Today I decided to use a blog to keep track of my progression of my PhD research but also my other activities involving the PhD. I will have to track back a little because I do not suddenly start with my activities in electronic music but I will try to keep it focussed on the newest developments with maybe a little bit of history if needed. I started my PhD at Huddersfield on the first of april 2014. My supervisor is Pierre Alexandre Tremblay co supervisor is Elisabeth Dobson. Hopefully I will make a big step in developing my artistic insights through the Electrumpet, my overview of the field of electroacoustic music and research, its literature and in knowledge concerning the methodology of teaching live electronics and interaction.

The Electrumpet:
First of all I am the inventor of the Electrumpet. The instrument with which I won the Guthman competition 2013 in Atlanta Georgia. It is a hybrid or augmented instrument. Sensors on the trumpet can control the processing of the sound of the trumpet in the computer. The challenge is to make this control feel natural and thus support its musical use. Not hindered by technical restrains (latency, resolution of the measurements, unnatural handling of the instrument etcetera) it should feel like a new instrument where digital parameters are controlled with the same expression as the acoustic ones. More on my current work on the Electrumpet in other blog posts.

Education:
I am teaching at both the HKU (University of the Arts Utrecht, location Hilversum, school music technology) and at the TUe (Technical University Eindhoven, faculty Industrial Design, theme Playful Interactions). At both universities we teach the electroacoustic use of sound in designs for musical instruments and installations. The artistic methodology developed seems to be promising. We share it with the outside world (NIME for instance) but we miss a scientific / pedagogical / psychological groundwork. Much of our philosophies towards teaching are supported by studies on an ecological approach towards teaching music and improvisation and electroacoustic music. A well organized overview is missing. My own interest then lays within the field of digital and electroacoustic instruments that can be expressively played.