MA in Sonic Arts
The MA in Sonic Arts can be studied full-time or part-time and will focus upon three areas:
- the acquisition of technical skill in the production of audio and video
- the creative application of technology to produce artistic works in a variety of media formats
- the contextualisation of personal work within a broad spectrum of artistic practice.
The programme is suited to the following students:
- those who already possess good technical competence, who wish to continue to investigate creative outputs, perhaps leading to the initial ideas for PhD research and;
- those who wish to further understand some of the technical aspects of contemporary sonic / installation / video art
The MA falls into two distinct areas:
- Technology - training
- Aesthetic - composition
The first area, Technology-training covers the science of music from first principles using a computer programming environment called pure-data (written by Miller Puckette). Additionally we look at all the tools you will need to create your own sonic art. At the end of the degree you should be able to create your own tools.
The Aesthetic-composition area is perhaps a little difficult to describe. We want you to pursue your own creative ideas but encourage you to push the boundaries and do something a little different. We encourage you to listen to as much sound-based music as you can but especially music that is often called electroacoustic or acousmatic music. This is often music without a beat and without melodic / harmonic structure but uses sound freely and allows the composer to redefine his/her rules as they work through a number of exercises and analyses. We would not like you to arrive in Sheffield and be disappointed that the aesthetic we offer is not something that inspires you. You would be well advised to visit the following website and listen to a number of examples (especially music by Adrian Moore). The website is a Canadian Compact Disc label called: electrocd.com (or see the recommended composers links).