Live coding music from a blank screen
outline#
- Assessment date: Dd Mm 2027, 10:00am–12:00pm (placeholder — confirmed closer to the date) (in-person individual exam, 20 minutes in duration, individual times will be sent via email).
- Location: Room 2.41 (level 2), Hanna Neumann Building 145, ANU.
- Assessment format: In-person, individual assessment at ANU campus. Remote or pre-recorded assessment is not possible. Duration will be 20 minutes.
- Preparation: Prepare your assessment according to the instructions below.
- Late submission is not permitted for this assessment.
- This is an individual assessment task.
- Generative AI must not be used during this assessment.
Please read the description and specification of the assessment carefully. Failure to meet the specification is likely to lead to a fail grade in this assessment task.
description:#
In this assessment, you will perform a live coded music performance starting from an empty code file. That is, all code in your performance must be entered manually during the performance.
This aligns with some of the core tenets of live coding music performance, such as “show us your screens” and “the skillful extemporisation of algorithm as an expressive/impressive display of mental dexterity”. To demonstrate understanding of live coding music algorithms, you will start from a blank screen and type in all parts of your performance manually. Copy/paste, snippets, and generative AI must not be used in your performance.
This live coding performance will be a live, in-person assessment. The performance will be recorded. The only app you can use is Strudel in the Chrome web browser. The browser must be in full screen mode at all times during the performance.
specification#
You must:
- perform a live-coding music performance starting from an empty code file
- perform for 6–12 minutes
- include a clear beginning-middle-end structure
- include a distinct change or variation in the music at one point during your performance
- only use sounds generated from Strudel running in the Chrome web browser
- bring a laptop with HDMI output of your sound and screen, your screen and audio output will be recorded
- manually type in all code that you use during the performance
- have the Chrome browser at full screen at all times
- only use the https://strudel.cc website, you must not use any other website during the performance
- bring pre-prepared notes for your performance on 1 A4 page (both sides), the page must be submitted after your performance is complete
- include a references section on your 1-page of notes with appropriate referencing for all external sources used
You must not:
- use websites that are not https://strudel.cc
- use any other software on your computer during the performance except the Chrome web browser and https://strudel.cc
- use any other electronic device or equipment during your assessment except your laptop
- use copy/paste, snippets, generative AI, or any other method to insert code into strudel.cc during your performance
- create visualisations (using hydra for example) during your performance, music only
For absolute clarity: Generative AI tools must not be used in this assessment.
pass conditions#
This assessment is designed to confirm that you have met the learning outcomes from this course. To successfully pass this assessment you must meet the learning outcomes at the “good” standard, equivalent to a mark of 60% or higher.
creative notes#
- This assessment requires planning and practice.
- You will need to understand the code you plan to type in so that you can adjust and debug if something goes wrong.
- It’s likely that the first 30 seconds or so of your performance will be silent as you type in your first few code expressions. This is normal and expected in this style of live coding music performance.
- Mistakes happen, you need to be able to cope with them and recover.
- Be strategic about how you use your A4 piece of paper. Typing in the entire piece of paper and then pressing “go” is unlikely to result in a satisfactory performance.
- Seriously, no graphics or visualisations. It’s not part of this course, don’t waste time doing that.
For examples of blank-screen-style live coding, see:
This video:
rubric#
The assessment will be marked according to the following rubric with 10 marks available for each criteria.
| CRITERIA | HD | D | CR | P | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophistication of application of fundamental concepts in sound and music computing. (50%) | Excellent to outstanding SMC implementations that follow specification and go beyond learning materials. | Very good application of SMC concepts following specification, but not beyond learning materials. | Application of SMC at level of learning materials following specification. May have gaps in some areas. | Some effort to replicate SMC learning materials resulting in functional SMC software. May have only applied some SMC concepts covered. | Very little SMC software, software that is below the level of learning materials, or software that does not follow the specification. |
| Sophistication as a live coding music performance. (50%) | Excellent to outstanding performance demonstrating in-depth interaction and exploration of the live coding environment. Excellent adherence to the assessment format. | Very good as a live coding performance with detailed interaction and presentation that demonstrates the live coding environment. Excellent adherence to the assessment format. | A good live coding performance that may not show sophisticated interaction and presentation of the live coding environment. Good adherence to the assessment format. | A satisfactory performance that may have limited interaction and weak presentation of the live coding environment. The adherence to the submission format may be poor. | Below acceptable standards as a live-coding performance. May have very poor adherence to submission format. |