Great sound can transform an experience – think of how listening to music brightens a dreary commute, an eerie soundtrack heightens the tension in a movie scene, and comfortable conversation amid the natural cacophony of a busy kitchen and full house is possible in a restaurant with good acoustics. All this is thanks to audio engineering, a simultaneously creative and technical field that shapes our lives through music recordings, live sound at events, movie soundtracks, acoustics and more.
At the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, audio engineering is taught under the Audio Arts & Sciences (AAS) programme, which leverages its strategic positioning in the conservatory to provide a music-centred approach to the discipline. The curriculum includes music studies courses taken by all YST undergraduates, emphasising not just technical skills but also deep musical expertise.
Explained Associate Professor Zhou Xiaodong, who heads the AAS department: “They learn in the same classroom as composers and instrument players, because in their work, they will need to communicate well with musicians and conductors.”
The programme, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, takes inspiration from the prestigious audio science programme at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where Assoc Prof Zhou earned his Master of Arts in Audio Science and Acoustics. Notably, the Peabody Institute formalised an agreement with NUS to support the initial development of the Conservatory back in 2001.
AAS was originally founded as Recording Arts and Sciences with the intention of growing Singapore’s small market for classical music recording, and over the years, it has evolved in response to student feedback and industry changes. The name change to Audio Arts and Sciences in 2018 marked an expansion of its scope from recording to music production, sound design and modern sound technology.
Honing expertise through a hands-on approach
Like other majors in YST, the AAS cohorts are small, with just four to five students admitted each year. Students who apply to AAS need not have audio engineering experience, but are expected to have a strong music background and play at least one instrument.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source news.nus.edu.sg ’
