnected sonic cultures (including traditional music, popular music, jazz, and the avant-garde) around the globe. This Certificate in World Sound Arts centers upon sounds, techniques, and disciplines from beyond the standard western music conservatory: electroacoustic music, popular music, jazz, world music, music technology, ethnomusicology, and the sociology of music. The Certificate provides recognition of musical training relevant to careers in media arts production, audio design, videogame music, sound arts curation, archiving, online digital music repositories, arts organization, community advocacy, public sector work, and music technology.

Students wishing to pursue the Certificate in World Sound Arts must apply through Undergraduate Student Services in the Faculty of Arts by the application deadline for graduation.

Students receive this Certificate in World Sound Arts after completing 27 course weights, as follows:

MUSIC 245; MUSIC 445 or MUSIC 545; MUSIC 102; MUSIC 365; one of MUSIC 464, MUSIC 465, MUSIC 466, MUSIC 467, MUSIC 468, or MUSIC 469; MUSIC 103; MUSIC 203; one of MUSIC 313, MUSIC 206, MUSIC 413 or MUSIC 484; one of MUSIC 143, MUSIC 144, MUSIC 148, MUSIC 193, MUSIC 243, MUSIC 244, MUSIC 248, MUSIC 293, MUSIC 343, MUSIC 344, MUSIC 348, MUSIC 393, MUSIC 443, MUSIC 444, MUSIC 448, or MUSIC 493.