Stanford Online Offers Free Creativity Course Featuring Warner Music Group Artists
Stanford Online is offering a free six week course on creativity with the help of some WMG artists including Linkin Park, Tegan and Sarah, Jason Mraz and Josh Groban. Led by Stanford Professor Tina Seelig, the course does not require music skills but instead uses video contributions from the musicians as part of a process for learning creative problem solving. Industry execs and music scholars will also make appearances.
Creativity: Music to My Ears is a massive open online course (MOOC) that is free and may well attract tens if not hundreds of thousands of students from around the world.
Creativity: Music to My Ears
The experiential course kicks off April 2 and runs through May 7. It's "designed to explore several factors that stimulate creativity in individuals, teams, and organizations."
Course instructor Tina Seelig is Professor of Practice in Management Science and Engineering at Stanford and Executive Director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. She's also the author of the course's text, "inGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity."
Here are some more details:
"In each session we will focus on a different variable related to creativity, such as reframing problems, connecting and combining ideas, and challenging assumptions."
"All of the projects in this experiential course will deal with some aspect of music, including listening, creating, and sharing."
"To deepen your understanding of music, throughout the course we will include video clips from experts in the music industry, including world-renowned Warner Music recording artists, Stanford music scholars, and industry executives who work to bring new and innovative musical expression to a global audience."
There will be weekly assignments plus a two week team project. All interactions happen online and if you haven't connected with possible team members during the initial weeks you can ask to be assigned to a group or even go solo.
Assignments will be shared with all course participants via the course's website and there will also be a related Twitter feed, Facebook page and multiple Google Hangouts.
You don't need any music skills to take the course. While it seems to be oriented towards the current interest in creativity in business settings, I bet it would also be useful for artists wanting a different take on creativity as well as those teaching courses or providing coaching to individuals in the arts or to those interested in becoming more creative.
I've had a bit of experience with MOOCs and, in addition to learning some things, I found it a unique way to meet people from around the world with shared interests.
More:
- Dave Kusek's New Artist Model Partners with Bandzoogle, Presskit.to and CMJ
- Spotify #NYC Music Education Hackathon Responds To Real Issues
- Berkleemusic Joins Coursera Education Revolution With Free Online Music Classes
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/Facebook) is currently relaunching All World Dance. To suggest topics about music tech, DIY music biz or music marketing for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
I am interested in this course. How do I signup?
Click on the course link.
There should be a “sign up” button right there on the screen.
Does this count towards credit for my college?
Only your college could answer that but probably not unless you registered for an independent study organized around the Stanford course.
That would likely require finding a teacher at your college that would agree to overseeing your independent study.
This is going to be an interesting offer.. Hope to find one here in my place too.. Keep us posted.
This looks like a great course. Signing up!