Published: Feb. 18, 2020

Computer screen showing a piano keyboard with the computer attached to a breadboard.A series of free workshops designed to help musicians and technologists collaborate were offeredÌýby ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder’s ATLAS Institute during the spring semester.

Held weekly, theÌýMusic Technology Workshop Series was designed to connect thoseÌýinterested in music technology with faculty and students from ATLAS, CMCIÌýand the College of Music,ÌýÌýsaidÌýTorin Hopkins, the workshop coordinator and an ATLAS PhD studentÌýwho researches music interaction and music technology in ProfessorÌýEllen Yi -Luen Do'sÌýACME Lab.ÌýÌý

“The workshops provide a spaceÌýwhere ideas are born, alliances are made, where performances get inspired and people discover what they can really do," he said. "Through these workshops, we hope to empower theÌýnext generation to forge alliances between performers and technologists."

Planned workshop topics included "Connect Music to Neopixels," "Music Software Tools for Teaching and Learning Music,"Ìý"Introduction to Supercollider" and "Creative Instrument Building with Makey Makey".ÌýCOVID-19 interrupted the series midway, but Hopkins says they are committed to continuing the series in the fall semester if it can be done so safely.ÌýÌý

In addition to Hopkins, instructors included Wayne Seltzer, ATLAS technologist-in-residence;ÌýPete Pascente, CTD master's student;ÌýMariana Tamashiro, CTD master's student;ÌýMatt Bethancourt, TAM director and senior instructor;ÌýIan Hales, ATLAS instructor; Hugh Lobel, scholar-in-residence, Critical Media Practices; andÌýSean Winters, CMCI lecturer.

"The real goal is to build a stronger community interested in music technologyÌýby providing a space for people to meet, practice and help each other learn," said Hopkins. "We're bootstrapping a music-tech community."

Hopkins, Seltzer and PascenteÌýpreviously collaborated to createÌýJam StationÌýinÌýDo'sÌý.Ìý Jam Station is a collection of homemade instruments that encourageÌýmusical improvisation among non-musicians.ÌýThe project wasÌýdisplayed at Maker Made 2020 at Boulder Library’s Canyon Gallery, and the workÌýhas been submitted for academic conferences and maker fairs.