Constructing Music Musical Explorations in Creative Coding

"Nakra presents a wonderful conception-that the building blocks of music theory and computational thinking can be (and should be!) learned in tandem. Using Max/MSP as the programming language, Nakra guides the reader through clear tutorials, grounded explanations, and easily digestible examples of musical structures, algorithms, and the mathematical reasoning that binds them together." -- Eran Egozy, co-founder of Harmonix (creators of Guitar Hero and Rock Band); Professor of the Practice in Music Technology, MIT "Some of today's top conservatory students are also coders and competent programmers without any qualms about digital media, embracing science and technology with ease. As Youngmoo Kim states in the Foreword, we are overdue for such a book as Constructing Music, catching up to today's music making and beyond. In this book, Teresa M. Nakra ushers in the exciting new era of more technology-inclusive pedagogy." -- Mari Kimura, Professor of Music, University of California, Irvine "It is high time our music theory pedagogy was re-evaluated to be broader and more inclusive, and to better serve the needs of the next generation of talented young musicians. Teresa M. Nakra sets out an eye-opening new approach to teaching, learning, and understanding the human fundamentals of music, and it deserves to be on the desk of every music teacher and student" -- Thomas Dolby, author of The Speed of Sound: Breaking the Barriers between Music and Technology "Teresa M. Nakra's Constructing Music presents an innovative approach to music theory instruction by substituting traditional Western notation with principles of computer programming. Through illustrative examples, the book guides learners in studying and making music using Max, advancing from basic to complex structures. Nakra's fusion of music theory and programming offers a fresh perspective, encouraging lateral thinking and creative exploration. By bridging object-oriented programming in Max with music theory, the book provides an inclusive approach to music education, empowering students to engage deeply with music through technology." -- Jorge Variego, Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction