Rethinking Music Education: How Innovation and Technology Helps

The Fourth International Electronic Music Competition (IMEC), co-hosted by USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry (ICCI) and Shanghai Computer Music Association, was held in West Bund Museum on December 4, 2022. The day includes the activities of the Music New Media Forum, Master Class, and Awarding Ceremony, attracting thousands of insiders to explore the future of music composition, technology, and education.

Innovative Master Class

The students rehearsed with melodious music, following the masters’ constructive comments and suggestions to prepare them for the official performance in the evening.

The delivery of the first public master class was vivid, spontaneous, and innovative. The famous composer Fuzai JIN and Professor Qiangbin CHEN from Shanghai Music Academy offered guidance in recording, sound mixing, and music performance technology, making the rehearsal an effective and engaging class. In contrast to the traditional classes, which pay more attention to theory rather than practice, the master class did the opposite to keep students productive and engaged.

For the online audience to better learn and apply more practical skills, the master class was well-designed for the purpose. Lei WANG, a famous recorder, remixer, and dean of Music Media Academy in Beijing Contemporary Music Academy, commented on the work contributed by the contestants. His online guidance was packed with detailed knowledge of the post-production of music in an approachable way. It not only demystified the whole process of music production for the participants but also provided insights for contestants who will attend such kind of competition in the future.

The Future Tradition New Media Forum also shared the latest news and trends in the industry. The guests included Professor Ping JIN, composer and vice dean of the School of Music of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen); Li SONG, Professor of the Institute of Image Communication and Network Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Zijin LI, Professor of the department of Music AI and Information Technology in Central Conservatory of Music; Bosheng ZHANG, Content Director of QQ Music Library; Shen CHEN, director of the Sound Art Research Institute of the China Academy of Art, 3D audio technology consultant of Huawei Central Media Technology Institute.

Milestones in Digital Cultural Creation

As one of the hosts in IMEC, ICCI of SJTU has changed what the public thought of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. ICCI was one of the latest established international schools. In 2021, ICCI first launched the master’s program in Digital Cultural Creation and Management and made Computer Music the critical program in discipline construction.

In 2020, ICCI established AI Music and Sound Studio with a professional recording studio, mixing studio, and Dolby Atmos theaters. In September 2020, the “AI Music Engineering Committee of the Shanghai AI Society” was established in ICCI to further explore cutting-edge music technology by integrating resources in the academy, research institution, and industry. Recently, the Certified Training Center of Audio Vivid accredited by the UHD World Association (UWA), was established. It provided students majoring in AI music with valuable resources and platforms to learn, practice, and explore.

Integration for Creation

International Electronic Music Competition (IEMC) is one of China's top-level electronic music competitions. In 2022, ICCI, as one of the hosts, was involved in the organization and operation of the event, which attracted numerous aficionados of electronic music and received over one thousand works from the participants. In the Awarding Ceremony of the IEMC held in the evening, the renowned music masters from both home and abroad sent good wishes to the industry. Yun DU, the famous composer who was the first Pulitzer Music Winner, shared her feelings and experience reviewing the work presented in IEMC.

It is also ICCI’s new endeavor to explore how to cultivate talents in AI music. Weimin ZHANG, the dean of ICCI, expressed that IEMC is a splendid platform to understand and experience the latest AI music. He said: “The competition gave students an opportunity to understand and experience the industry's latest achievements. On the other hand, SJTU is an institution with a strong background in engineering, which will surely facilitate the development of AI music.”

Editor on Duty：Zhaoying Wu

Responsible Editor：Qianqian Jiang