Statement of Purpose - Mike Cirillo fiddler fiddle jazz violin violinist ...
Statement of Purpose - Mike Cirillo fiddler fiddle jazz violin violinist ...
Statement of Purpose - Mike Cirillo fiddler fiddle jazz violin violinist ...
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<strong>Statement</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Purpose</strong><br />
PhD in Media Arts and Sciences<br />
Michael <strong>Cirillo</strong><br />
I am a <strong>jazz</strong> <strong>violin</strong>ist, <strong><strong>fiddle</strong>r</strong>, and composer. I began studying <strong>violin</strong> at age four. By twelve I<br />
was gigging several nights a week throughout Arizona, and by fifteen performing regularly at<br />
national <strong>jazz</strong> festivals including twice at the prestigious Sacramento Jazz Festival.<br />
I also competed in fiddling contests. In 1990, at age nineteen, I won the title <strong>of</strong> Arizona<br />
State Grand Fiddle Champion and Arizona State Guitar Accompanist Champion.<br />
Since then I have made my living playing music. I have performed for Hugh Hefner and<br />
Justine Timberlake in Hollywood, played <strong>fiddle</strong> at Planet Hollywood in Paris, and worked as a<br />
strolling <strong>violin</strong>ist on a cruise ship to Ensenada.<br />
Recent performances include music festivals in Paris, Italy, and Luxemburg. Recent local<br />
venues include concerts for the Tucson Jazz Society and ASU’s Kerr Cultural Center.<br />
I have been fortunate to work with <strong>jazz</strong> <strong>violin</strong> great Johnny Frigo, <strong>jazz</strong> mandolin legend David<br />
Grisman, country music icon Glen Campbell, and Nashville dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas.<br />
I also enjoy teaching. Recently I taught a graduate workshop in Alternative Violin<br />
Performance and Pedagogy (March 2010) at ASU, and instructed K-12 orchestra teachers in<br />
fiddling and <strong>jazz</strong> <strong>violin</strong> at the Rolland Fiddle Camp (July 2011) in Colorado. I am scheduled for<br />
another graduate workshop in Alternative Violin Performance and Pedagogy at ASU in April<br />
2012, and will again be teaching at the Rolland Fiddle Camp in July 2012.<br />
Computational media has always been important to my work. I have owned and operated a<br />
commercial project studio for 25 years. I am comfortable with many media authoring<br />
applications:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Sonar (digital audio workstation, composition)<br />
Finale (music notation, composition)<br />
Blender (3D modeling, animation, compositing, video editing)<br />
Mathematica (data visualization and sonification, algorithmic composition)<br />
Processing (data visualization and sonification, interactive media)<br />
Micros<strong>of</strong>t Expression Studio (interactive media, UI, web development)<br />
Micros<strong>of</strong>t Visual Studio (integrated development environment: C# and VB)<br />
miscellaneous (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects)<br />
I have experience in several computer languages:<br />
Python<br />
C#<br />
Processing<br />
Mathematica<br />
<br />
<br />
Java<br />
Visual Basic<br />
From Arizona State University I have earned a Master <strong>of</strong> Liberal Studies (2006), a Bachelor <strong>of</strong><br />
Music in Theory and Composition (2003), and a Bachelor <strong>of</strong> Music in Jazz Violin (2003).<br />
Please see the next page for my specific research interests and portfolio links.<br />
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<strong>Statement</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Purpose</strong><br />
PhD in Media Arts and Sciences<br />
Michael <strong>Cirillo</strong><br />
Experiential Media Composition and Performance<br />
Experiential Media Systems inspire big questions: What kinds <strong>of</strong> relationships can humans<br />
and machines have What can we learn about human creativity by modeling it algorithmically<br />
What can the capabilities and limitations <strong>of</strong> algorithmic processes reveal about the human<br />
condition How do we best use machines in creative enterprise How are humans different<br />
from machines What is the role <strong>of</strong> affect in algorithmically generated music and art<br />
Informatics<br />
I am interested in common information abstractions and computational methods with<br />
broad trans-disciplinary reach. Can informatics serve as a fundamental language for transdisciplinary<br />
research How do we organize and sift through large amounts <strong>of</strong> data to create new<br />
and useful information How do we encode abstract information into comprehensible forms<br />
In what ways can experiential media provide tangible metaphors for otherwise highly abstract<br />
concepts What role can music and the arts play in this emerging and proliferating field What<br />
role should informatics play in K-12 and University education<br />
Narrative, Information, and the Brain<br />
What forms can narrative take Why is narrative entertaining What role does narrative<br />
play in cognition and ontology construction What kinds <strong>of</strong> information can narrative encode<br />
and convey How does narrative relate to other forms <strong>of</strong> information encoding How do we<br />
deal computationally with narrative and meaning<br />
Music, Computation, and the Brain<br />
What happens in the brain when we create and enjoy music Why does music make us feel<br />
the way it does Why does music training enhance cognitive performance Why does music<br />
training reduce age related cognitive decline How are music and mathematics related in the<br />
brain What is the role <strong>of</strong> affect in algorithmic composition What can we learn about musical<br />
creativity by modeling it computationally What can informatics teach us about music<br />
Conclusion<br />
For examples <strong>of</strong> music and computational media, please visit my website,<br />
www.<strong><strong>fiddle</strong>r</strong>mike.com. Click on the “Laboratory” tab and scroll to the bottom <strong>of</strong> the page for<br />
application portfolio and links.<br />
Arizona State University’s emphasis on innovation and trans-disciplinary research make<br />
it an ideal home-base from which to explore these topics. I look forward to producing highquality<br />
research and innovative new works. Thanks for your consideration.<br />
<strong>Mike</strong> <strong>Cirillo</strong><br />
mike@<strong><strong>fiddle</strong>r</strong>mike.com<br />
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