About

Welcome to the EARS 2 site.

What is the aim of this site?

The intention of EARS 2 is to introduce people of all ages, but especially those starting secondary education and their teachers, to the world of making music with sounds. The EARS 2 project was created based on a request from Unesco to create a resource site for children based on the original EARS site (see below).

This type of music, known as electroacoustic, electronic or sound-based music, is one of the most exciting new forms of music that came out of the twentieth century and is thriving today around the globe. Much of what can do with sounds has been made possible due to the development in technologies which we can use to make music.

The goal here is to offer EARS 2 users the chance to learn about all aspects of this music in an integrated, user friendly and enjoyable manner.

Main Sections of the Site

We have three main headers:

Learn

Discover the exciting world of sound based music. Learn how recording technology revolutionised music, how sounds work (and what makes each one unique) and explore how composers select and use sounds to create works of sound based music,

Listen

Develop your skills in listening. Discover many different types of sound based music and use these to inspire your own imagination, and

Create

Discover a range of compositional challenges and exercises to help fire your imagination.

And a free software tool

A software package called Compose with Sounds has been developed to allow users to create their own works of sound based music in a free and intuitive programme, its creation was supported by a European Union Culture grant.

Background and Approach

EARS means ElectroAcoustic Resource site. Its predecessor (www.ears.dmu.ac.uk) was created for university-level students and professionals. Due to the success of this initiative, it was decided to create a pedagogical site, EARS 2, for younger people in order to open up this world of sound organisation to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Our approach is concept based – we therefore have clustered together pieces that uses sounds primarily in their natural state, music in which sounds are highly manipulated and music in which the sounds are generated (synthesised) by the user. Other themes are easily identified under the three main headers and allow for various forms of navigation: our projects, three at levels 1 to 3, those themes or any choices you prefer to make yourself.

Who made this?

The project team consists of a lot of people passionate about sharing this music with new people.

  • Director: Prof. Leigh Landy
  • Content and Design: Dr. Andrew Hill (original version), Paul Keene (design of the current version)
  • Teachers’ Packs: Dr. Motje Wolf
  • Web Design and Management: Ben Harvey (original version), Jack Richardson (current version)
  • Drawings and Animations: Dr. Manuella Blackburn
  • Guided Listening Films: Dr. Robert Weale
  • Music Education Consultants: Duncan Chapman & Prof. Sarah Younie
  • Compose with Sound Developers: Stephen Pearse (original and current versions), David Devaney (original version)

Furthermore, EARS 2 and Compose with Sounds are being translated and culturally adapted for use in non-Anglophone countries.

Other Resources

Teachers can use the EARS 2 teachers’ packs to help them learn about this subject and prepare their teaching.

There is also a book written to accompany the site: Making Music with Sounds (2012, Routledge, NY) written by the EARS 2 project leader, Leigh Landy.