Ernest Strauhal is a Californian MAO (Musique Assistée par Ordinateur – Computer Assisted) composer and visual artist based in Chicago. His compositions and visual works have been shown and performed across Illinois, New York, California, and New Mexico. In 2021, Strauhal released his first music project “Beuys 1974” on .phonographiq, a music label dedicated to the intersection of the aesthetics of sound and image.
Upon graduating from the California College of the Arts in 2022, Strauhal was accepted into the graduate program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he studied computer music composition, visual art, and artificially intelligent computer systems.
Strauhal has had several of his compositions performed at the historic Grace Place Sanctuary in Chicago (No. 12 and No. 13, Sans titre) and has played selections from his music in the greater Chicago area (Links Hall, Color Club, Cafe Mustache).
Since the beginning of 2023, Strauhal has studied composition and generative video art under composer and video artist William Harper (PhD, Eastman School of Music).
Strauhal’s visual artworks and music pieces have been exhibited at Root Division Gallery (San Francisco), Open Air Media Festival (Iowa City), Links Hall (Chicago), soundpedro (Los Angeles), Gallery 23 (New York City), Grace Place (Chicago), Mac Fine Arts (Emeryville), Currents New Media (Santa Fe), and UMA Gallery (Oakland).
Strauhal is currently completing his graduate degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he assists in teaching topics such as digital music creation and artificial intelligence and (Digital Sound, Alternative Image Capture).
MAO – Computer Assisted Music Curriculum
(This is a brief overview of a curriculum designed specifically for students interested in computer music at Notre École de Musique)
Beginning Music Creation with Computers (Middle School, Ages 10-14)
Ages 10-14 is the best time in a child’s life to discover music-making software on the computer as it empowers them to not only gives them a tool to perform, but to arrange and edit as well
Students entering this course are not expected to have any prior experience with music-making software on the computer
Students will begin with GarageBand on the iPad and graduate to GarageBand on a Macintosh computer by the end of the class
Students are expected to think about and discuss sounds and music they “like” and sounds they “don’t like.” This basic level of critique and observation will be foundation is encouraged both inside and outside the classroom
Students leaving this course will be equipped with the vocabulary they need to comfortably navigate their way around music-making software
Intermediate Music Creation with Computers (High School, Ages 14-18)
For older students with a grasp on the basics of music-making software, this intermediate course is designed to expand their toolset and musical vocabulary
Logic Pro X will be the lingua franca in this class. Students coming from GarageBand will comfortably ease their way into Logic
Readings on music history and technology will be assigned with an emphasis on written reports on celebrated practitioners who played a role in the advancement of technology in music such as Pierre Schaeffer, Eliane Radigue, and Karlheinz Stockhausen
Technical quizzes on DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) will be given to strengthen their grasp of these tools
Advanced Music Creation with Computers (18-22)
This is an advanced computer music class where students are expected to come to each class session with new work. This is a crucial point in a student’s life where their aesthetic and musical tastes start to solidify and they cross from the point of music listener to music practitioner
Students are free to use any music-making software of their choice but they must be able to comfortably navigate their way around their software without the guidance of the instructor
Technical advice will still be provided when necessary, but emphasis will be directed towards concept and aesthetic
Readings on music history and technology will still be assigned, but these readings will be self directed towards the student’s interests. Time in class will be given to probe the student’s interests and provide directions for possible areas of research