Physical Computing for the Performing Arts

Physical Computing for the Performing Arts

Grant:
Faculty Development Fund (FDF)
Academic Year:
2012 - 2013 (June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013)
Funding Requested:
$6,000.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
mdgurev
Overview of the Project:
In the past 10 years, the falling cost and increasing ubiquity of embedded sensing and computing systems have enabled a dramatic rise in artists' ability to design and create exciting new physical means for interacting with computers. In electronic music, for example, audiences do not appreciate watching a performer sitting behind a laptop with their head buried in a screen and gestures restricted to typing and mousing. Consequently, we have seen a recent explosion of new electronic musical instruments incorporating small microcontrollers and sensors that can translate human actions into electronic signals to manipulate sound and graphics. Some of these new devices sometimes take the form of traditional musical instruments, while others, like the Monome and the Yamaha Tenori-on look like futuristic interfaces with touch screens and illuminated button displays. The common underlying goal is to restore the physicality and refined skill to artistic performances with digital systems. Such devices are associated with the burgeoning "Maker" community and the field of "New Interfaces for Musical Expression," whose 2012 international conference is being hosted at the University of Michigan. These technologies and practices have not gone unnoticed by our students, but are not presently represented in the Performing Arts Technology curriculum. The proposed project will facilitate revisions to two courses in the Department of Performing Arts Technology in order to introduce physical computing for the performing arts through an active, experiential approach.
Final Report Fields
Project Objectives:

The main objective was to institute substantial course revisions that introduced physical computing to the curriculum of Performing Arts Technology (PAT) within the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. These revisions aimed to provide students active, experiential learning by engaging them practically, creatively and critically with physical computing. The project was intended to fund the acquisition of new physical computing technologies, which were to be used in an active, primarily project-based curriculum.

Project Achievements:

The project has helped to establish physical computing as a significant component of the Performing Arts Technology department, and has in turn raised the profile of our department within the university. The curriculum in PAT 451/452 has been transformed to fundamentally integrate the tools and technologies of physical computing in applied, creative ways. PAT 451 is now fully enrolled for Fall 2014, and has attracted a number of students from other campus units including Engineering, Architecture and the School of Information. Within the PAT department, the project's effects have spilled over to other courses, with students in PAT 201, PAT 412, and PAT 413 making use of the tools and technologies we have acquired. The embedded computing components, equipment, tools, and supplies have helped to spawn a new workspace in cooperation with the Duderstadt Center, now known as the Electronics Workbench. This space, which now houses some of the equipment acquired through this project, serves not only the PAT 451/452 courses, but is open on a limited basis to students from across the university. Most fundamentally, the project has led to some incredible projects and learning experiences for students. At least 3 student projects have been developed beyond the course and exhibited in concerts and/or art galleries. Several students have continued to refine their practice with these technologies in independent study and senior thesis projects. Student feedback has been uniformly positive and enthusiastic about the project-based approach, and I am convinced that this will be the best way forward in the future.

Continuation:
Some of the tools and equipment acquired through the project are durable and will continue to serve our students physical computing needs for several years, housed in the aforementioned Electronics Workbench. It was found that this project overlapped with a broader need in the Digital Media Commons to increase access to physical computing tools, and therefore the DMC has agreed to continue to support these activities in the future for a broader student population. The revised PAT 451/452 curriculum will remain in place for the foreseeable future, provided that continued funding can be obtained.
Dissemination:
In line with the original project description, the new courses have featured public presentations that have showcased students' projects and achievements with departmental colleagues, as well as students and others from around the university. I have created a blog for the course, http://interactivemediadesignblog.blogspot.com/, which has facilitated communication within course participants and among the wider community. Several student projects have been presented in departmental concerts and exhibitions, and students have brought the skills they have developed in PAT 451/452 to other project-based courses in the PAT department. Several of my colleagues have even asked if I could hold informal workshops on and other embedded computing technologies, which will be scheduled in the future.
Advice to your Colleagues:
The greatest challenge I faced in this project was initial uptake of the revised course by students. Students in our small department generally learn about courses by word-of-mouth, and I think that as a result, the revised curriculum didn't meet the expectations of some, and others simply didn't know what the new courses would entail. Thus, I don't think students fully embraced the new courses until the second year they were offered, but now that everyone in the community is fully aware, they have really caught on. The public showcases of student work have been extremely important in this regard. Past experience taught me that these events would be important for the students in the courses themselves, but I hadn't fully realized the ramifications for the broader community.
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