Date of Award

Spring 6-14-2026

Document Type

Thesis (Master's)

Department or Program

Sonic Practice

First Advisor

Ash Fure

Second Advisor

Bethany Younge

Third Advisor

H Sinno

Abstract

This thesis explores music composition as the design of “playgrounds”: structured systems that invite participation, interaction, and the emergence of shared musical experience. Drawing on a background in engineering and a practice rooted in improvisation and community, I investigate how compositional authority can be exercised through the creation of constraints instead of fixed outcomes. These systems are structured enough to support coordination and open enough to allow for play and collective agency. The work is situated within practice-based research and engages qualitative methods to reflect on a series of projects developed over the course of my MFA in Sonic Practice. Through compositions for instruments, mobile devices, and civic infrastructure, I examine how musical systems shape relationships between performers, audiences, and environments. Central to my practice are tensions between structure and emergence, authorship and collaboration, and selfhood and community. Across these projects, I argue that composing playgrounds offers a way to hold together analytical thinking and embodied practice, enabling new forms of collective play while maintaining a distinct artistic voice.

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