Afro-Modern Composition

GR - Graduate

This course uses graphic scoring as a way to compose music for stand-alone sonic work, film, installation, or any other time-based media. Because of the sprawling nature of the material, the course is rooted in an Afro-modernist framework, focusing on reclaiming the appropriation of Afro-diasporic artists and cultures by modernist pioneers of the 20th century. There are three goals for the program: an historical overview of afro-modernism, a practical guide for creating cohesive graphic scores, and an opportunity for the students to showcase their work. The historical overview will primarily be a survey of Afro-diasporic work of the 20th century, with readings on what exactly Afro-modernism is, and its relevance to us in the 21st century. The practical guide for graphic scoring will be based in the formal practice of graphic design, porting over language used for the organization of images and symbols, to a compositional context. The showcase will involve students recording/performing their scores, so that they can leave with documentation of their expanded practice.