Coding in the Music Classroom
LINEWAVES is an inclusive resource
for teaching music using coding.
Teach students to code while they learn about music.
Reinforce musical concepts with computer science.
Reimagine music theory with inclusive examples.
What is LINEWAVES?
LINEWAVES is an inclusive resource for teaching music using coding. LINEWAVES modules cover not only topics in the undergraduate music theory curriculum, but a range of different courses of study. Each module links musical concepts and coding lessons, with an emphasis on diverse examples by composers including Scott Joplin, Ruth Crawford Seeger, and Melanie Bolis.
What can you do?
Lots of things! For example:
- In a course on music fundamentals, examine how melodies are constructed by comparing the prevalence of skips and steps in different musical styles.
- As part of a lesson on post-tonal theory, have students code a function that detects whether two melodies are related by transposition.
- In a composition course, use a Markov chain to generate new melodies in the style of any composer–even yourself!
- In an electronic music class, use machine learning to classify songs by genre.
Check out our Guides or our Getting Started page for more ideas.
Why coding?
LINEWAVES helps students learn code while they learn music. Code literacy is quickly becoming essential across disciplines, including the arts. At the same time, using computational methods to study music can illuminate the repertoire in new ways. Furthermore, many of the modules lay out methodologies that students can use to conduct their own research projects and learn through critical inquiry.
Contact
Drake Andersen
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music
Vassar College
drake [at] linewaves [dot] org