jmte 15 (1) pp.

57–74 Intellect Limited 2023

Journal of Music, Technology & Education

Volume 15 Number 1
© 2023 Intellect Ltd Article. English language. https://doi.org/10.1386/jmte_00046_1
Received 22 May 2022; Accepted 16 March 2023

ELLIOT SIMPSON
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

JORGE GRUNDMAN
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

‘Animated Sound’: An
application of digital
technologies and open
scores in interdisciplinary
collaboration and education
ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
We describe a collaborative project carried out with an ensemble of amateur digital animation
adult musicians in which a participant created a composition derived from her community music
background as an animator in conjunction with the appropriation of interface music composition
elements used in digital animation software. Conceived of during the 2020 quar- experimental music
antine for online performance with an undefined instrumentation of acoustic digital scores
and electronic sound sources, subsequent versions have been created for film sound and image
soundtracks, ensemble concerts, live-scoring/coding audio-visual presentations values
and solo performances. These diverse realizations are analysed through two
frameworks. The first, adapted from an analysis of the embodiment of values
in digital games, indicates that the community-oriented values present in early
ensemble versions are replaced by more typical aesthetic values, such as complex-
ity and virtuosity, as the work evolves from one realization to another. The

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addition of notational and technical elements presupposing conventional musical

training results in a particularly profound shift in the perceived nature of the
composition. The second framework addresses this divergence in embodied values
by expanding the role of the instructor/facilitator in educational and socially
engaged practices, situating artistic control and outcomes alongside functions of
learning and inclusivity.

INTRODUCTION
The boundaries between experimental music, digital technologies and educa-
tion are rich in possibilities for new musical forms and experiences. Open
scores, a term that we are using to refer to works in which the composer
explicitly leaves undetermined one or more fundamental musical parame-
ters, create a space for adaptability and inclusivity that overlaps with many
practices of education and community music. Digital technologies can prove
uniquely effective as mediators within this space, serving as instruments,
notations and interfaces. In the case study presented in this article we describe
the realization of a compositional project situated at this point of convergence,
concluding in five versions of the work demonstrating contrasting approaches
to a common process and material. This specific project was chosen as a case
study because the participatory approach and artistic realizations described
make uniquely apparent the powerful potential influences of the disciplines
of experimental music, technology and education upon one another, as well
as the remarkable range of creative and pedagogical outcomes that can result
from their synergy. We draw from two frameworks for analysis of the differ-
ent versions. The first, a framework constructed to examine the embodiment
of values in digital games, suggests that the project highlights certain values
through specific elements of its realizations. As the composition evolves from
version to version, the constellation of values indicated seems to change as
well. The second framework, adapted from a discussion of the relationship
between facilitator and participants in socially engaged practices, provides
a basis for discussing aesthetic outcomes which appear to diverge from the
values embodied by the project while at the same time existing as manifesta-
tions of it.

BACKGROUND
The project presented in this article emerged out of a course on experimental
music offered for amateur adult musicians, directed by guitarist Elliot Simpson
and hosted jointly by the Escuela Municipal de Música y Danza María Dolores
Pradera and the American Space Madrid (supported by the International
Institute and the US Embassy). Much of the course was spent discussing
and performing historical examples of experimental music, including works
by Cage, Wolff, Cardew, Oliveros and Fluxus artists, alongside compositions
by more contemporary composers. In this repertoire we can find a diverse
assortment of works that do not presuppose a background in music notation
or instrumental technique, and in which undetermined musical parameters
permit realizations in contexts where resources of time, space and instru-
ments are limited. Importantly, the participants themselves were encouraged
to begin composing for the group. As a starting point, the instructor suggested
that they consider elements of their own hobbies and professions that could
be interpreted or sonified in a meaningful way. This use of experimental and

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 ‘Animated Sound’

sound-based music in practice-based learning approaches builds upon stud-

ies by Peter J. Woods (2019), David Holland (2015), Adam Tinkle (2015) and
Javier María López Rodríguez (2008), all of which highlight the possibili-
ties suggested by the prioritization of process, participation and sound over
conventional notation and technique in projects with young musicians rang-
ing from primary school to university ages.
The broader educational project has spanned a spectrum of learn-
ing processes (Veblen 2018). It began in a formal context as a pre-planned
course with a larger group of amateur and novice musicians running over
an academic semester. A balance was struck between theory and practice by
incorporating the performance of works related to topics discussed. Following
the completion of the first semester, and with continued interest expressed by
participants, a second semester was approved. Many participants commented
that they particularly enjoyed the performance aspect of the group, and it
was collectively decided to turn the class into a directed ensemble, still with
a curated repertoire, but one in which ensemble members could also propose
pieces and have input into the organization of projects and performances.
This nonformal approach continued through the 2020 quarantine period with
weekly online sessions.
At the beginning of the 2020–21 academic year, as in-person activities
resumed, funding for the class was discontinued, although facilities were
still offered. At this point activities transitioned into an informal learning
format, where participants had complete control over the direction of their
own activities. The instructor transitioned into the role of artist-facilitator, now
participating as a member of the self-directed ensemble – a role familiar to
community music practitioners.
Technology was overtly present at every stage of the activity. Many partic-
ipants in the initial classroom sessions who did not have access to typi-
cal musical instruments used electronic devices as sound sources, including
mobile phones, portable synthesizers or laptops running programmes for the
generation, manipulation or playback of audio. The change to online activities
obviously brought with it an even greater focus and dependence on technol-
ogy. With this change came new aesthetic concerns and potential, and the
possibility to incorporate members who could otherwise not have attended
in-person sessions. As demonstrated by the following example, technology
has continued to be a crucial tool for creating and interpreting compositions.

ANIMATING SOUND
The case study at hand features a series of pieces with the title ‘Animated
Sound’, composed by a member of the ensemble – Mandy Toderian – who has
spent her career working in digital animation studios. Versions of the compo-
sition were workshopped in close collaboration with another four members of
the group. Toderian is an intermediate-level guitarist, while the other members
have backgrounds in electronic music, but without formal music education.
Toderian had noticed similarities between the f-curve graphs (see Figure 1)
used to control movement in animated characters, and examples of graphic
scores that the group had performed. Similar in appearance and function to
envelope interfaces commonly seen in digital audio workstations, f-curves
control the multidimensional parametric morphology of movements and
are dictated by key frame points and rules for interpolation between them.
Toderian proposed using these graphs as notational material, while at the

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same time potentially emphasizing the relation to the visual element derived
from the same information. Modern digital animation software itself plays an
important role in the pieces. Animation programmes are capable of interpo-
lating and automating actions, including compressing key frame information,
modelling physics and mechanizing movements. These features are deeply
embedded in the workflows and muscle memory of professionals in the field.
In Toderian’s words, animators ‘attempt to imbue an inanimate object
with personality and character, giving it the perception of having a life of
its own’ (2022: 1). She has found that subtle visual cues are the most effec-
tive, necessitating complex and carefully controlled manipulation of even the
smallest of movements. The physical actions utilized in various versions of
the piece – breathing, heart beats, eye blinks, eye movements and noncon-
scious micro-movements of the body – are what Toderian uses to make an
animated character appear alive, even while seemingly motionless on-screen.
While we are normally unaware of these actions in our own bodies, the
composition asks interpreters to become profoundly conscious of them by
using them as cues to make sounds. Each interpreter produces their sounds
following these natural rhythms, and in accordance with the intensity defined
by a corresponding f-curve. Intensity can refer to a number of parameters, as
understood by the interpreter. The score explicitly mentions pitch, volume,
duration/articulation, sound quality and mood, but leaves open the possibil-
ity of further parameters. The curves created for each action are indicative of
f-curves that would be used for the animation of the same action, although in
some cases expanded in time.
The curves are filtered through an interpreter’s own corporeal cues: if a
change in a curve for an eye blink, for example, does not coincide with the
eye blink of the performer, that change will likely pass unreflected. Also
mentioned in the instructions are the possibility of doubling performers on
parts, not including all curves in a performance or changing mid-performance
from one action/curve to another. The undefined instrumentation implies flex-
ibility in the organization of concerts well beyond that of adaptation to diverse
capabilities of individual performers, suggesting potential realizations ranging
from typical concert environments with potentially large ensembles to solo
versions in any number of more or less formal contexts. In some versions, the
animator is incorporated as an onstage member of the ensemble. In others,
score material is pre-generated, meaning that the animator does not need to
be present for a performance. The visual output, manipulated as a by-product
of the scoring process, is also optional, and its presence or absence substan-
tially changes the audience’s experience of the composition.
Each corporeal action, as a compositional mechanism, suggests differ-
ent sonic characteristics. The heartbeat is regular, with slight and gradual
variations. The sound itself is quite short, producing a rhythmic foundation.
Breathing also produces mostly stable rhythms, although the sonic embodi-
ment, which is performed alongside each exhalation, has a much longer
envelope to it. With eye blinks, sounds become less predictable, both in rhyth-
mic occurrence and, potentially, duration; at one point the score mentions: ‘If
you so choose, you may also close [your eyes] and play the sound’ (Toderian
2022: 2). The sounds produced by nonconscious micro-movements are the
least predictable and most varied in duration. The sources of all sounds are
left undefined. In rehearsals and recordings the group used acoustic instru-
ments, including guitar, violin, cello and piano, alongside electronic sources
(analogue oscillators, keyboards, digital sources, field recordings and mobile

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 ‘Animated Sound’

phones) and found objects (kitchen appliances, empty bottles, dial tones and
hairdryers).

FRAMEWORKS FOR ANALYSIS

As an initial framework for analysis of five versions of the composition we
will turn to the game elements described by Mary Flanagan and Helen
Nissenbaum in their book Values at Play in Digital Games (2014). Although
at first glance it may seem like a strange choice, similarities abound between
rule-based systems created for games and those devised in musical composi-
tion, and game design is increasingly and overtly embraced as a compositional
approach (Ciciliani 2020; Turowksi 2016). The digital aspect of ‘Animated
Sound’ further emphasizes parallels to contemporary gaming. As Craig Vear
notes,

the basis of any music interaction with the digital score can be under-
stood through the interplay between the musician and the agents,
objects and fields that are co-present within the shared music-space.
This interplay has much in common with game play immersion and
human-computer interaction.
(2019: 203)

The interfaces and performative contexts of ‘Animated Sound’, with perform-

ers intently focused on scrolling screens as their actions are guided by a
combination of human-designed principles and live inputs alongside software
affordances and autonomous decision making, exhibit unavoidable similari-
ties to the world of digital gaming. These similarities are not superficial, as
many fundamental characteristics prove to be shared between the composi-
tion’s elements and digital games, and an approach to analysis of the latter
can therefore be useful when applied to the former.
Of the fifteen game elements identified by Flanagan and Nissenbaum as
potential areas of value embodiment, five categories have no direct counter-
part in the study at hand, but the adapted collection of elements effectively
frame many points of analysis that we deemed significant. These elements
include narrative premise (why the player is playing), actions in game (what
they are doing), player choice (decisions they can make), rules for interac-
tion (behaviours encouraged by the game), hardware (affordances of the
hardware used), interface (how the player interacts with the game), software
(affordances of the software used), context of play (broader cultural contexts
surrounding the game), strategies (how to win or lose) and aesthetics (visual/
sonic characteristics of the game). Through examination of these components
as our case study progresses, we can begin to identify when and how values
are expressed through the project.
As noted by Flanagan and Nissenbaum, the scope of specific values poten-
tially embodied is ‘virtually boundless’ (2014: 6). They choose to focus their
analysis on what they classify as ethical and political values; we will largely turn
our attention to the same direction, as many of the themes that they identify
as being embodied in these game elements can likewise be readily transposed
to our technologically mediated participatory context – one in which we are
concerned with how people interact and create in inclusive, democratic and
empowering ways. Familiar aesthetic values, such as complexity and virtuos-
ity, also emerge over the course of the case study as the composition evolves

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from ensemble to soloist-oriented versions; while certainly not negative

values, these do ultimately tend to emerge at the expense of more commu-
nity-oriented priorities.
A second framework is useful to address these discrepancies between the
constellations of values embodied in different versions, which seem to indi-
cate that the nature of the composition undergoes an important change with
the inclusion of material that presumes a more formal musical background,
particularly concerning instrumental technique and music notation. This
pivot in orientation highlights questions regarding the role of instructor(s)/
facilitator(s) in educational and participatory art practices and provides a
basis for the expansion of their contribution into independent remediation
of collective activities. Over the past decades, as theories of these activi-
ties have begun to take shape, a division has appeared between those who
would evaluate the outcome of a participatory art event based on its artistic
output (e.g. Bishop 2012) and those who prefer to focus on the process itself
through emphasis on its social and ethical grounding (e.g. Bourriaud 2002). A
middle ground has been proposed by composers Harry Matthews and Aaron
Moorehouse (2021) in an approach based on the Collaborative Stories Spiral
(CSS) framework (Gilchrist et al. 2015). The CSS framework, with its four
stages – Situating Stories, Generating Stories, Mediating Stories and Remediating
Stories – is intended to ensure that the collaborative outcome of a partici-
patory activity is an authentic reflection of the community and community
members involved. Matthews and Moorehouse propose the addition of a
fifth stage of artistic remediation, in which the artist-facilitator independently
interacts with the material created by the participants during the participa-
tory process. This modified framework points towards theoretically achieving
the best of both worlds: a meaningful and authentic experience for partici-
pants alongside a more controlled artistic creation, offering artist-facilita-
tors ‘the opportunity to foreground their own stories and evaluations of the
collaborative experience as concrete elements of the work itself’ (Matthews
and Moorehouse 2021: 22).

VERSIONS AND WORKING METHODS

I
The initial version of ‘Animated Sound’ grew out of collaborative brain-
storming during online meetings in March 2020. The process was both
synchronous and asynchronous (Pignato and Begany 2015): early attempts
were rehearsed in real time via group video call, and recordings were later
traded back and forth asynchronously as the first realization was completed.
A recording of this version was made by assembling audio files captured
individually by each member (Toderian 2022: Version1Clip.mp3). Although
an asynchronous approach to a score certainly changes the mechanics and
perceived nature of the composition, this flexibility is one practical advantage
inherent to many open scores; freed from the demand of strict coordination,
works can be performed remotely or assembled amongst distant contribu-
tors. The working process calls to mind Pignato and Begany’s framing of
remote collaboration as a distributed cognitive system, in which ‘informa-
tion and ideas are shared, generated and acted upon in a social manner and
environment’ (2015: 122).
The initial score consisted of one page of instructions and one page
with three f-curves, representing breathing, heartbeats and eye blinks above

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 ‘Animated Sound’

Figure 1: First version of score, Autodesk Maya (Autodesk Inc. 2017).

a timeline of eight minutes, indicated with markers every 30 seconds. The

parameters to be modified by the curves were initially specified as volume for
breaths, and pitch for heartbeats and eye blinks. There was no visual element
included.
Due to the imposed isolation, participants used a variety of both instru-
ments and sound-objects. Recordings also varied greatly in quality and isola-
tion, lending an effect of heterogeneity of timbre and space. In synchronous
rehearsals, internet quality further contributed artefacts from dropouts and
data compression. There is a richness in these contrasts as logistical concerns
regarding sound quality and synchronization are problematized as an aesthetic
feature. The outcome of this version, while multi-textured and humorous, is
clearly secondary in importance to the process.

II
A second version was recorded by Elliot Simpson on electric bass as
the soundtrack to a short film created by the composer (Toderian 2022:
Version2Clip.mp3). With a shorter duration of just two minutes imposed
by the film, the timeframe used in the initial version was compressed,
while the curves remained unchanged. An additional two curves, repre-
senting eye movements, were added. Although intended to accompany
a film, there was no connection between the sound and image, and no
additional visual output was generated. For this version, intensity was
related to the duration/articulation of each event, with low-intensity
sounds resulting in short, staccato events and high-intensity sounds in
more sustained, legato notes. Other parameters, including dynamics and
pitch, remained static. This version served as a transition between first

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experiments with the scoring technique and later iterations that incorpo-
rated visual components.

III
A third version was created collaboratively over several in-person
rehearsals for a live performance in December 2021, with four interpret-
ers from the ensemble present alongside the animator (Toderian 2022:
Version3Clip.mp3). The visual material manipulated in real time as a
by-product of the scoring process was projected above the stage along-
side the performance score. The inclusion of a fourth performer allowed
for the addition of a fourth curve, representing nonconscious micro-
movements of the body.
The video score consisted of a scrolling graph editor window containing
four superimposed colour-coded curves, with a play head used to maintain
synchronization both between performers and between sound and image.
Performers could be silenced when their curve was turned off or ran out
of the visible screen area. Toderian participated as a performer, generating
the f-curves and resulting visual manipulations onstage, and the visible and
audible elements of her interactions with the computer formed an important
element of the experience. The sound sources used in the performance were
acoustic guitar with e-bow and slide, cello, digital oscillator and computer-
based sampler. As representations of the same information, the three outputs
– video score, animated image and sound – were sometimes clearly related.
At other moments the relation between components was less apparent.

Figure 2: Software window with interpreters’ live score (bottom window) and animated output (top
window), Blender (Blender Foundation 2021).

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 ‘Animated Sound’

IV
A fourth version was created for Elliot Simpson for a solo performance in
January 2022 (Toderian 2022: Version4Clip.mp3). Toderian generated new
visuals and curves, and audio was pre-recorded by the performer as a tape
part. The same four actions (heart beats, eye movements, breaths and micro-
movements) were used as cues for sounds, with an electric bass again used
as the sound source. The micro-movements action was realized by attempt-
ing to hold a slide against the strings with the amplifier set to an extreme
volume and the musician seated in an intentionally uncomfortable physical
position. The resulting small but uncontrolled movements produced subtle
trembling sounds. Curves were interpreted as changes in filter frequencies
for three actions, and as pitch for the fourth. Although pre-recorded, param-
eter changes were performed in real time, following a video recording of the
f-curve graph playback.
As this version was primarily intended for a live solo performance by a
guitarist, the composer took the additional step of generating a notated score
by overlaying the superimposed keyframe points onto a music stave. Time was
indicated with a proportional notation, with each system equal to 30 seconds
and the full piece lasting 25 minutes. Notes that fell between pitches were
interpreted as semitone deviations, and smaller displacements as microtonal
deviations. While not absolute, attention was paid to the observance of rela-
tive deviations between adjacent close pitches. The visual output was projected
above the performer during the performance.

Figure 3: Notated version for guitar with curves included below staves.

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This step of transcription into music notation would not necessarily be

useful in the context of an amateur ensemble, where many members had no
experience with notation, but it resulted in an unusual and demanding score
for guitar. The decision to prerecord the curves was made only for logistical
reasons; this version would be equally viable with any number of live musi-
cians performing alongside the guitarist.

V
The latest version of the project deviates substantially from previous iterations.
The idea arose from the concept of a live feedback loop between performer
and visual material (Toderian 2022: Version5Clip.mp3). Attempts at real-time
animation of multiple simultaneous movements proved unwieldy for the
animation medium; this real-time approach would likely be more suitable for
techniques incorporating motion capture technology. A compromise between
real-time capture/feedback and the animation medium was achieved through
a string of single parameter captures fed back to the performer as score mate-
rial. Some adaptations were made. Heartbeats were not visible to the animator,
so were disregarded as an action. Conversely, the act of playing an instrument
(guitar, in this case), implied a new collection of relevant physical movements.
The six actions settled upon were breaths, eye blinks, right hand plucking, left
hand position, head movements and guitar/torso movements.
In this version, the interpreter begins by sitting and looking at a screen
while the animator observes and animates the interpreter’s breathing.
When the predetermined duration passes, the play head returns to the
beginning of the timeline and the interpreter performs the keyframe points
created during the previous animation process. As the points are performed,
the animator moves on to capturing the next action. This process is repeated

Figure 4: Six superimposed captures with keyframe points, Blender (Blender Foundation 2021).

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 ‘Animated Sound’

Figure 5: Guitar score in notation and tablature.

until six curves are obtained. To bypass the additional step of transcription of
keyframe points onto a music stave, as in version four, here the pitches can be
read directly from the grid of the software interface, with the y-axis indicating
twelve frets, and each of the six curves corresponding to a string of the guitar.
This creates a field of pitches in tablature for immediate performance during
the generation of the piece and allows for further transcription after the fact.
As in earlier versions, pitches between fret indications were interpreted as
relative microtonal deviations. When transcribed into music notation, the six
video frames within each grid unit were represented as eighth notes in meas-
ures of 6/8, resulting in a metrically precise notation.
This version, although specifically generated for a given performer
and context, remains completely adaptable. Any number of curves can be
performed by any instruments, and the entire process could be adapted for
any number of participants or animators. The intended outcome in this case
was the creation of a notated score, but the process is equally viable for a live-
scoring setting.

VALUES AT PLAY IN ENSEMBLE VERSIONS

Through the application of Flanagan and Nissenbaum’s framework we can
begin to identify which of their game element categories have parallels in our
case study, and which of these categories are responsible for values embodied
through different aspects of the project. By comparing these values across the
different versions, we can identify at which point a change in these values
seems to occur. The overall narrative premise of the project can be summed up
through a description of the group’s activities and the compositional devel-
opment of this specific work. The participants, having collaborated actively
in the project’s development, are acutely aware of the concepts behind the

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composition. Even for future interpreters who have no knowledge of the

work’s development, their task, of following their corporeal cues in conjunc-
tion with the graphic score, requires an understanding of the implied themes.
The broader educational project as well as specific compositional process are
integral to the performance and reception of the work, and call to mind values
of inclusivity, creativity, empowerment and collaboration. Depending on deci-
sions made in the organization of performances and information presented,
the work’s conceptual origin and corresponding values can be made more or
less apparent to an audience.
As in many experimental compositions, there is an aspect of awareness
or mindfulness present in the interpretation of these scores. With the compo-
sition’s overt indexical orientation (Grant 2003) (similar to Alvin Lucier’s
demonstrations of acoustic phenomena, Christian Wolff’s examinations of
inter-interpreter interactions, or John Cage’s framing of ambient sounds, to
name three iconic examples), the action undertaken by performers is that of
drawing attention to the subconscious rhythms of our body and those around
us. A performance demands a balance of both internal and external aware-
ness, and complex synchronizations and patterns arise. There is a sensation of
community building and even intimacy in sharing what are normally private
and unobserved physical rhythms within the group.
One participant described the score as a ‘musical jumping-off point’.
The idea of choice in this piece, as in many open scores, exists on multiple
levels. The various versions described reflect different points within the field
of potential interpretations. While constructed upon the same basic materials
and mechanisms, decisions made regarding how to perform the work have
important consequences reaching beyond the logistical. Questions of who,
what, where and why, taken for granted in much of traditional, contemporary
and even experimental music, are instead highlighted in adaptable and inclu-
sive projects like this one, dramatically reframing the work and pointing to the
concerns and backgrounds of the performers.
On a purely musical level, an initial and consequential choice facing
performers in each realization of the work is that of the sound source to be
used – the hardware of the composition. This suggests a sonic and semiotic
exploration of objects and instruments but has further performative repercus-
sions. For example, a realization of any of these versions by a string quartet
would be a much different experience from one performed by four interpret-
ers using children’s toys. This is not to imply that one is truer to the score or
aesthetically superior, but these decisions certainly affect who can perform,
and who will be willing to listen. Further musical choices include the distri-
bution of curves between performers, the parameter for each action to be
modified by the f-curves and the distribution of interpreters in space. The
openness of the score encourages exploration of potential interpretations and
demands agency and cooperation on the part of performers in settling on
their approaches.
If we read the score as a system of rules for interaction, some values become
readily apparent. The overall tone of the instructions is considerate, deferential
and humorous, calling to mind Lee Higgins’s framing of community music as
hospitality (Higgins 2018). Open elements are pointed out, lending a quality
of encouragement and positivity, and allowing for the likelihood of failures
and misunderstandings. Insofar as there are rules outside of the simple mech-
anisms of the composition, they include reminders to listen to others, to be
aware of any synchronizations that arise, to create a character of spontaneity

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 ‘Animated Sound’

and aliveness, to be aware and considerate of fellow performers, and to ‘[not]

worry about any mistakes... life is full of them’ (Toderian 2022: 2).
The use of technology as a performative and compositional interface is
a prominent aspect of the work, and here it is fundamentally enabling as a
tool to generate and synchronize musical materials regardless of the inter-
preters’ musical abilities and backgrounds. This component can be empha-
sized by displaying the video score during performance, or minimized by
hiding the display from public view. As a bridge between artistic disciplines,
the work suggests further paths for future collaborations and experiments.
Although music utilizing image, film and animation as musical scores (e.g.
Benito Gutiérrez 2019; Chamorro 2022; Smith 2023; Whiteman 2022) has
been appearing with increasing frequency over the last decades, the fusion of
corporeal elements and a technological medium with its own artistic practice,
within the environment of video/graphic scores, leads to a particularly effec-
tive and unusual musical outcome.
The broader cultural context of the group, as a project centred on enabling
amateur musicians to perform and create within the experimental music
world, embodies values of inclusion, cooperation, empowerment and diver-
sity. Underlying this, and potentially made explicit, is a pushing-back on
contrasting values found in more commercial territories of numerous musical
genres, which by nature require otherness, individuality and consumerism to
survive. The communication of these values to a public is largely contingent
on the information presented and behaviour expressed during a performance.
Insofar as there is a goal in the performance of these versions, it is the accu-
rate realization of one’s sounds when indicated by a corporeal cue, in accord-
ance with modulations of the parameter chosen or indicated. While seemingly
trivial, all participants commented on the necessity of rehearsal, both indi-
vidually and collectively, to be able to confidently perform their parts. A strat-
egy in this situation, as in typical performance disciplines, is found in practice
technique and performance preparation. The pedagogical value, particularly
that of focusing on isolated musical or technical parameters, is self-evident.
Although seemingly far-removed from the demands of a typical instrumental
performance, a successful realization implies preparation, seriousness, creativ-
ity and technical control of whatever sound source is at hand.
Digital animation software has evolved in accordance with the artistic
medium and the workflows of its professionals. As with many technologies,
while effective for its intended use, it can prove limiting when appropriated
by other disciplines. As the software is designed for use primarily in non-real-
time workflows, the speed and accuracy with which the process could be
carried out was a limiting factor. This adapted use, however, can prove illu-
minating in both music and animation fields, and demonstrates values of
resourcefulness and creativity. The very nature of reducing indicators of life, or
living beings themselves, into digital information, is a highly imperfect mime-
sis, and this clumsiness can be problematized as an artistic theme of the work.
With the exploding interest in digital worlds and our representations within
them, this is a particularly timely concern.
The visual aesthetic of the score environment is largely businesslike and
efficient, with a design dictated by professional requirements. It may give an
unwelcoming impression, which can be either reinforced or contradicted by
the behaviour of the performers and the atmosphere of the performance.
The projection of the software as visual element also serves to expose the
normally hidden digital environments and techniques of contemporary

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animators. The animated object to be modified as a by-product of the scoring

process is endlessly flexible. In the versions from this case study, objects were
created beforehand by the animator, according to her own criteria and artis-
tic concerns. She experimented with narratives through strings of different
scenes or characters with either private or explicit meanings. In other cases,
the visual output was much more abstract, hinting at a living being rather than
communicating any story or aesthetic of realism.
The sounding, sonic aesthetic is squarely situated in the experimental
music genre. While difficult to define given the degree of freedom offered to
interpreters, heterogeneity of timbre, concomitancy of rhythm and unpredict-
ability of resultant melodic, harmonic or timbral content seem to be present in
all ensemble versions. As in other examples of open compositions, the mood
of a performance can range from comical to profound over mere moments.

ARTISTIC REMEDIATION IN SOLOIST VERSIONS

With the appearance of the notated component, whether performed alone or
with ensemble accompaniment, many of the elements responsible for embod-
ying the values mentioned above are lost. The element of awareness is largely
irrelevant to the instrumentalist, who is occupied with the typical demands
made upon one’s attention in the performance of a complex score. Likewise,
their choices are severely restricted – the instrumentation and timeframe are
largely dictated through the process of generating the score, limiting choice
to that of the typical interpretation of musical details. Explorations of sound
sources and practice strategies lose their pedagogical value. Similarly, rules for
interaction and the score’s interface are also not relevant to the soloist, who
is left out of the ‘game’. The temporally defined musical material suggests a
more formal performance environment, of both space and time. Connections
that become apparent between visual and sonic components in ensemble
versions are more tenuous with a single interpreter. With the division of the
ensemble into soloist and accompaniment comes a very concrete rupture in
the sonic and performative embodiment of the cultural context of the group.
The performative outcome highlights complexity and virtuosity; although
certain values are still present in the premise of the piece, they are no longer
reflected aesthetically. If the outcome of this analysis of the project seems to
indicate that the addition of more technically demanding components is anti-
thetical to the values implied by the composition and broader ensemble activi-
ties, under what basis do we incorporate them?
Although our framework diverges somewhat with the presence of a partic-
ipant-composer, the project’s structure is similar to the modified CSS frame-
work proposed by Matthews and Moorehouse (2021). Participants were initially
introduced to open scores that could be situated within their backgrounds and
abilities. These compositional approaches were then used as vehicles to incor-
porate ideas from a participant’s own background, leading to a novel, flexible
and accessible scoring process. The technique was extensively work shopped
with the other participants, leading to changes in the scoring method, tone and
materials used. This participatory process concluded with the live version for
four performers and animator, which successfully embodies values consistent
with typical priorities of education and socially engaged art. Taking that process
as a point of departure, more traditionally notated scores were generated
through the same technique as a form of artistic remediation by (or in collabo-
ration with) the artist-facilitator. This led to the creation of two substantial and

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 ‘Animated Sound’

demanding works for solo guitar, which can freely incorporate flexible groupings
of other diverse musicians or be regenerated for other instruments or situations.
These soloist-centric works are much more in line with the world of typical
contemporary classical music. Their realization is contingent upon a great deal
of resources – time, instrument, performance space and everything else implied
by a background that equips a musician with the necessary skills to perform
demanding repertoire. The meaning found in the addition of this fifth stage
is primarily directed towards specialized musicians and audiences through
emphasis on aesthetic outcome and compositional process. Values of virtuosity,
musicality, innovation and complexity are embodied in these versions.

CONCLUSION
This case study demonstrates how themes of inclusivity, pedagogy, collabo-
ration and technology can converge in the creation of new educational and
musical experiences. The values embodied in participatory compositions and
performances are just as meaningful as any sounding or notated outcomes,
and through the additional stage of artistic remediation these approaches also
have much to offer in more conventional musical contexts. The digitally medi-
ated ensemble versions of ‘Animated Sound’ are oriented towards the goal of
empowering amateur musicians to compose and perform, with all the inter-
pretive, social and sonic exploration implied by those achievements. The addi-
tion of a technically demanding notated component generated from the same
collaborative compositional process points to a much different constellation of
values, where more typical aesthetic priorities come to the foreground, but in
which open elements retained throughout the project’s evolution ensure that
the urgently important values behind the composition need not be entirely
absent. In subsequent workshops given by Elliot Simpson, this project was
utilized as example and template to encourage diverse participants to search
out unexamined material in other fields, particularly technological or digital,
to be scored or sonified in open forms capable of being realized in a wide
variety of performance situations. The potential for the creation of unimagined
new musical works, relevant in educational and inclusive contexts as well as
more formal contemporary music settings, is enormous.

Audio clips of each version, an example of the visual output, and a version of
the ensemble score from April 2022 can be found at: https://doi.org/10.21950/
ZXZQ75.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Permission was obtained from all participants for the use of score materials and
audio documentation for non-commercial research dissemination. The authors
would like to thank Jesús Jara and Lee Douglas for their support of the project,
and Luis Osa Gomez del Campo, Susana Rica Romero, María Santos, Ilona
Scerbak and Mandy Toderian for their generosity of time and creativity.

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 ‘Animated Sound’

SUGGESTED CITATION
Simpson, Elliot and Grundman, Jorge (2023), ‘“Animated Sound”: An appli-
cation of digital technologies and open scores in interdisciplinary colla-
boration and education’, Journal of Music, Technology & Education, Special
Issue: ‘Exploring Audio and Music Technology in Education: Pedagogical,
Research and Sociocultural Perspectives’, 15:1, pp. 57–74, https://doi.
org/10.1386/jmte_00046_1

CONTRIBUTOR DETAILS
Guitarist Elliot Simpson has given premieres of works by such iconic figures
as Sofia Gubaidulina, Alvin Lucier, Michael Finnissy, Walter Zimmermann
and Larry Polansky, and has worked closely with many other prominent
young composers in the creation of new pieces. He has appeared in many
of the arts capitals of the world, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New
York City, Mexico City, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, London,
Amsterdam, Cologne, Berlin, Salzburg and Shanghai, in master classes, work-
shops and performances ranging from early music to free improvisation. His
recordings can be found on the Microfest, XI, Brilliant Classics, ECM, New
World, Infrequent Seams, Soundset and Hermes record labels. Originally
from New Mexico, United States, Elliot studied with David Tanenbaum at
the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and with Zoran Dukić at the Royal
Conservatoire of The Hague, where he was a recipient of the prestigious
Huygens Grant from the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and
Science. His master’s degree in The Hague, as both soloist and chamber musi-
cian, was awarded ‘with distinction for his extraordinary contribution to new
music’. He is completing a doctoral degree at the Universidad Politécnica de
Madrid.
Contact: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Calle Ramiro de Maeztu 7, 28040
Madrid, Spain.
E-mail: elliotsimpson@gmail.com

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6323-6385

Jorge Grundman is a composer, a Doctor of Arts from the Universidad

Rey Juan Carlos, a Master of Musical Creation and Performance from the
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, a Bachelor of Science and History of Music
from the Universidad de La Rioja and a technical engineer in sound and
image from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and holds a technical
diploma in computer science from the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca.
He is currently a professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. His
music has been broadcast on radio and television in many countries, includ-
ing the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France and
Spain, and has been premiered in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Berliner
Philharmoniker, the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, the Teatro
Nacional de Brasilia and the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid. His work is
published in over thirty recordings. Major compositions include the oratorio
for soprano and orchestra as well as the string quartet ‘A Mortuis Resuregere:
The Resurrection of Christ’, the homonymous opera of the universal litera-
ture work by Miguel Delibes ‘Cinco Horas con Mario’, the partita ‘Shoah for

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Elliot Simpson | Jorge Grundman

Solo Violin and Sacred Temple’ and the ‘Cantata Levi per Violino, Soprano e
Orchestra da Camera’.
Contact: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Calle Ramiro de Maeztu 7, 28040
Madrid, Spain.
E-mail: jorge.grundman@upm.es

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7953-7609

Elliot Simpson and Jorge Grundman have asserted their right under the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the authors of
this work in the format that was submitted to Intellect Ltd.

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