Getting Started

The best way to get started with LINEWAVES is to try it yourself:

Step 1: Get Python up and running

Download and install a version of Python.

Step 2: Install music21

It’s simple to install music21.

Step 3: Take a guided tour

Visit the Guides page to browse modules by topic.

Step 4: Integrate modules into your lesson plan

Once you’ve found a module or sequence, try coding through it yourself. Find related modules (and programming tutorials) by using the links inside of each module, or by clicking on the tags at the bottom of each module.

Step 5: Customize your repertoire

Many of the modules use specific works as models, but the focus on methodology means that the computational techniques covered in any given module can be applied to works of your choice. Click here for resources to help you build an inclusive teaching repertoire.

Examples

See how easily LINEWAVES modules can be integrated into your lesson plan:

Melodic Skips and Steps (Fundamentals of Music)
  1. Begin by introducing the concept of melodic skips and steps.
  2. Compare the prevalence of skips and steps in different styles.
  3. Along the way, cover Python topics including for loops, if statements, and list comprehensions.
  4. Students can learn how to analyze more complex melodies in this advanced extension.
Post-Tonal Theory (Music Theory IV)
  1. Review mathematical operations in Python.
  2. Explore how to convert digital music files into numeric pitch sequences.
  3. Compare pitch and pitch class representations of a melody.
  4. Try transposing a melody.
  5. Create a function that will transpose any melody–or detect whether any two melodies are related by transposition.

Browse our Guides for more.

Contact

Drake Andersen
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music
Vassar College

drake [at] linewaves [dot] org