Concentration(s):
- Music | Computer Science – Economics
Music Award(s):
- Muriel Hassenfeld Mann Premium ’20
- Marion Hassenfeld Premium ’19
- Margery MacColl Award ’18
Music Capstone Project:
- Vocal Performance Box
I completed my capstone project as part of Kristina Warren’s class, Building Musical Instruments. As a musician, my focus has always been songwriting and production, however this class has helped me think more deeply about live delivery and the possibilities of vocal performance. Especially in the realm of electronic instruments, there are seemingly no limits.
For my project, I wanted to create an instrument that could enhance my current practices as a performer. Features include vocal looping, stepping through pre-set chords, and adjusting reverb and delay live. The instrument itself connects to a laptop and is mainly supported by Max/MSP, Arduino, and a Teensy board. It’s visual design is meant to resemble a record player because I wanted the produced sound to have a vintage quality. Upon turning the instrument on, you can hear ambient record player crackles.
To demonstrate this instrument, I reimagined an original song that I typically sing accompanied by the ukulele. Turning 3 minutes of music into 11, it was really amazing to transform my song into something completely different using an instrument that I created. I’m excited to use the new skills I’ve gained in Kristina’s class when imagining future performances.
Watch Jamie Atschinow demonstrate the Vocal Performance Box:
[Ezemdi Akalonu < previous senior]
[next senior > Peter Choi]