Lesson of the Day: ‘That Music You’re Dancing To? It’s Code’ - The New York Times

Lesson Overview

Featured Article: “That Music You’re Dancing To? It’s Code”

Collectives in cities around the world are bringing computer languages to the club. Students learn about this new approach to music-making and make predictions about how it might shape the future.

Warm Up

Watch the following video, which shows a musician making music by creating code. As you watch, think about the following:

What do you notice?
What do you wonder? What questions do you have?

Do you know how to code? What have you created using computer code?

Questions for Writing and Discussion

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. Describe in your own words what Sonic Pi is and what it does. How has it evolved over time in terms of who uses it and for what purpose?

2. How is using Sonic Pi to create music a different experience from the percussion Melody Loveless composed using traditional means?

3. How does Sonic Pi serve as an inspiration, or a muse, for musicians? Find at least two quotes from the article that demonstrate this.

4. The reporter writes, “That egalitarianism is a crucial part of the algorave ethos.” What does that mean? What examples can you find in the article to support this idea about egalitarianism in code-derived music?

5. How is code compared in the article to other written languages like English or Spanish? What purpose is code mostly used for at present? How is this changing?

Going Further

Have a small group discussion on where you think music is headed. Is “live coding” the future?

Compare the appeal among artists of using a laptop to create code in real time at a performance versus playing already-recorded music, as many D.J.s do, or using instruments, as many bands do. How do you think the experience compares for the audience?

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