Composers, musicians, teachers and anyone with an interest in computer-assisted composition.

• Proficiency in written and spoken English (B2 level required)
• Knowledge of music theory, note reading and rhythm
• Familiarity with music notation software (Finale, Sibelius, Dorico, MuseScore, etc.)
• Basic knowledge of mathematics: arithmetic and geometry (triangles, the Pythagorean and Thales theorems, concepts of symmetry…)
• Proficiency in using the main features of a Macintosh computer (knowledge and use of the keyboard and mouse, creating and managing files and folders, navigating menus, launching an application)
• Basic knowledge of the Zoom application

Some details of the training program are subject to modification as the software on which it is based evolves.

At the end of each session, exercises are assigned. Participants are required to complete them and submit them to the instructor within the given deadlines, before the following session. These submissions are reviewed collectively and form part of the continuous assessment of learning outcomes and skills acquisition.

Session 1: Tuesday, November 3: Getting Started

• Discovering and using the OpenMusic interface (Workspace, Listener, and patches)
• Creation of patches, the main data types
• Audio and MIDI configuration. Preferences and external synthesizers
• Editors <note> <chord>, <chord-seq>, random music sequence generation, transposition
• Exercise: generate a random monophonic musical sequence and transcribe a melody

Session 2: Tuesday, November 10: Rhythm (1)

• The different types of rhythmic notation in OM: proportional notation and metric notation (<chord>, <chord-seq>, <voice>, <multi-seq>, <poly>)
• Microtonality in OM. XML export
• Building random sequences
• Exercise: create a polyphonic score sketch (using notation software) including microtonal chords

Session 3: Tuesday, November 17: Spectral style (1)

• Harmonic material: harmonic series, distortions, interpolation
• Iteration (1): <mapcar> and the lambda function
• Building spectra, arpeggios
• Exercise: generate a sequence from spectral material

Session 4: Tuesday, November 24: courbes et récursions avec omloop

• Iteration (2): introduction to <omloop>
• Control of dynamic processes using curves
• Exercise: generate a sequence that evolves a material iteratively using segmented curves

Session 5: Tuesday, December 1: Spectral style (2)

• “Technomorphic” models of spectral music
• Data interpolation: harmonics, rhythm, curves
• Construction of rhythms from curves
• Concatenation of musical sequences and formal structuring
• Exercise: compose a sequence based on interpolated material, focusing on rhythmic exploration.

Session 6: Tuesday, December 8 — Quantisation

• Rhythm quantisation
• Harmonic quantisation (adapting a musical sequence to a scale)
• Study of complex rhythmic models
• Algorithmic generation of rhythms based on rules or models
• Exercise: control the rhythmic evolution of a sequence based on a harmonic progression derived from a model
• Final assignment to be submitted during the week following the end of the course

• Technical session on the first day of training to check trainees' installation.
• Attendance controlled; signature of an attendance sheet required every afternoon.
• Delivery of a certificate of achievement.
• Assessment of learning outcomes is carried out continuously, based on the practical exercises completed by participants at the end of each session.

This professional training class will be taught online.

Technical requirements

Participants should download OpenMusic prior to training. For best results, please use two screens for this class and a good internet connection.

Class Format

Class is taught in English. Training alternates between presentations, explanations on theory, studying examples to analyze, and hands-on exercises.

Didactic Materials

Presentations. A class guide will be given at the beginning of each training session and all complementary files will be given as needed.

Access to software during and after the training course

Premium members of the IRCAM Forum benefit from a 30% discount on all training courses. Participants who have completed this training course and do not hold an IRCAM Forum membership may benefit from a 30% discount on a Premium subscription, valid for one month.

In 2025, the OpenMusic training course enabled 100% of participants to achieve the defined learning objectives. The overall satisfaction rate also reached 100%, reflecting the quality of the teaching support, the relevance of the course content, and its alignment with participants’ professional needs.