Applications open Monday, July 22, 2019, for the Music User Experience Design (MUXD) for the fall 2019 and spring 2020 semesters. This is a collaborative experience exploring signal flow, connectivity, musical expression, user interface, and sound and art installation.
The Creative Technologies Lab (CTL) at Berklee is seeking creative, motivated, and skilled alumni, students, staff, and faculty to participate in a six-month musical user experience design project. Under the direction of Berklee faculty, 10 applicants will be chosen to participate in this unique professional development and creative experience. The team will learn from and work with the likes of Moog Music, Roger Linn, and Cycling ‘74. Participants will spend time at Moog’s Synth Wonderland in Asheville, North Carolina, and collaborate on an installation for Moogfest 2020. The experience will conclude with building and executing the installation at Moogfest.
Selected participants will gain:
- A deep arsenal of knowledge and skills through unique professional development opportunities
- Expanded professional network
- Equal credit on the resulting art piece to be added to their body of work
- Up to two elective credits following successful completion of the program (optional; Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee students only)
Who We're Looking For
Ideal candidates should have interests and skills in both technical and creative mediums, as well as a strong work ethic and a desire to push boundaries. These mediums don't necessarily have to be directly related to music. For example, you may be an instrumentalist and a video editor, or a sound designer and a dancer. The combinations are endless; tell us where your skills and interests lie and what makes you unique.
Experience in any of the following areas is a plus: sound design, coding, max programming, music production, engineering, composition, instrument design, multimedia art installation, and music education.
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to all members of the greater Berklee community: students, faculty, staff, and alumni from all campuses (Berklee College of Music; Boston Conservatory at Berklee; Berklee's campus in Valencia, Spain; and Berklee Online).
More information for Students:
- Must be 21 or older to apply
- Must be in good standing at Berklee, both academically and in relation to community standards
- Responsible for completing all coursework for classes missed during travel
More information for Faculty:
- Faculty must have chair approval to participate and are responsible for arranging class coverage during travel. Faculty Development is not able to cover the cost of subs for classes.
Collaborators
Moog Music has a history of making some of the most interactive and engaging installations, showcasing their products in ways that engage the user on multiple levels and senses. Examples of this are the DFAM drum circle and the House of Electronicus. As one of the leading voices in analog synthesis, Moog is a company that is focused on depth, both in tone and in community building.
Roger Linn is an electronic musical instrument designer who has had a massive impact on the music industry. In the 1980s, Linn designed the LinnDrum and the MPC, which were instrumental in the development of hip-hop and many subsequent genres. More recently, Linn designed the Linnstrument, a new instrument powered by multidimensional polyphonic expressive technology (MPE), which pushes the boundaries of MIDI beyond its current specs.
Max for Live, from Cycling ‘74, is a program that allows the digital world to meet the physical one we live in. Through an intuitive and open-ended patching environment, Max will be our key to connecting systems and bringing ideas to fruition.
Project Phases
October 31–November 4, 2019
Five-Day in-Person Experience at Moog’s Synth Wonderland (Asheville, North Carolina)
This immersive, five-day, learning and exploration event includes workshops, shared experiences, music-making, and design sprints. Participants will have the opportunity to work directly with all presenters and other team members.
November 2019–April 2020
Remote Collaboration
Over the course of several months via remote collaboration, the team will work through the development process of what eventually will become an installation at Moogfest 2020, which explores the intersection of technology, musical expression, and experiential learning.
April 15–19, 2020
Moogfest 2020 (Durham, North Carolina)
Team members will reconvene in Durham on Duke’s campus for Moogfest to build and execute the installation as well as take part in all of Moogfest’s programming.
Important Dates
| Applications Open |
July 22 |
| Application Deadline |
September 1 |
| Notifications Sent |
September 9 |
| Deposits Due |
September 15 |
| Moog Synth Wonderland (Asheville, NC) |
October 31–November 4 |
| Remote Collaboration* |
November–April |
| Moogfest 2020 (Durham, NC) |
April 15–19 |
*The team will connect for one hour, twice a month, from November through February, then weekly from March through April. Meetings will be held on Saturday or Sunday afternoons. Attendance at all meetings is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. The Creative Technologies Lab reserves the right to cancel any of these meetings if they don’t seem necessary at any given point in the timeline.
Program Fee and Travel
Program Fee: $500*
The fee includes:
- Five days of programming at Moog’s Synth Wonderland
- Three to five days of building and executing the installation
- General admission to Moogfest 2020 (valued at $300)
Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel to and accommodations in Asheville and Durham, North Carolina. Hotel block information will be provided upon acceptance into the program.
*A limited number of scholarships will be available to current students only.
How to Apply
Applicants must be members of the Berklee community. All students, alumni, faculty, and staff from all campuses (the College, the Conservatory, Berklee Valencia, and Berklee Online) are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be 21 or older to participate.
To apply, please complete the MUXD 2019–2020 Application Form by Sunday, September 1 (11:59 p.m.). Please note that there is a $25 application fee.
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About the Creative Technologies Lab
The Creative Technologies Lab (CTL) is a place for us to innovate, create, and connect on a large scale inside our field of work and all adjacent mediums.
The subtext to everything we do is to create connections between our internal Berklee communities (Berklee College of Music; Boston Conservatory at Berklee; Berklee's campus in Valencia, Spain; Berklee Online; PowerStation at BerkleeNYC; and the faculty, staff, administrative, and alumni communities) and professionals and industry partners outside our community who are doing important, innovative work that needs to be amplified. We make human connections between people across disparate communities through the projects we execute.
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Questions? Please email facultydevelopment@berklee.edu.
