Digital ensemble skills in a laptop orchestra

The emerging practices and growing number of laptop orchestras associated with university music programs raise questions about the capability of the laptop orchestra to develop students’ ensemble skills, and how skills development differs from other conventional music ensembles. This paper proposes a set of digital ensemble skills attributes for collaborative music making in a laptop orchestra. These attributes address the technological aspects of ensemble skills development and the musicological significance of the laptop orchestra for students’ music learning. Moreover, the paper identifies the pedagogical content of the laptop orchestra, highlighting its alignment with the university music curriculum. Copyright © 2018 The International Computer Music Conference.