Some excellent music apps offer innovative digital musical instruments to the users. The ’App Music’ seminar will be a composition and sound workshop in the form of an experimental laboratory; a creative space to explore music and make new discoveries. Participants will investigate perspectives and potential of “app music” through a collective ‘learning by doing’ approach. Enthusiasts, experts and interested parties from all backgrounds are therefore invited to participate in the collaborative investigation of and experimentation with new music, sound and performance. A range of different sounds and musical compositions will be developed in groups and discussed within the context of the workshop.

1. Website URL: http://www.udk-
berlin.de/sites/sommerkurse/content/artistic_courses_2013/music/mobile_music_making/index_eng.html
App Music: Mobile Music Making
With Matthias Krebs
July 29th
– August 2nd
, 2013
For quite a while now, making music with apps on smartphones and
tablets has been more than simply a novelty. Some excellent music apps
offer innovative digital musical instruments to the users. The production of
digital music has also started to change: These apps already allow the
creation of remarkable musical results, as demonstrated by the first
serious album productions (e.g. “The Fall” by Gorillaz) and professional
stage performances (e.g. by Jordan Rudess or the DigiEnsemble Berlin).
The ’App Music’ seminar will be a composition and sound workshop in the
form of an experimental laboratory; a creative space to explore music and
make new discoveries. Participants will investigate perspectives and
potential of “app music” through a collective ‘learning by doing’ approach.
Enthusiasts, experts and interested parties from all backgrounds are
therefore invited to participate in the collaborative investigation of and
experimentation with new music, sound and performance. A range of
different sounds and musical compositions will be developed in groups and
discussed within the context of the workshop. Results of the interactive
creative activities will be presented in a public performance at the c-base.
The workshop will begin with an overview of the different music apps,
platforms, devices and interfaces. Project groups will organically develop
performances, productions and/or composition pieces over the course of
the following days. Additionally, a joint rehearsal with the musicians of the
DigiEnsemble Berlin is planed. The (partial) results will be presented in the
workshop by the end of the last day. The last two days will be used to
prepare the final performance.
Possible open questions to be explored in the course of the
workshop:
• Which musical forms, fields of application and performing practices can
be shaped by music apps?
• What possibilities are offered by mobile sensor controlled devices (such
as smartphones and tablets) for music production and for future use as
musical instruments?
• Can you express emotion and meaning with mobile music apps?

2. Website URL: http://www.udk-
berlin.de/sites/sommerkurse/content/artistic_courses_2013/music/mobile_music_making/index_eng.html
Participants
The workshop is aimed at enthusiasts, musicians, sound artists and music
technologists, but is fundamentally open to all who are attracted by
making music with digital sensor controlled devices. This is a workshop for
those who are seeking an interactive exchange with others with regard to
new musical forms, new technology and innovative expressive methods of
sound making, performance and collaboration. Interested parties of all
disciplines are encouraged to participate; diverse and varied backgrounds
often bring valuable eclectic elements into the collaborative mix.
The workshop is also relevant for composers and creative individuals (for
instance from the field of marketing/media production), who are keen on
creating film material and background music for media productions.
Participants may certainly play their own devices during the workshop,
however a large and varied supply of additional devices, peripheral
equipment and amplifiers will also be provided. All participants (veteran
app-musicians included!) are encouraged to mix, match, integrate,
collaborate and experiment with a multitude of devices during the course.
One of the goals of the workshop is to make new discoveries and explore
interesting new combinations of devices and apps.
Matthias Krebs is a professional app musician, physicist, opera singer
and music educator. For many years now, he has also been active in
theater production as a sound artist and composer. He founded the
DigiEnsemble Berlin at the Berlin Career College in 2010. Today it is the
first professional music ensemble that regularly performs mobile music on
physical stages. Krebs also delves into the field of mobile music making in
his blog as well as in several music article publications and his current
dissertation. Additionally he has recently published a browsable online
slideshow on “android as a music creation platform.”
(http://de.slideshare.net/MatzeRak/androidmusicmakingapps-2013)
date: July 29th-August 2nd 2013
place: UdK Berlin, Bundesallee 1-12
fee: 400 € (from June 10th 2013: 420 €)
No. of participants: 12 to 15
language: English
application deadline: July 1st 2013
Online registration: www.udk-berlin.de/summer-courses