Computer Musician
Dr Sam Aaron is an internationally renowned live coding performer, public speaker and science communicator. Sam has a PhD in Computer Science and held a research position at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory where he initially developed Sonic Pi – a free code-based music creation and performance tool designed for both schools and professional musicians.
Sam regularly engages audiences of all ages and backgrounds with the creativity of code. He has live coded internationally featuring in the Royal Albert Hall, Berlin Warehouses, Music Festivals, on the BBC and even school assemblies. Sam has received two Google prizes for his Open Source work and The Rolling Stone magazine described his Moogfest performance as “transcending the present”.
Sam’s Talk
Code like a DJ
How do we engage the next generation of programmers? Is it through sorting algorithms and binary arithmetic – or might there be a different approach? Could it be possible to learn the fundamentals of programming whilst also becoming a DJ from the future?
This talk introduces Sonic Pi, a free code-based music creation and performance tool that targets both education and professional musicians. It is possible for beginners to code fresh beats, driving bass lines and shimmering synth riffs. All this whilst teaching core computer science concepts such as sequencing, functions, variables, loops, data structures and algorithms. Code has never sounded so good!
