MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2018 Activities by Category - Music

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A Brief History of Kanye

Max Gold

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

Imma let you finish, but this is going to be the best IAP course of all time. In this class, we will discuss the music, life and influence of Kanye West, one of today's most polarizing celebrities. We will journey chronologically through Kanye's life, analyzing his evolution as a person and as an artist; we will cover personal events that impacted Kanye’s music and how his albums and persona influenced hip hop and pop culture. Each class will be split into two halves:

First Half: Discussion of one of Kanye’s albums and specific songs from that album

Second Half: Discussion of important events in music, pop culture, and Kanye’s life that led up to the next album

Whether you love Kanye or just love to hate Kanye, come take a break twice a week and learn more about one of the most influential hip-hop artists of all time.

Classes will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays during IAP (1/9 - 2/1) from 5:00 - 6:00 PM in room 4-370.

If you are interested, please sign up here so you can email updates and so I can get a sense of potential class size https://goo.gl/forms/GGeKXinC6JMacvTc2 .

Contact: Maxwell Gold, MPGOLD@MIT.EDU


An Introduction To Prog Rock

Joe Paradiso, Alexander W. Dreyfoos Prof. in Media Arts & Sciences

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None

Although ‘Prog’ (a.k.a. Progressive) Rock is strongly associated with the iconic British arena bands of the early/mid 1970s, it’s become a thriving international musical phenomenon.  Over the past decades, it has cross-fertilized with many different kinds of music (drawing from classical, jazz, academic, and world music at least as much as rock) and spawned many subgenres, including Rock-in-Opposition, Canterbury, Zeuhl, Space Rock, Krautrock, Symphonic Prog, Mathrock, etc.  In most of its forms, Prog is often known for the extreme virtuosity of its musicians, the complexity of its compositions, quirky and dynamic meters, the use of groundbreaking studio techniques, and the edgy timbres and sounds of its instruments.  Although mostly veiled in cultural obscurity, Prog Rock is now a worldwide phenomenon, with avid musicians, fans, and scenes active in every populated continent.  The Prog scene isn’t ‘retro’ - it works as a musical laboratory that hatches bold new musical ideas that diffuse into the mainstream often many years later  In this lunchtime IAP seminar, I will provide a ‘tasting tour’ through Prog Rock, introducing some of its most fundamental and vital bands while emphasizing, exploring, and celebrating this edgy music as we sample needledrops from essentially every subgenre of Prog hailing from all corners of the globe.  Further info will be posted at http://prog.media.mit.edu

Sponsor(s): Media Arts and Sciences, Music and Theater Arts
Contact: Joseph Paradiso, E14-548P, 617 253-8988, JOEP@MEDIA.MIT.EDU


An Introduction to Prog Rock

Add to Calendar Jan/10 Wed 12:00PM-01:30PM E15-341
Add to Calendar Jan/12 Fri 12:00PM-01:30PM E15-341
Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 12:00PM-01:30PM E15-341
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 12:00PM-01:30PM E15-341
Add to Calendar Jan/19 Fri 12:00PM-01:30PM E15-341
Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 12:00PM-01:30PM E15-341
Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 12:00PM-01:30PM E15-341
Add to Calendar Jan/31 Wed 12:00PM-01:30PM E15-341
Add to Calendar Feb/02 Fri 12:00PM-01:30PM E15-341

1: Intro - Prog's genesis in psychedelia, classic prog, etc.

2; Canterbury

3: Rock in Opposition

4: Zeuhl

5: Space Rock and Neopsychedelia

6: French & Quebecois Prog

7: Rock Progressivo Italiano

8: Germany, Berlin, and Krautrock (perhaps some Scandinavia too)

9: Japanese Prog

Joe Paradiso - Alexander W. Dreyfoos Prof. in Media Arts & Sciences


Appreciating Carnatic Music

Srinivasan Raghuraman

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None

Carnatic Music is a form of Indian Classical Music associated with South India. Unique in several respects, most first-indulgers and curious internet sweepers are likely to feel some or all of the following:

As is the bane of many classical art forms, a little understanding of the how Carnatic Music works would go a long way in actually appreciating it and enjoying it.

In this course, we will study Carnatic Music as an art form. Discussions will include (in no particular order)

and much more. The expectation is that this course equips one with the necessary knowledge and skill set to appreciate and enjoy a Carnatic Music performance today. No prior knowledge in Carnatic Music or any other form of music is expected, only a desire to understand what makes Carnatic Music work.

Jan 23, 24, 25, 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM.

Venue: 4-370.

If you are interested, please fill this form so that I may get a sense of the class size and also email updates: https://goo.gl/wEnjYC

Sponsor(s): SANGAM
Contact: Srinivasan Raghuraman, SRIRAG@MIT.EDU


Appreciating Carnatic Music

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 10:00AM-12:30PM 4-370
Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 10:00AM-12:30PM 4-370
Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 10:00AM-12:30PM 4-370

Srinivasan Raghuraman, Srinivasan Raghuraman


Bell Ringing

Austin Paul

Add to Calendar Jan/27 Sat 02:00PM-05:00PM Church of the Advent, Transportation details to follow (by email)
Add to Calendar Jan/28 Sun 02:00PM-05:00PM Church of the Advent, Transportation details to follow (by email)

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session
Prereq: please rsvp by email in advance

Saturday & Sunday January 27-28, 2-5pm, Come to either day or both. Sign-up by email in advance.

Location: Church of the Advent, Boston. Transportation arrangement details to follow (by email)

 

Come and learn how to ring church bells in the style of English Change Ringing! Pull a rope that swings a bell that weighs half a ton! But don't worry: it doesn't require much strength at all.

Change ringing is a wonderful hobby that involves careful control of the heavy bells to manipulate them into producing the beautiful music of mathematical patterns. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrIDM6Zcr98
http://nagcr.org/pamphlet.html

Email to sign up or find out more.

Sponsor(s): Guild of Bellringers
Contact: Austin, austinjpaul@gmail.com


Biota Beats: Your Musical Microbiome

David Sun Kong, Ph.D., Director, Community Biotechnology Initiative, MIT Media Lab

Enrollment: Please email dkong@mit.edu
Sign-up by 01/15
Limited to 25 participants
Attendance: Preference will be given to individuals able to attend all sessions

What does your microbiome sound like? The Media Lab, in collaboration with EMW Street Bio, a local community bio lab, has developed a hardware-software-wetware interface called BIOTA BEATS. Inspired by the DJ turntable, Biota Beats converts data about microbes from the body into music!

Biota Beats jas been covered in NPR, the Washington Post, and Scientific American, but to take this project to the next level we need YOU!

In this four-day IAP workshop, we will work in teams to design the next generation of Biota Beats. We will explore questions such as: what kinds of data can we gather about an individual's microbiome? How can we effectively visualize and sonify the data? How can we make the process interactive for users?

We are looking for creatives and nerds of all stripes, including biologists, hardware and software hackers, interaction designers, musicians, artists. Each day will feature speakers including experts in the science of the human microbiome, interaction design, and musical performance. Participants will work in teams to develop new concepts for Biota Beats to explore for 2018 and beyond!

To apply please send a short description of yourself, your technical / creative skills, and your interest in the project to dkong@mit.edu, Director of the Community Biotechnology Initiative at the MIT Media Lab.

Sponsor(s): Media Lab
Contact: David Kong, DKONG@MIT.EDU


Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 01:00PM-04:00PM MIT Media Lab
Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 01:00PM-04:00PM MIT Media Lab
Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 01:00PM-04:00PM MIT Media Lab
Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 01:00PM-04:00PM MIT Media Lab

David Sun Kong, Ph.D. - Director, Community Biotechnology Initiative, MIT Media Lab


Esperanto: a journey through music

Francesco Maurelli, World Esperanto Youth Organisation, Vice President

Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 06:00PM-07:00PM 2-147

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Classical, rock, melodic, sca, country, rap... you name it, we show it!

Despite its young age, the musical production in Esperanto has been very vivid, with contributions from all over the world. Don't miss this fun seminar to learn abut music in Esperanto and how young people today uses this simple yet expressive language.

Contact: Francesco Maurelli, 32-230, 415 900-7213, MAURELLI@CSAIL.MIT.EDU


Heavy Metal 101

Joe Diaz, Tushar Swamy

Add to Calendar Jan/08 Mon 06:30PM-08:00PM 4-145
Add to Calendar Jan/12 Fri 06:30PM-08:00PM 4-153
Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 06:30PM-08:00PM 4-145
Add to Calendar Jan/19 Fri 06:30PM-08:00PM 4-153
Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 06:30PM-08:00PM 4-145
Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 06:30PM-08:00PM 4-153
Add to Calendar Jan/29 Mon 06:30PM-08:00PM 4-145
Add to Calendar Feb/02 Fri 06:30PM-08:00PM 4-153

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session

Not a Metallurgy class! This veteran crash-course is coming back in full force and will have you head banging, air guitaring, and devil horn raising in no time! Learn everything you ever wanted to know about Heavy Metal, including how Metallica tries too hard to be cool, why Lemmy IS God (RIP), and why you might already be a metalhead and not even know it. 

 

We'll look at metal cultures, explore the fringes of the most extreme forms of metal, and, of course, listen to some SCREAMING HEAVY METAL! This is guaranteed to be the most BRUTAL class ever offered at MIT! Learn more at metal.mit.edu.

 

WARNING: This series most definitely goes to 11!  Earplugs optional.

Sponsor(s): Music and Theater Arts
Contact: Joe Diaz, josephpdiaz@gmail.com


IAP 2018 MIT Flute Ensemble

Sue-Ellen Hershman-Tcherepnin

Add to Calendar Jan/08 Mon 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Add to Calendar Jan/11 Thu 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Add to Calendar Jan/15 Mon 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Add to Calendar Jan/29 Mon 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162
Date TBD 02:00PM-03:30PM 4-162

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 12/31
Limited to 15 participants
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session
Prereq: Intermediate to advanced performance level, pref. w/ensemble

This course provides an opportunity for flutists to improve their instrumental skills in a traditional, large flute ensemble configuration, while learning and performing interesting music in a wide range of musical styles from the 16th -21st centuries.  Bass flute, alto flutes and piccolos will be made available for students to play. The ensemble may also divide into smaller groupings.

Prereq: Intermediate to advanced performance level, preferably with some previous experience playing in musical ensembles. 

Enrollment: maximum 15 students,  by audition or permission of instructor

Sponsor(s): Music and Theater Arts
Contact: Sue-Ellen Hershman-Tcherepnin, suellen@mit.edu


Intro to Contra Dancing, with Live Folk Music

Prashant Vasudevan, Ann B. Cowan

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

Banjos + group theory + twirling your partner = FUN!

Contra dancing is a high-energy American folk dance, using easy walking steps, set to exciting, LIVE folk music from New England, Ireland, and Quebec. Dance with a partner and other couples, then change partners. A caller teaches the sequence of moves and prompts you during the dance, making it accessible to all. No experience necessary!

Free snacks will be provided. Come alone or bring friends! Website lists Tuesdays later in semester.

Sponsor(s): Folk Dance Club
Contact: MIT Folk Dance Club, fdc@mit.edu


Live folk music: Alex Cumming & Friends

Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 08:00PM-10:30PM W20 SalaDePuertoRico

Live folk music: Ishmael the Fiddler &c

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 08:00PM-10:30PM Student Ctr 491

Introduction to the Harpsichord for Pianists and Organists

Jean Rife, Lecturer in Music

Add to Calendar Jan/08 Mon 11:00AM-01:00PM Killian Hall
Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 11:00AM-01:00PM Killian Hall
Add to Calendar Jan/10 Wed 11:00AM-01:00PM Killian Hall
Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 11:00AM-01:00PM Killian Hall
Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 11:00AM-01:00PM Killian Hall
Date TBD 11:00AM-01:00PM Killian Hall
Date TBD 11:00AM-01:00PM Killian Hall
Date TBD 11:00AM-01:00PM Killian Hall
Date TBD 11:00AM-01:00PM Killian Hall
Date TBD 11:00AM-01:00PM Killian Hall

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 12/10
Limited to 8 participants
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session
Prereq: Please contact and meet instructor by December 10th.

In this class, you will 

-see and play the three different harpsichords on campus
-take a trip to an extensive private collection in Harvard Square
-compare and contrast harpsichord technique with piano technique to achieve the most beautiful sound
-play early music literature on instruments much more suited to that music than is the piano
-perform, study, and hear harpsichord music by the English Virginalists and the court musicians of Louis XIV
-perform and hear early Italian, Spanish music for harpsichord
-perform, study, and hear harpsichord music by Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Couperin, Rameau
-study and experience Basso Continuo playing
-become familiar with the inner workings of these beautiful instruments.

 

Limited to eight performing participants.  Please contact and meet with the instructor before December 10 in order to agree on the literature you will be playing over the course of the two weeks.  You will be expected to practice this music on piano, harpsichord, electronic keyboard or organ before the beginning of the class.

 

Sponsor(s): Music and Theater Arts
Contact: Jean Rife, 10-273, (617) 253-4964, jeanrife@mit.edu


Irish Traditional Music Session

Rosanne Santucci, Kevin May

Add to Calendar Jan/30 Tue 07:00PM-09:00PM 4-145

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Boston is famous for being one of the great centers of Irish traditional music outside Ireland, with pub sessions nearly every night of the week where musicians gather to play and sing. The instrumental music consists primarily of dance tunes (reels, jigs, etc.), simple melodies that come alive through ornamentation, variation, and unique phrasing. This session is an opportunity for musicians to play tunes in a relaxed, informal setting. We’ll learn a tune together in the first half, which is geared towards people with little or no experience in playing Irish music, while the second half will be uptempo for more seasoned session players. Although some sheet music and alternate notation will be provided, the best way to learn is to listen, since this is an aural tradition (and besides, there’s no room for music stands in pubs!).

Prerequisites: Basic proficiency in any of the following: flute, violin, whistle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, accordion, concertina, uilleann pipes, harp, bodhrán, or related instruments.

Contact: Rosanne Santucci, santucci@mit.edu


Learn to Square Dance

Veronica Boyce

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 08:00PM-10:30PM Lobdell (W20)

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Come to the Tech Squares Beginners' Night and get a taste of modern Square Dancing. At Tech Squares, the square and round dance club of MIT, we dance fast, we dance smart, and we have lots of fun! No previous dance experience or knowledge necessary.

Sponsor(s): Tech Squares
Contact: Veronica Boyce, 650 933 0841, squares@mit.edu


Lindy Hop Swing Dancing Lessons

Lindy Hop Society

Add to Calendar Jan/10 Wed 07:30PM-09:00PM W20-208 Lobdell
Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 07:30PM-09:00PM W20-202 Sala
Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 07:30PM-09:00PM Walker Memorial
Add to Calendar Jan/31 Wed 07:30PM-09:00PM W20-208 Lobdell

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session

Learn to Lindy Hop!  Lindy Hop is very popular form of swing dance done to jazz music, with emphasis on musicality and improvisation.  This class is open to beginners, no previous dance experience required, and you do not need to come with a partner.  After the lesson will be an open dance for practice.

Contact: Lindy Hop Society, swing@mit.edu


Mathematics Department Music Recital

Gweneth McKinley

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/17
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

We would like to invite you to *perform* in this year's Mathematics IAP recital. Please join us for a cozy afternoon of wonderful music at the end of winter break. All genres, compositions, and ensemble sizes are welcome!

If you decide that this is in your future, please email me by next Wednesday (January 17th), and let me know:

- the instruments
- the title, composer, and approximate duration of the piece(s)
- any specific needs (microphones, outlets, page turners, etc.)

There will be a rehearsal/sound check in Room 2-470 on Monday, January 29th from 3-7pm.
 

For all inquiries please feel free to contact me!


Sponsor(s): Mathematics
Contact: Gweneth McKinley, 2-155, gweneth@mit.edu


Music Recital

Add to Calendar Jan/29 Mon 03:00PM-07:00PM 2-470, REQUIRED Rehearsal
Add to Calendar Jan/31 Wed 03:30PM-05:30PM 2-470, Recital

Contact me for all inquiries!





Gweneth McKinley


MIT Marching Band Open Rehearsal

Nicholas Liotta, Marching Band President

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

Want to play your musical instrument in a fun, low-pressure, low-commitment setting?  Have you ever wanted to try out a brass, woodwind or percussion instrument that you just never had the time to learn, or couldn’t afford to buy?  Or maybe you know how to play one but are out of practice?

If you fall into any of these categories, we want you at the MIT Marching Band's Open Rehearsals!  On Thursdays at 8pm over IAP, we’ll be holding open rehearsals geared specifically towards new members and beginners on new instruments.  We meet at the storage area in W20-423 on the 4th floor of the student center (far west side).

The goal is to have lots of fun and try new things, so mistakes will be expected and encouraged, not judged.  We’re first and foremostly a really welcoming, silly and gregarious group, so no matter what your skill level is, we’ll be very happy you’re there.  We have a large array of instruments for people to try—trumpets, trombones, mellophones (marching French horns), baritones, sousaphones (marching tubas), flutes, clarinets, saxophones, quad drums, a large bass drum and more.

If any of this interests you contact the band at marching@mit.edu, or just show up at 8pm at W20-423!  You can also visit our new Facebook page or our webpage at http://web.mit.edu/marching-band/www/index.html for more information.

 

Contact: MIT Marching Band, W20-423, marching@mit.edu


MIT Marching Band Open Rehearsal

Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 08:00PM-09:00PM W20-423
Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 08:00PM-09:00PM W20-423

Old-Time String Band Jam

Prashant Vasudevan

Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 06:30PM-07:45PM W20 SalaDePuertoRico
Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 06:30PM-07:45PM W20 Lobdell
Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 06:30PM-07:45PM W20-491 (4th floor)
Add to Calendar Jan/30 Tue 06:30PM-07:45PM W20 PDR1+2 (3rd fl)

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: basic knowledge of a string instrument

If you play or if you just like to listen to traditional music played on fiddle, banjo, and guitar, come to the IAP Old-Time Music Jam!

Before radio and before bluegrass, fiddles, banjos and guitars were being played throughout Appalaichia and in the Southeastern states by people gathered on front porches and in dance halls to make their own fun. These people passed on an enduring repertoire of tunes and a musical style which is still alive and well.

Today players from all over the U.S. gather regularly to "jam," playing old and newly composed tunes in the style now referred to as old-time Southern string-band music.

Some simple tunes will be taught by ear. Come join us!

Contact: MIT Folk Dance Club, fdc@mit.edu


Pick-up Handbell Choir

Austin Paul

Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 07:30PM-10:00PM 5-232, 5-233
Add to Calendar Jan/29 Mon 07:30PM-10:00PM 5-232, 5-233

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session
Prereq: None

All optional for everyone (the non-commitment option)


Join the MIT Guild of Bellringers for some handbell fun!

No prior experience necessary.

Whether you're a handbell expert, or have never even seen a bell but want to make music with others, come join us.
Ability to read music preferable, but you by no means need to be an expert sight-reader.

Even if you can't read music, we also ring bells in the style of English Change Ringing. We can teach you everything and then some.

 

Sponsor(s): Guild of Bellringers
Contact: Austin, austinjpaul@gmail.com


Pleasures of Poetry 2018

Noel Jackson, Associate Professor of Literature

Add to Calendar Jan/08 Mon 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417, NOTE LOCATION CHANGE
Add to Calendar Jan/10 Wed 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/11 Thu 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/12 Fri 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/19 Fri 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/29 Mon 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/30 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Jan/31 Wed 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304
Add to Calendar Feb/02 Fri 01:00PM-02:00PM 14E-304

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session

This popular activity – which aims to reach all lovers of poetry – has been offered every IAP for the last twenty years.  Each one-hour session is devoted to a single poet, usually a single poem.  The goal is discussion and shared pleasure.  No lectures or professorial arrogance allowed. Some participants attend every session, but many others attend only once or twice to read and discuss a favorite poet or poem.  The roster of poets is always immensely diverse: from ancient Chinese masters to contemporary American poets laureate, from such famous Greats as Shakespeare, Keats, and Auden to Dr. Seuss and Bob Dylan.  Discussion and collaborative close reading are the aim and ideal of each hour.

Visit lit.mit.edu for more details

Sponsor(s): Literature
Contact: Chloe Jones, 14N-407, 617 258-5629, CJJONES@MIT.EDU


The Game Of Music

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/10
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

To All Solution-Seeking Labbers,

Classical music has a hard time reaching audiences outside its core demographic. Many people are intimidated by its culture, or think it’s ‘not for them’ (despite enjoying it in films, commercials, and TV shows). Orchestras need to find new ways to connect to new audiences, making use of new technology – the tech they’re already using, notably their phones, and the forms they are engaging with, including gaming.

Media Lab Director's Fellows Sheila Hayman and Colleen Macklin have a possible solution: a geo-location video/mobile game that will bring players into this music without obviously ‘teaching’, and encourage active listening.

In collaboration with the Parsons School of Design in New York, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) in London, and the Media Lab, we are hosting a 2-day hack-a-thon at the Media Lab to explore new ideas and technologies, and help the classical music industry connect with its audiences in new ways.

Dates: January 19-21, 2018 (detailed schedule tbd)

Location: Media Lab, E14-240

 

Areas of exploration and expertise:

Story-telling

Game Design & coding

Music/sound exploration

AR

Urban environment

If you are interested in participating:

- Please talk to your PI/Supervisor and get their approval

- Fill out this form

- Application deadline: JANUARY 10, 2018

Sponsor(s): Media Lab
Contact: Shanice Thompson, shanicet@media.mit.edu


Trial by Jury, a one-act comic opera

Isaac Metcalf

Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 08:00PM-08:45PM Mezz Lounge W20 3 fl
Add to Calendar Jan/27 Sat 08:00PM-08:45PM Mezz Lounge W20 3 fl
Add to Calendar Jan/28 Sun 02:00PM-02:45PM Mezz Lounge W20 3 fl

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session

A performance of Gilbert and Sullivan Players' IAP comic opera Trial by Jury.

Trial By Jury is a one-act satire on love and the law. The lovely Angelina is suing her former flame, Edwin, for breach of promise of marriage. The trial quickly gets out of hand, and it's left to The Learned Judge to find a solution that will satisfy both parties. Gilbert and Sullivan's second collaboration, it features all the wit, social commentary, and musical artistry for which the two would later become famous.

Free admission!

Sponsor(s): Gilbert and Sullivan Players
Contact: Gilbert and Sullivan Players, gsp-ec@mit.edu


WMBR New Member Orientation

Lauren Clamon, WMBR Membership Director, Hector Iglesias, WMBR Membership Director

Add to Calendar Jan/30 Tue 06:00PM-07:00PM WMBR 50-030

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: MIT affiliation (student/staff/etc)

Attend a new member orientation to become a member of WMBR and be able to host your own radio show in the spring! WMBR is MIT's campus FM radio station. We welcome all types of shows, including music, poetry, comedy or just chatting on the air, as well as anyone interested in the technical and/or production sides of radio.

Open to MIT affiliates only. Students are especially encouraged to attend! Email membership-director@wmbr.org with any questions.

Sponsor(s): WMBR Radio
Contact: Lauren Clamon & Hector Iglesias, 50-030, membership-director@wmbr.org


WMBR Open Radio Shows

Caitlin Fischer, WMBR General Manager, Nicolas Amato, WMBR DJ

Add to Calendar Jan/19 Fri 07:30PM-09:00PM WMBR (50-030)
Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 07:30PM-09:00PM WMBR (50-030)

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

Ever wanted to be on the radio? WMBR 88.1FM is MIT's campus radio station. Drop by during one of our IAP Open Radio Shows to play your music, chat on the air, browse our record library and see what college radio is like!

The events will begin with some time for preparation and getting to know the station from 7:30-8pm. The actual broadcasts will run from 8-9pm. Feel free to join at any time! Food will be provided.

Open to MIT affiliates only.

Sponsor(s): WMBR Radio
Contact: Nicolas Amato, 50-030, 617-263-8810, ntga@mit.edu


WMBR Presents: Live on the Air

Natalia Guerrero

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Attendance: Participants should attend the first week and at least one additional week

A firehose of everything that goes into making creative radio: drama, music, storytelling, listener interactions, found sound, and digital and analog technical magic. Whether you're an old-time pro or a total beginner, this four-week workshop turns MIT's own FM radio station, WMBR, into a radio "makerspace." In the first week, try out the tools and techniques of making segments for radio: writing, performance, sound engineering, sound editing. Whatever we make each week, we broadcast on the radio on Friday night during the Voice Box timeslot in a 1-hour live radio performance based on the format of past WMBR radio project, Charles River Variety. Come one, come all, and explore the magic of making radio! More details at www.wmbr.org/iap

Sponsor(s): WMBR Radio
Contact: Natalia Guerrero, 50-030, 617-253-8810, nmg@mit.edu


Tute 1: How to People

Add to Calendar Jan/08 Mon 07:00PM-09:00PM 50-030, Bring yourself!

Highly recommended to attend: get a tour of MIT's own FM radio station, WMBR, and meet other people in the MIT community interested in making radio. Find others with shared interests, sign up to learn a new skill, and find collaborators for your radio projects!

Natalia Guerrero


Tute 2: How to Writing

Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 07:00PM-08:00PM 50-030

Brainstorm and write clear and compelling stories for radio, everything from found-text oulipian poetry to multi-episode space opera, based on the technique developed for past WMBR radio experiment, Charles River Variety.

Natalia Guerrero


Tute 3: How to Performance

Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 08:00PM-09:00PM 50-030

Learn from (lightly) seasoned radio performers and musicians the challenges and adventures in performing for an audience of ears!

Natalia Guerrero


Tute 4: How to Editing

Add to Calendar Jan/10 Wed 07:00PM-09:00PM 4-163, Laptop recommended

LOCATION CHANGE: NOW IN 4-163 Musical melanges and aural hodgepodges tickle your fancy? Experiment with sound samples, text, and effects to create sound art for a radio audience! 

Optional: Download the Ableton Live demo in advance from https://www.ableton.com/en/trial/

Natalia Guerrero


Production Work Party

Add to Calendar Jan/11 Thu 03:00PM-07:00PM 50-030
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 03:00PM-07:00PM 50-030
Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 03:00PM-07:00PM 50-030
Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 03:00PM-07:00PM 50-030

The eve of preparation! Time, space, and opportunity for workshop participants and instructors to write, rehearse, record and otherwise prepare radio segments for the 1-hour performance Friday night!

Craig Thorburn, Natalia Guerrero


Tute 5: How to Sound Equipment

Add to Calendar Jan/11 Thu 07:00PM-09:00PM 50-030

Make sounds sound good! Learn how to use a soundboard and mics to set up for a live soundcheck or recording session in WMBR's A Studio for a band or group of performers.

Craig Thorburn


Radio Drama 180!

Add to Calendar Jan/12 Fri 07:00PM-11:55PM 50-030

Let's write, rehearse, and produce an 18-minute radio drama in 180 minutes! With live updates being broadcast over WMBR's airwaves as the progress progresses, we embark on the ultimate test of creative radio mettle! Setup is at 7pm with the clock starting at 8pm and the big finale at 11:00 sharp!

Craig Thorburn, Natalia Guerrero


Creative Radio Office Hours

Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 07:00PM-09:00PM 66-154
Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 07:00PM-09:00PM 66-154
Add to Calendar Jan/30 Tue 07:00PM-09:00PM 66-154

Although part of the fun of live creative radio is throwing things together at the last minute, it's kind of of nice to have things planned in advance. Find collaborators for your next project, get help from an instructor, or get a head start on this week's experiment at our Tuesday office hours! 

Natalia Guerrero, Craig Thorburn


LET'S PUT SOMETHING ON THE RADIO

Add to Calendar Jan/19 Fri 06:00PM-11:00PM 50-030
Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 06:00PM-11:00PM 50-030
Add to Calendar Feb/02 Fri 06:00PM-11:00PM 50-030

Once more into the breach! Enter the frenzy of preparation from 6p-8p, then sound check from 8p-9p, for a brand-new live radio performance 9p-10p on 88.1 WMBR (the usual Voice Box time slot). 10-11p, bask in the post-show euphoria and clean up, then immediately start brainstorming for next week!

Natalia Guerrero, Craig Thorburn