Sound art and electronic music courses at Hola folkhögskola 2012

A distance learning course in sound art will be held during the first semester 2012 at Hola folkhögskola, close to Kramfors in Northern Sweden. Since the course info is in Swedish, I guess the course will be taught in Swedish, too. A rudimentary English translation of the course description:

The course is for artists and other interested who want to refine their ways of expressing themselves in sound. It is a course for those who want to broaden their styles with creative work with sound in sound art projects. The course includes seminars, projects under supervision, listening skills and analysis of sound in film, music, radio and web. Literature studies.

The application deadline is January 15, 2012.

Hola folkhögskola also has a distance learning course in electronic music with Pd for beginners, application deadline February 15, 2012, and a one-year course in Music production and audio engineering starting the second semester 2012. One can choose electronic music and sound design as a specialisation. Application deadline April 15, 2012.

Sound art courses in Sweden

There are at least two courses in sound art for active professionals (e.g. artists, musicians, sound engineers) that might be of interest this year.

The first is a one-year sound art course (M.A., 60 ECTS), at The Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts in Stockholm. The course is arranged in collaboration with EMS, and will be taught in Swedish. The course info is also in Swedish, but with some help from a well-known free online service, I’ve translated it thus:

The master’s programme in sound art is a multi-disciplinary training aimed at professionals who are interested to deepen and explore sound art. The training focuses on sound installation and you will explore how sound can be used in different rooms and on different types of sites.

The purpose of the course is to provide an overview of methods and processes within the sound art field, and an understanding of the role of sound in contemporary art.

The goal is to help you gain knowledge and understanding of sound installation in public and other rooms, and how to use sound as a tool in various types of artistic production. In parallel with ongoing practical production training, we will discuss artistic courage and the ethical approach to working with sound in public places.

The second is a distance learning course in sound art and sound design (15 ECTS), at The Department of Music and Media at Luleå University of Technology in Piteå in Northern Sweden. Since the course info is in Swedish, I guess the course will be taught in Swedish, too. English translation:

The course is for artists and other interested who want to work with sound creation and sound design. Your individual production work is done continuously during the course and is combined with seminars, workshops, lectures, group work and individual supervision. Current events in the sound field may be treated on the course.

During the course you will meet active practitioners as lecturers and at workshops. You will learn about various tools like Pure Data and Audiomulch, solder piezo-electric microphones, work with field recordings and sound installations interspersed with studies of existing sound/sound design-work, and immerse yourself in your own project to be presented at the end of the course.

Four meetings during autumn 2011 and 2-3 meetings in spring 2012, combined with distance learning at any place.

The application deadline for both courses is April 15, 2011. The deadline for the course at the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts has been extended to May 17, 2011.

Ljudkultur

Some info in Swedish only about the course Sonic culture – soundscapes and the making of sound at Linköping university.

Ljudkultur – ljudlandskap och skapande av ljud är en fristående kurs (30 hp) vid Institutionen för studier av samhällsutveckling och kultur/Enheten Kultur Samhälle Mediegestaltning på Linköpings universitet, Campus Norrköping. Den ges på både grundläggande och avancerad nivå och startar höstterminen 2010. Lärare är bl.a. Magnus Alexanderson.

Online tutorials etc.

I teach an evening class in acoustics and sound synthesis, a part of the EMS two year course in electroacoustic music. I’ve taught these classes since 1999, and since EMS does not require any formal education for entering the course, the main challenge has always been explaining physical and mathematical concepts in plain language and illustrations. Here are some links to online resources that I’ve found useful.

Acoustics

DSP

Sound synthesis

Pd
Although we use Max/MSP and not Pd on the course, there are many similarities between them, so these free books could be useful (via Create Digital Music):

There is also a free manual at Flossmanuals. (Thanks to Jonas Enqvist for the tip!)

Software

Updated July 25, 2010

Master’s degree in sound art at DI

EMS and Dramatiska institutet (DI), the Swedish university college of film, radio, television and theatre, offer a two-semester master’s programme in sound art (60 credits) for active artists, sound designers, musicians, radio and television professionals etc., starting fall 2009. Last date for application: April, 2. More info in Swedish follows.

Dramatiska institutet
Ljudkonst 60 hp
En ettårig magisterutbildning med start höstterminen 2009.

Utbildningen vänder sig till verksamma inom radio- eller medieområdet, konstnärer, ljuddesigners, ljudtekniker, musiker och andra ljudintresserade som vill utveckla sina uttryckssätt med hjälp av/genom ljudkonst.

Sista ansökningsdag 2 april 2009

Vi undersöker möjligheterna i mötet mellan den experimentella ljudkonsten och berättandet. Vi utforskar också ljudkonstens relation till olika typer av rum, platser och bilder.

Utbildningen drivs i nära samarbete mellan Dramatiska institutet och Elektroakustisk Musik i Sverige (EMS). DI:s starka berättartradition genomsyrar utbildningen och förenas här med EMS tradition av elektronmusik och ljudexperiment.