Author Archives: Glenn Schoonmaker

Spitfire Rescoring Competition: Lessons Learned

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After participating in the Spitfire Rescoring Competition, I wanted to share some reflections and takeaways from the experience. This blog post serves as a recap of the process and lessons learned, which I hope will be helpful for future projects.

Rediscovering the Joy of Scoring to Picture

It had been a while since I worked on a score-to-picture project, and diving back into this intense focus reminded me why I love this type of work. Seeing ideas evolve from simple voice memo recordings into fully realized compositions synced to picture was incredibly rewarding.

Planning: The Key to Success

With only 12 days to complete the submission, planning was crucial. I started by creating a tentative schedule outlining what needed to be done and when. This roadmap kept me on track and ensured that I could manage my time effectively.

Getting Back into Film Scoring Mode

To refresh my approach, I watched several helpful videos from Spitfire Audio that provided insights into composing for film. These resources were invaluable in getting my mindset aligned with the task at hand.

Here are the videos that I found super useful for this project:

You can find even more super helpful tutorials for composing on Spitfire Audio’s page:
https://www.spitfireaudio.com/professional-guide-to-composing

Spotting and Abstraction

Spotting key moments in the video was an essential step. I locked scene markers in my Logic file and began abstracting the piece—imagining its final form from a high-level perspective. This process helped me generate motifs and define the sound palette, which included Spitfire libraries like Abbey Road One, Contemporary Drama Toolkit, Olafur Arnalds’ Cells, and Omnisphere.

Here’s my spotting session:

Here are my notes for the abstraction, spotting session, and libraries I used for this project:

Spitfire Colossus trailer AbstrationDownload

Sketching and Notation Workflow

Using guitar sketches recorded into Voice Memos, I developed ideas for the score. Once I had a complete concept, I notated everything in Dorico using two grand staves before exporting MIDI to Logic for further refinement. This workflow allowed me to combine notation with sound design seamlessly.

Spitfire Colossus Trailer – 2 Grand StavesDownload

Adapting Plans Under Pressure

As time grew tight, I created two plans: “Plan A” (ideal) and “Plan B” (minimum requirements). Ultimately, I followed a hybrid approach between the two, which gave me confidence that I could complete the project regardless of constraints.

Mixing and Mastering

Mixing involved setting automation levels, EQ adjustments, and mix bus processing using tools like SSL G Bus Compressor and Logic Limiter. For mastering, I used Ozone with custom presets to finalize the track before syncing it with the video.

Finalizing the Project

After completing the final version, I decided to sleep on it to give my ears a rest. Revisiting it the next day confirmed that it was ready for submission.

Takeaways: What Worked Well

  • Rediscovering scoring: It was fun and fulfilling to work on this type of project again.
  • Pre-production: Abstraction, spotting, sound palette definition, and motif generation were invaluable. Remember to always start with a meter of 1/4 when determining BPM and hitting sync points.
  • Planning: Creating Plan A/B ensured progress under pressure.
  • Workflow: Combining Dorico notation with Logic sound design worked smoothly.
  • Resources: Spitfire videos provided excellent guidance. Perplexity was super helpful in the myriad of questions that came up with this project.
  • Libraries: Abbey Road One and Contemporary Drama Toolkit proved highly effective. Creating articulations in Logic was a big win!
  • Mixing/mastering: My usual mix bus recipe worked well.

Areas for Improvement

  • Centralized notes: Too many disparate places for notes created confusion.
  • Technical issues: Syncing to picture had stumbling blocks.
  • Spreadsheet usage: A planning spreadsheet could have clarified things further.
  • Version naming: Better naming conventions for alternate versions in Logic are needed.
  • Templates: Updated templates for Dorico and Logic would streamline future projects.

This competition reminded me how rewarding it is to create music that enhances visual storytelling. The process reinforced valuable lessons about planning, workflow, and creativity that I’ll carry forward into future endeavors.

Here’s the final version that I submitted to the competition:

Dialing in the Perfect Electric Guitar EQ

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When it comes to mixing electric guitars, EQ is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. Recently, I watched an excellent video by Sara Carter on this very topic. While some of the principles—like cutting lows, taming highs, and boosting mids—are familiar territory, Sara’s approach offered a refreshingly quick and effective way to get guitars sitting perfectly in a mix.

Key EQ Techniques for Electric Guitar

Here’s a simple starting point for shaping your guitar tone using any channel strip:

  • High-Pass Filter: Roll off frequencies below 100Hz to remove unnecessary low-end rumble.
  • Cut at 250Hz: Scoop out some of the muddiness often found in this range.
  • Boost at 1.4kHz or 2.8kHz: These frequencies help bring clarity and presence to the guitar.

These adjustments can help carve out space for the guitar between other instruments like bass, drums, and vocals.

Experimenting with Channel Strips

I tested this method with several plugins, including:

  • UA SSL 4000 E
  • BX SSL 4000 E
  • BX 4000 G
  • BX 9000 J
  • BX Amek 9099
  • BX Console N
  • UA Neve 1073
  • UA API Vision
  • UA Helios 69

For the track I was working on, the UA SSL 4K, BX Amek 9099, and Helios stood out as favorites. Each brought its own character to the mix: the SSL added punch, the Amek offered smoothness, and the Helios delivered warmth.

Why This Works

These EQ moves are not rigid rules but excellent starting points. They allow you to quickly shape your guitar tone so it complements other elements in your mix. By cutting unnecessary lows and taming problematic mids, you create space for clarity. Boosting key midrange frequencies ensures the guitar cuts through without being harsh.

Console Channel Strip Shootout: A Simple Trick to Hear the Difference

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Years ago I wanted to compare console channel strip emulations on the same audio material but never came up with a good way to do it. The following video outlined an excellent approach that helped me to immediately hear the differences immediately after some simple set up.

The Setup: A Quick and Easy Comparison Method

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you hear the differences between channel strip plugins:

  1. Instantiate: Place the same console channel strip emulation across all your instrument group buses (e.g., Drum bus, Bass bus, Guitar bus, Keyboard bus, Vocal bus, etc.).
  2. Group Control: Set up a group that controls the inserts for all these channels, allowing you to enable/disable the plugin simultaneously.
  3. Drive the Input: Increase the input gain to +8dB. This will help you to hear the harmonic saturation of the plugin.
  4. Compensate Volume: Reduce the volume fader by -8dB to avoid clipping.
  5. Enable All Sections: Activate all sections of the channel strip (filters, compressor, expander/gate, EQ, etc.).
  6. Add a Gentle EQ Curve:
    • Boost 2dB @ 10kHz to enhance the high frequencies.
    • Boost 2dB @ 100Hz to enhance the low frequencies.
  7. Real-time Comparison: Playback your track, enabling/disabling the plugin in real-time to hear the differences.
  8. Alternate Emulations: Switch between different console emulations to compare their impact.

Bonus Tip: When working with Plugin Alliance emulations, be sure to try the “Random Channel” function for all instances to add subtle variation.

Why This Works

By applying this setup, you’re creating a controlled environment to evaluate how each channel strip plugin affects your overall sound. Driving the input gain and applying a gentle EQ curve will help you accentuate the unique characteristics of each emulation, making it easier to identify its sonic signature.

Finding the Right Emulation

Try this approach with any new mix to discover which emulation, if any, enhances the overall sound in terms of EQ or stereo imaging.

Experiment with different console emulations, such as:

  • SSL 4KE
  • Waves EV2
  • Waves Kramer HLS
  • UAD
  • Plugin Alliance

Conclusion

Channel strip plugins are powerful tools for shaping your sound and achieving professional mixes. By using the simple method outlined above, you can quickly and easily hear the differences between console emulations and make informed decisions that elevate your music.

Colossal Re-Score

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As a composer, I recently had the exciting opportunity to participate in the Spitfire Audio Colossus Re-Scoring Competition. This challenge allowed me to flex my creative muscles and dive deep into the world of dystopian soundscapes. In this blog post, I’ll take you through my process of creating an original musical score that evokes tension, unease, and drama.

Conceptualization

My goal was to create a score that would complement dystopian imagery, building a journey from quiet suspense to dramatic intensity. I wanted to capture the essence of a blockbuster production while maintaining a unique and engaging sound.

Tools of the Trade

To bring my vision to life, I carefully selected a variety of high-quality sound libraries and software:

  1. Spitfire Audio’s Contemporary Drama Toolkit
  2. Abbey Road One (various orchestral sections)
  3. Olafur Arnalds Cells
  4. Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere 2

These libraries provided a rich palette of sounds, from orchestral elements to modern synth textures.

Production Process

My workflow centered around Logic Pro as my primary Digital Audio Workstation, with notation work done in Steinberg’s Dorico. This combination allowed for both detailed audio production and professional notation capabilities.

To enhance the audio and achieve a polished, professional sound, I employed several signal processing tools:

  • Universal Audio’s SSL G Bus Compressor
  • Fairchild 670 Compressor
  • Ampex ATR-102 Master Tape
  • Logic’s built-in Limiter, Distortion, and EQ
  • Izotope’s Ozone 9 for final mastering

Reflections

This project was a great experience as it challenged me to blend diverse elements seamlessly and push the boundaries of my creativity. The process of crafting a score that can stand alongside blockbuster productions was both daunting and exhilarating.

I’ll be doing a more behind-the-scenes look at my composing process in another post, where I’ll focus on what worked, what could have gone better, and what I want to remember moving forward.

Thanks to Spitfire Audio for providing the opportunity to be part of this.

Dorico

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Towards the end of last year I decided to try out a demo version of Steinberg’s Dorico Notation Software, as I had heard great things about it from some of my friends at Chigiana. I loved it so much that I bought a full version once the demo expired. How I wish that I had been able to use it while I was in Berklee’s program. It’s so much more enjoyable to work with than Finale, on so many levels. 

While I found some great tutorials on YouTube and Groove3, it wasn’t the same as doing a real project, from start to finish. For this I chose to create a project that would combine a few things I had been wanting to do for a while. 

First, notate a full orchestral score in Dorico, while using Note Performer (which I hadn’t really used yet). Secondly, analyze and recreate some of the scores in composer Ryan Lynch’s “10 ESSENTIAL Orchestral Scores You Need To Study” list. For this project I chose to focus on Mozart’s Symphony No 40 in G minor.  

Based on the original score found on IMSLP, here is the version that I created (first five minutes of the piece):

Mozarts-Symphony-No.-40-in-G-minor-FULL-SCOREDownload

And here is the audio via Note Performer (and some processing in Logic using UAD’s Studer A800, SSL G Bus Compressor, Fairchild 770, and Ozone 9): 

Below is the analysis that I put together, based on Ryan Lynch’s template:

Overall, I really enjoyed this project as it helped me to get more familiar with Dorico while giving me an even deeper appreciation of just how great Mozart’s music is. Just amazing!

Chigiana Film Scoring Intensive

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Right after I finished things up with Berklee’s Music Composition for Film, TV, and Video Games program, I had the great fortune of being part of the 2023 Academia Musicale Chigiana Film Scoring Intensive program in Siena, Italy. Everything about it was truly fantastic. 

Each person associated with the program was of the highest caliber, super talented, and crazy smart, going above and beyond to make this a world-class experience for all involved. The amazing faculty was made up of USC and Berklee instructors, supported by a team of industry professionals. The people in my cohort were incredibly talented, humble, kind, and generous. I feel extremely fortunate to be associated with this group of amazing people. And the location, Siena, is a beautiful and enchanting hilltop medieval village straight out of a dream. Can’t imagine a better place for this type of experience.

The program itself was divided into two primary segments. The first part was focused on creating a score to picture to be recorded by a string quintet at a studio in Rome and the second being a score to picture to be performed by a 42-piece orchestra recorded in a concert hall in Florence, with instruction on film music composition & analysis, orchestration, masterclasses, critiques, music technology, MIDI mockups, editing, sound design, sync licensing, and score & parts preparation throughout.

The program lived up to its name, as it was truly intensive. Most days I was getting up ~3 am and working throughout the day and then passing out when I got back to my apartment around 9 pm. I think out of the 20 days I was there I had one full day off. The rest of the time I was either in classes or working on my pieces. Seeing everyone work with such intensity, focus, and commitment, creating the amazing music that they made, was truly inspiring.

Thank you to all involved in making this a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Ciao, my friends!

Here is the piece I wrote for the string quintet. Special thanks go out to the amazing musicians that played on the recording:

Violino 1 – Antonio Pellegrino
Violino 2 – Nataliya Nykolayshyn
Viola – Bruno Pucci
Violoncello – Luca Pincini
Contrabasso – Massimo Ceccarelli

Glenn-Schoonmaker-The-Hotel-Budapest-Score-Concert-ScoreDownload

Here is the piece that I wrote for the orchestra:

Glenn-Schoonmaker-Time-Stops-Big-Fish-Concert-ScoreDownload

Here are some photo highlights.

Berklee Online – Post Graduation Thoughts

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I’ve been putting this off, writing about my overall experience with Berklee Online, for a couple of reasons. First, I spent the last month in Italy doing this amazing program, the Chigiana Film Scoring Intensive Program. Secondly, I think I was making it bigger in my mind than it needed to be.

To get straight to the point, I feel that Berklee Online’s “Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games” degree program is excellent. Was it perfect in every regard? No, nothing is. Was it what I needed when I needed it? Absolutely.

When I started looking into getting a degree in music back in 2019 I wasn’t even considering online education. I wanted a “legitimate” music education. I did a bit of research to see what the top schools were and USC’s Film Scoring program was at the top of that list.

I reached out to USC’s Thornton School of Music’s admissions department, asking about the process of getting into their Masters in Screen Scoring program, and they recommended Berklee Online as an undergraduate program. I was surprised, as I didn’t think an online program would be a viable option, and asked for clarification. They assured me that they had admitted a number of highly qualified students into their program that had come from Berklee’s online program. With that, I looked into Berklee Online and applied. Within a few weeks, I got the news that I was accepted into their film scoring degree program and would be starting in the Fall of 2019.

The “Pros”: great program, with excellent content, world-class musicians as course authors/instructors all without having to relocate to Boston. Berklee came to me. Also, with Covid, I would have had to do online studies anyways so it worked out great.

The “Cons”: while convenient the online program can never achieve the same experience of being in-person, getting immediate feedback, learning, and collaborating with others in real-time. This became super apparent during the Chigiana Film Scoring Intensive. So much more immediate, in-depth, and fun.

40 classes and 3.5 years later I now have a bachelor’s degree in Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games. As for what is next, I’m not exactly sure right now. Between Berklee Online and Chigiana’s Film Scoring Intensive, I’ve been at it full-time for quite a while and could use some downtime.

Thank you, Berklee for giving me what I needed, when I needed it. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from some amazing people and become an alum of your prestigious and excellent school.

Berklee Online – Term 13

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Well, it’s kinda hard to believe, but this was my final term with Berklee. All in all, it was a good term, but I am happy to be at the end of the program. The course materials were really good and the instructors did a great job.

The classes that I took this time around were “Introduction to Digital Cinematography”, “Music Cognition”, “Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games Capstone“, and “Rock History”.

As with previous terms, I will go into detail on each class in separate posts. I’ll also do a wrap-up/reflection post of my entire experience with the program afterward.

Thanks for everything, Berklee.

Introduction to Digital Cinematography

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I took this class mainly to fulfill an elective requirement for the “Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games Degree” program, but really enjoyed what we learned about. The instructor, Hana Kitasei, was super professional and often provided insightful feedback and direction.

Thanks to my wife, Rachel, for being my collaborator as some of the assignments required human subjects and her help was invaluable either in front of or behind the camera.

Here’s the clip that I put together for my final assignment.

And here is what we covered during the twelve weeks.

Week 1 – “Introduction to Visual Storytelling – Jan 9th – Jan 13th
Introduction, Meet and Greet, Visual Storytelling, Photography, Exposure Times, Photography as Art, Cinema, Workshop: Images as Communication, Discussion 1.1: How Do Images Communicate Something to Us?, The Power of the Image, Messages Hidden in Images, Communicating Your Message, Discussion 1.2: What Images Do You Want to Create?, The Frame, Aspect Ratio, Determining an Aspect Ratio, Workshop: Framing, Assignment 1: Visual Storytelling, Recap

Week 2 – “A Technical Introduction to the Camera” – Jan 14th – Jan 20th
Introduction, How is an Image Created?, Camera Obscura, Creating a Permanent Photograph, Modern Camera Sensors, Creative Use of Exposure Time, Camera Components, Camera Functions, Exposing an Image, How a Digital Sensor Determines Brightness, Exposure and Shutter Speed, Using Slow Shutter Speed on a Video Camera, Quiz 2.1: Camera and Exposure, Controlling Exposure, Three Exposure Controls, Aperture Effects, Exposure and Aperture, The Sensor, Adjusting Sensitivity, Noise, Workshop: Exposure, Video and Still Cameras, Discussion 2.1: Your Camera, Assignment 2: Creative Exposure, Recap

Week 3 – “The Lens” – Jan 21st – Jan 27th
Introduction, What is a Lens?, Lensless Photography, Convergence, Lens Speed, Field of View, Sharpness, Distortion, Guidelines for Choosing a Lens, The Main Functions of a Photographic Lens, Exercise: The Creation of a Lens, Consumer Cameras, What Lens Do I Need?, Choose a Lens, Choosing a Lens, The Normal Lens, Workshop: Lens Types, Exercise: Lens Selections, Perspective and Depth, The Illusion of Depth, Depth, Perspective, and Lenses, Discussion 3.1: Lenses, Quiz 3.1: Lenses, Assignment 3: Creative Use of Lenses, Recap

Week 4 – “Camera Placement” – Jan 28th – Feb 3rd
Introduction, Examining a Shot, Shot Types, Extreme Long Shot, Long Shot, Medium Long Shot, Medium Shot, Medium Close Up and Close Up, Extreme Close Up, Shot Size and Lenses, Using the Medium Close Up and the Close Up, Over the Shoulder Shot, Two Shot, Camera Height, Eye Level Height, High Angle, Low Angle, The “Hero” Shot, Quiz 4.1: Camera Placement, Objective and Subjective Camera Work, Audience Viewpoint, Viewpoint in Movies, First Person Viewpoint, Third-Person Restricted Viewpoint, Omniscient Viewpoint, Point-of-View Shot, Analyzing “Vertigo”, Discussion 4.1: Camera Placement, Assignment 4: The Subjective Camera, Recap

Week 5 – “Camera Movement” – Feb 4th – Feb 10th
Introduction, When Was the Camera Moved First?, The History of Camera Movement, Camera Movement Types, Motivated Camera Movement, The Panning Shot, The Tilt Shot, The Tracking Shot, The Circular Move, The Push-In Shot, The Pull-Out Shot, The Crane Shot, The Handheld Shot, The Steadicam Shot, The Aerial Shot, Moving the Camera Successfully, Static Shots, Significant Camera Movement, Quiz 5.1: Camera Movement, Discussion 5.1: Rocky, Assignment 5: Camera Movement, Recap

Week 6 – “Lighting Tools” – Feb 11th – Feb 17th
Introduction, What Can Light Do for Us?, Illumination, Depth and Shape, Texture, Mood, Telling a Story, Lighting Function Summary, Discussion 6.1: Lighting, Properties of Light, Angle, Color, Diffusion, Lighting Properties Summary, Quiz 6.1: Lighting, Professional Lighting Tools, Safety, Light Meters, Sekonic’s Online Classroom, Improvised Lighting Tools, Assignment 6: Lighting Tools, Recap

Week 7, Creative Lighting, Feb 18th – Feb 24th
Introduction, Three-Point Lighting, The Key Light, The Fill Light, The Back Light, Effective Use of Three-Point Lighting, Practical Lighting Applications, Lighting Analysis, Lighting the Face, Visual Intensity, Evaluating Visual Intensity, Contrast and Affinity, Evaluating Contrast and Affinity, Contrast in Color, Evaluating Color Contrast, How Does Light Help Tell a Story?, Quiz 7.1: Creative Lighting, Discussion 7.1: Creative Lighting, Assignment 7: Creative Lighting, Recap

Week 8 – “Color” – Feb 25th – Mar 3rd
Introduction, What is Color?, The Relativity of Color, The Human Eye, After Images, Primary Colors, Complementary Colors, Complementary Colors in Art, Color Interpretation, Shades of Red, Color Interpretation in Cinema, The Meaning of Color, Discussion 8.1: Color, Quiz 8.1: Color, Color and Images, Color in Film, Drive, Discussion 8.2: Emotion, Assignment 8: Color, Recap

Week 9 – “The Story” – Mar 4th – Mar 10th
Introduction, Story Basics, Exercise: The Scorpion and the Frog, The Rabbit and the Turtle, Exercise: Narrative Film, Conflict, Protagonist, and Antagonist, Exercise: Conflict, Three-Act Structure, The Screenplay, Using a Screenplay, Live Concert Video, Music Video, The Script, Discussion 9.1: The Script, Script Breakdown, Exercise: Script Breakdown, Visual Guidelines, Creative Inspiration, Visual References, Discussion 9.2: Visual References, The Shot List, Exercise: American Beauty, Storyboards, Assignment 9: From Story to Shot, Recap

Week 10 – “The Long Take” – Mar 11th – Mar 17th
Introduction, To Cut or Not, Exercise: Battleship Potemkin, Shooting Sufficient Material, Exercise: Zodiac, The Long Take, Discussion 10.1: Long Takes, Fictional Time, Real Time, Pace and Rhythm, Other Long Takes, Challenges, Background, Camera Movement, Lighting, Goodfellas, Performance, Designing a Long Take, Shadow Man Battle Scene, Careful Planning, Behind-the-Scenes Photos, A Story Within a Long Take, Discussion 10.2: Four Short Films, Assignment 10: Long Take, Recap

Week 11 – “Continuity” – Mar 18th – Mar 24th
Introduction, Exercise: The Edited Scene, Analysis and Structure in the Scene, Editing in the Scene, Editing and the Cinematographer, Types of Continuity, Continuity of Time, Present, Past, Continuity Example, Future, Conditional Time, Continuity of Space, Content Continuity, Lighting Continuity, Flexibility, Directional Continuity, The 180 Line, Discussion 11.1: Continuity, Crossing the Line, Cutting, The 20/30 Rules, The Content Cut, The Action Cut, The POV Cut, The Conceptual Cut, The Jump Cut, Assignment 11: Continuity, Recap

Week 12 – “Collaboration” – Mar 25th – Mar 31st
Introduction, The Creative Team, The Creative Team: The Producer, The Creative Team: The Director, The Creative Team: The Screenwriter, The Creative Team: The Cinematographer, The Creative Team: The Production Designer, The Creative Team: The Editor, The Movie Set, The Movie Set: Assistant Director, The Movie Set: Script Supervisor, The Movie Set: Costume Designer, The Movie Set: Makeup Artist, The Movie Set: Assistant Cameraman, The Movie Set: Sound Mixer, The Movie Set: Electric Department, The Movie Set: Grip Department, Discussion 12.1: Collaboration, Shooting and Camera Procedures, Building a Winning Team, Finding Fellow Filmmakers, Quiz 12.1: Collaboration, Resources, Assignment 12: Digital Cinematography, Recap

Music Cognition

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This was a very interesting class that introduced us to the science involved with studying how the brain processes and makes sense of sound. Seeing the kind of work being done in the field of Music Cognition was fascinating, often beyond my full comprehension, yet fascinating, nonetheless.

I was particularly interested in the “Performance Expertise, Improvisation, and Anxiety” lesson. I have done a lot of shows over the years, and before some of them I felt perfectly fine, others I felt somewhat anxious, while some left me completely terrified. The recommendations for coping with Musical Performance Anxiety (MPA) were good reminders of what to do in both the short and long terms.

Suggested short-term strategies:
• Rehearsal
• Positive thinking
• Prayer
• Relaxation techniques
• Using calming substances

Suggested long-term strategies:
• Practicing and developing musical technique
• Talking with classmates, friends, teachers, family
• Relaxation techniques
• Counseling therapy

Thanks to our instructor Professor Bradley Vines for guiding us through this introduction to an incredibly complex area of research.

Here’s what we covered during the twelve weeks of the course.

Week 1 – “Cognitive Psychology and the Neuroscience of Hearing” – Jan 9th – Jan 13th
Introduction, Meet and Greet, Cognitive Psychology: What Is the Nature of Mental Activity?, Music Cognition: What Is Meant by Musical Behaviors?, Processing Stages, Experimental Psychology: Research Methods, Workshop: Vocabulary Review, Part 1, Discussion 1.1: Scientific Investigation, The Human Brain, The Auditory Pathway, Workshop: Vocabulary Review, Part 2, Workshop: Brain Structures, Neural Activity, The Hearing Mechanism, The Cochlea and How Hearing Works, Hair Cells, Workshop: Vocabulary Review, Part 3, Measuring Neural Activity in Humans, Electroencephalograms (EEG) and Event-Related Potentials (ERP), Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), Workshop: Measuring Neural Activity, Discussion 1.2: Musician vs. Nonmusician, Assignment 1: Separating Sense from Nonsense, Recap

Week 2 – “Perception, Part I” – Jan 14th – Jan 20th
Introduction, Physical Correlates of Pitch, Physics of Sound Waves, Harmonics, Partials, and the Fundamental Frequency, Quiz 2.1: Physics of Sound, Theories of Pitch Perception, Virtual Pitch Perception, Absolute Pitch and Amusia, Workshop: Pitch Comparison, Discussion 2.1: Pitch vs. Timbre, Tonality Perception, Foundational Work, Innate Concepts of Tonality, Workshop: Tonality Perception, Timbre Perception, Psychological Correlates of Timbre, Link between Pitch and Timbre, Discussion 2.2: Learning Timbre, Assignment 2: Interpreting a Result Figure, Recap

Week 3 – “Perception, Part II” – Jan 21st – Jan 27th
Introduction, Object Perception: The Gestalt Principles of Organization, The Gestalt Psychologists, Gestalt Principles Important to Audio Grouping, Workshop: Gestalt, Auditory Scene Analysis, The Listening Context: Fission, The Listening Context Examples, Quiz 3.1: Gestalt, Rhythm Perception and the Internal Clock, Internal Rhythms, Rhythm Perception and Neural Oscillation, Workshop: Beat Markers, Rhythm Preferences, Regular vs. Irregular Patterns, Neural Connections for Beat Perception, Workshop: Beat Tapping, Discussion 3.1: Human Evolution, Assignment 3: Skimming a Research Paper, Recap

Week 4 – “Musical Development, Talent, and Creativity” – Jan 28th – Feb 3rd
Introduction, Music and Language, When Speech Becomes Music, Speech Acquisition, Parallels and Differences between Music and Language, Quiz 4.1: Music and Language, Testing Infants, Musical Constraints, Order of Acquisition of Musical Behaviors, Infant- and Child-Directed Songs, Learning Emotion in Music, Workshop: Match Musical Examples to Behavior, Musical Talent, Creativity, Creativity in the Brain, Quiz 4.2: Creativity, Discussion 4.1: Natural Musical Ability, Assignment 4: Follow-up Research, Recap

Week 5 – “Performance Expertise, Improvisation, and Anxiety” – Feb 4th – Feb 10th
Introduction, Musical Performance, Acoustic Correlates of Expressivity, Performers’ Signatures, Quiz 5.1: Performance, Musical Errors and Learning, Transfer of Learning, Musical Practice, Workshop: Experiment, Musical Improvisation, Performance Anxiety, Coping Strategies and Treatments, Quiz 5.2: Improvisation and Anxiety, Discussion 5.1: Show and Tell!, Assignment 5: What Do We Mean By “Good” Improvisation?, Recap

Week 6 – “Evolution and Cross-Cultural Music Cognition” – Feb 11th – Feb 17th, Introduction, The Evolution of Music, Music and Early Social Life, Workshop: Matching Terms: Evolution, Music and Speech, More Commonalities in Music and Language, Quiz 6.1: Music and Speech, Cross-Cultural Musical Behaviors, Intonation Perception, Quiz 6.2: Culture and Intonation, Discussion 6.1: Musical Behaviors, Assignment 6: Research a Language, Recap

Week 7 – “Music and Emotion” – Feb 18th – Feb 24th
Introduction, The Study of Music and Emotion, What Are Emotions?, Emotional vs. Non-Emotional Music, Workshop: Music and Emotion, Mechanisms of Musical Emotion, Workshop: Mechanisms of Musical Emotions, Musical Emotions and Physiology, Why Do We Like Sad Music?, Quiz 7.1: Physiology of Emotion, Discussion 7.1: Musical Performances, Assignment 7: Music and Emotion, Recap

Week 8 – “Music and Memory” – Feb 25th – Mar 3rd
Introduction, What Is Memory?, Localizing Memory, Workshop: Measure Your Memory Skills, Types of Memory Processes, Memory for Music, Workshop: Types of Memory Processes, Experiments in Music Encoding, Valence, Arousal, and Memory Encoding, Surface or Deep Structure Memorization?, Absolute vs. Relative Musical Memory, The Nature of Auditory Working Memory, Quiz 8.1: Experiments in Memory, Musical Imagery: Voluntary and Involuntary, Involuntary Musical Imagery: Earworms, Workshop: Musical Imagery, Discussion 8.1: Musical Memories, Assignment 8: Music and Memory, Recap

Week 9 – “Individual Differences and Music Preferences” – Mar 4th – Mar 10th, Introduction, Developing the Musician’s Brain, Biological Markers of Musicianship, Quiz 9.1: The Musician’s Brain, The Musician’s Brain, Synesthesia, Workshop: Match Sentences, Music Preferences and Personality, Measuring Personality, Correlations between Personality and Music Preferences, Quiz 9.2: Music Preference Dimensions and Musical Genres, Musicians’ Personalities and Career Choices, Discussion 9.1: Do Your Musical Listening Habits Reflect Your Personality Traits?, Assignment 9: Propose a Research Experiment, Recap

Week 10 – “Music Marketing and Branding” – Mar 11th – Mar 17th
Introduction, Background Music, The Work of North and Hargreaves, Workshop: Effects of Background Music, Sonic Branding, Celebrity Endorsements, Workshop: Sonic Branding Review, Multi-Sensory Integration, Sonic Seasoning, Coffee and Music, Ad Music and Cognition, Music’s Impact on Moral Choices, Quiz 10.1: Definitions, Discussion 10.1:, Assignment 10: Best Jingles of All Time, Recap

Week 11 – “Music Therapeutics and Intervention” – Mar 18th – Mar 24th
Introduction, Music Therapy for Neurological Disorders, Stroke Recovery, Melodic Intonation Therapy, Quiz 11.1: Neurologic Music Therapy Review, Music for Well-Being, Pre-Term Infants, Cancer Treatment, Sports Performance, Workshop: Music for Well-Being Review, Music in Communities, Classrooms, Work Songs, Quiz 11.2: Music in Communities Review, Discussion 11.1: Music While You Work, Assignment 11: Music Therapy Interventions, Recap

Week 12 – “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning” – Mar 25th – Mar 31st
Introduction, Machine Learning as a Creative Tool, Workshop: Machine Learning, Musical Metacreation (MuMe), Performing Robots, Workshop: MuMe and Performing Robots, New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME), Ubiquitous Music, Workshop: NIME and Ubiquitous Music, Discussion 12.1: Musebot Music, Reply, Assignment 12: Research and Summarize Findings, Recap