Whats up everyone? My name is Kendrick Castro and I'm a junior in Arts & Sciences majoring in Information Science. I've loved music all my life and grew up listening to all sorts of things. Not too much experience with musical instruments (can sorta mess around on a piano, and did a little bit of viola back in elementary school) though I have been producing/composing since my sophomore year in high school. My productions have usually stayed within the realm of electronic music with a couple ventures into hiphop and reggaeton. This summer started recording with a friend who is a blues/rock guitarist and so have started moving into the realm of rock and the like. I'm taking this class mainly to learn more about recording/mastering and also to build a more solid foundation for future endeavors. I'm really looking forward to learning a lot meeting other musicians in the class and hopefully getting to collaborate with people. 

Hey everyone!  My name is Chris Nieves.  I'm a junior Economics major in the school of Arts & Sciences.  Guitar is my main instrument, though I also play some bass, keys, and trombone.  I play in two bands here in Ithaca.  Eigenfunk is an R&B/funk/rock band that I'm in with two other students and several Ithaca locals.  The other band is a "jam band" that still needs a name.  Besides that, I am an avid music listener.  My tastes span from jazz, hip hop, jam bands, rock, funk, blues, and indie.  More recently I've begun to get into electric music as well (one of the reasons for taking this course!).  Some of the genres I like in electronic music include progressive trance, dubstep, and glitch.  I'm somewhat familiar with some software (Cool Edit Pro, Audacity, Ableton Live) but I would like to really understand jsut what these programs can do.  My hope is that knowing these programs can help me create music and open up new creative possibilities. I'm really looking forward to this class! 

Hi Everyone, my name is Liz and I am super happy to be taking this class this semester! I am a senior in ILR, but I have been interested in digital music since we played an insanely awesome piece by Christopher Stark in orchestra last year. I have played the violin for almost my entire life, so please feel free to direct any violin-specific questions my way! I am very interested in using nature and the weather to create music, especially after my experiences in crazy Wyoming hailstorms this summer. I am completely hopeless with computer technology, so I apologize in advance for any stupid computer questions I may ask during the semester. I can't wait to get to know you all! 

Hi my name is Kevin B. Cheng and I'm a senior biology major. I played violin as a child, but stopped halfway through high school. Ever since then, I've missed playing and have been looking for ways to make my life more musical. If we indeed think in all ways that we perceive the world, then thinking musically seems to me just as important to as scientifically.

I don't have any experience with computer music, but I have no problem starting off as a beginner.

Hey everyone,

My name is Daniel Sussman, and I'm a freshman in the college of arts and sciences, majoring in Film. I'm in the music 1421 class, and I'm really excited to learn some new things about composing on the computer. I've done a few songs with my m-audio keystation MIDI controller and Session (also garageband), but I havent really understood a lot of the process behind what I've been doing, and I want to learn about that aspect. I also want to learn new techniques and improve my abilities, because I am definitely no expert. I loveeeee hip hop, and all of my music is influenced by the songs i like, but I'm also into alternative, pop, and techno. I hope to find others to collaborate/talk with in this class, so if you see me, feel free to talk about whatever. Also, if you like you can go to

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Daniel-Sussman-Beats/132584190829?ref=ts 

and take a look at some of the stuff I've done so far, but like I said, I'm no expert.

I'll see you in class,

Daniel 

My name is Elena Siani and I'm a Junior in Arts & Sciences.  I'm a music major and also pre-med, but most of all I am pumped to be in this class!  Mostly I'm a jazz singer, but I also play saxophone with the Cornell Jazz ensembles.  Out side of school I am part of an awesome duo called 'Just wandering' and we have been playing bossa nova, blues, and our own music all over Ithaca since the beginning of freshman year.  Also I'm part of a funk band, 'the Strange Attractors', and I simply cannot help but dance when I hear that funky music....or really any kind of music.

I already have a lot of ideas for what I would like to do in this class, and I can't wait to hopefully hear them become a reality and hear the hip things you all will create. This is an exciting opportunity to collaborate, listen, and learn from eachother's backgrounds in music and in life.

Yay for music, kindness, and good food! 

Hi everyone,

My name is Sam Moghadam and I'm a senior in English and music. I took Music 3421 last semester and I'm looking forward to exploring digital music (particularly, MIDI sequencing in composition) in a different context. I play several instruments, but I'm just as interested in composition as I am in performance. I like to work in many different genres and styles, including bit not limited to rock, electronic, and contemporary art music. I hope to further my compositional palette with the use of the techniques we'll be covering in this course.   

Hey Everyone,

I'm a junior majoring in Operations Research in the Engineering School. I've been wanting to take this course for quite a while now but somehow have never managed to find a spot. I sing the blues and play with a band called 'The Attic Tones' here in Ithaca. We've had a bunch of gigs here and there and have got some pretty good responses. There are a couple of things I wanted to do through this course: 1) Learn some productions techniques to record and mix music, especially live music 2) Collaborate with you guys 3) Get to know some other people at Cornell who are as into music as I am.

I'm really looking forward to this course and learning from Professor Ernste. I had the chance to hear a snippet of his work during my FWS Futurist Music and Technology in Freshman year and it was GREAT!

Cheers!

Prithvi

yo this is Dan, aka Deep Freeze Dfresh, the Dime Findin Funk Fanatic from central Virginia. I'm a senior, an English major, and my three passions are a good scotch, a good story, and Dirty gully bangin Hip Hop. I've been working with Ableton Live for the past couple years, trying to perfect the groove, trying to find the holy grail of beats that will simultaneously resurrect both Biggie and Tupac, but I have not found it yet. This class is my last chance to collaborate with some ill-minded individuals, gifted in the art of the bomb-boogie, and achieve the street dreams that I know are possible. My hopes for this class are to 1) learn about new production techniques, 2) collaborate with some of you talented musicians, and 3) blow up from the flo' up, get famous, and buy a helicopter covered in diamonds. If this sounds appealing to anybody out there, please holler. Can't wait to hear all the great stuff we're gonna cook up.

Hi Everyone,

I am a Senior in the Hotel School and am terribly scared about the job market, as I begin to pursue my career post-graduation. Although I do love music (both performing and listening to it), I don't believe that  I will ever hold a job in the music industry. In contrast, food and beverage management seems to be in my future at the moment.

My musical talents are limited to three categories: trumpet, piano, and singing. I played trumpet in my high school marching band, but since I've been to Cornell, I haven't picked it back up -- maybe one day, perhaps. As for the piano, I began to play in high school and just loved it. To this day, I still enjoy playing the piano whenever I have a free moment, especially to break up studying for exams and working on projects. And my singing career is limited to me belting out Dave Matthews Band during my morning shower (and any roommates/neighbors that have accidently had the pleasure of hearing my untrained voice). Perhaps I'll improve one -- maybe two? -- of those talents in this course.

This class should be a fun and exciting challenge for me, because I have never worked with any digital music software programs, beside copying some sheet music using Finale2005 in high school. I am looking forward to meeting you all over the next 14 weeks and am ready for a great semester.

- Justin A. Gould