Interaction design and the active experience of music

Abstract

Music search engines, play list generators, streaming audio, and portable players have taken much of the focus of music technology. The emphasis is on delivery and experiencing music is by playback, playback while jogging or while working about the house, and sadly even while studying. In this talk in the hope of providing an antidote I will examine the role of bodily action in the experience of music and the importance of human computer interaction design in the development of computationally based musical instruments. Central are gestural interfaces and their mapping to musical material. Special emphasis will be given to designing for expression, for exploration and discovery, and to a musical practice that involves a coordinated balance of software development and daily bodily engagement with one's instrument.