Here are some of the courses that I have been teaching.

Psychoacoustics

This class provides the necessary basis for understanding how we hear the world around us.  The course is multidisciplinary, with contributions from the academic disciplines of music, biology, physiology, psychology, and physics.  It will examine how the human auditory system processes the information it receives, and how physical attributes of sound translate into perceptual attributes such as loudness, pitch, and timbre.  Numerous demonstrations are used to reinforce the theoretical material presented in the lectures.

Perception and Cognition of Sound

This class is a continuing course after the course of Psychoacoustics. Students will design their own experiments, participate in each other’s experiments, and finish statistical analysis of the results. The lab component provided the students an opportunity to measure their own psychoacoustic parameters. Higher-order processing in cognition of sound and music will be introduced and discussed in lectures.

Studies in Hearing (Auditory Physiology)

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of human hearing physiology as well as issues relating to hearing loss and conservation.  It is important for any audio professional to understand how complex and delicate the human hearing system is.  We must also realize the significance of the fact that society is, only now, beginning to address the problem of environmentally induced hearing loss.  The first part of the course will address hearing physiology.  The course will focus on the mechanical systems of hearing; starting with the reception of acoustic energy and ending with the delivery of neural signals to the brain. This will give students the necessary foundation knowledge to engage in presentations and discussions covering the topics of hearing loss and conservation in the second part of the course.

Studies in Applied Acoustics (Musical Acoustics)

This course studies acoustics in music.  Musical acoustics is an interdisciplinary field combining science and art.  By discussing various musical instruments and audio recordings from a scientific point of view, as well as some topics in music theory (e.g. temperament), the course provides a better picture of the science of sound in musical performance and recording, and students will have a better understanding of physical mechanism producing various timbres and therefore can apply the knowledge in recording, sound reinforcement, and musical performance.

Acoustical Testing I

The testing of an acoustical space represents the “proof of performance” of the design phase.  This course will introduce students to a variety of testing tools and techniques to be used in a wide range of situations.  The course makes extensive use of “real world” situations to present the need for accurate testing and reinforce the methodology introduced during the lectures.

Acoustical Testing II

This course is a continuation of Acoustical Testing I.  The class is run like an independent project where the student is required to pick a semester-long analysis project.  Student progress is monitored at regular intervals.  The project is presented to the entire class at the end of the semester and is evaluated on the basis of the quality of the data, the organization of the project, and the support for the conclusions that are drawn from the data.

Introduction to Vibration (including Differential Equations)

The purpose of this class is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of vibration theory, experimental analysis, and vibration control.  The class focuses on the free and forced vibration of mechanical systems with an emphasis on practical applications in the areas of rotating machinery, isolation, and noise reduction.  Excessive vibration is often the cause of unwanted sound or noise.  Understanding the effects of vibration enhances the understanding of noise-related issues in buildings and the environment.

Architectural Acoustics

This course focuses on the acoustical aspects of enclosed spaces (e.g., performance halls and residential buildings), and introduces concepts and parameters such as wave numbers, room modes, reverberation, absorption, reflection, diffusion and scattering, diffraction, materials, noise control, transmission loss. Through lectures and design case studies, students will study analytical techniques to determine relevant acoustical parameters in an enclosed space.

Acoustical Modeling

Modeling has become an essential component of the acoustical design process. This course reviews the modeling options currently available to acoustical designers and presents the strengths and limitations of the various methods. By using some of the commercial software currently available and by designing their own computer programs, the students will perform modeling exercises for a variety of acoustical environments. An extensive portion of the class is devoted to modeling the projects undertaken in the course of Acoustical Testing II and both courses must be taken concurrently.

Arts of Human Voice

A good voice is required for stage performance, the recording industry, and media programs. To provide a good voice to the audience, it is a joint effort by performers, sound engineers, and acoustic design of the space. This course will cover various aspects related to the human voice, including voice timbre, linguistic aspects, speech intelligibility, masking effects (e.g., by the orchestra), and the possible methods to improve the sound quality of the human voice. The instructor demonstrates various voice timbres and presents different effects through video and audio demonstrations.

Arts of Chinese Traditional Performance

There are many forms of Chinese traditional performance. The styles vary significantly because of the various cultural backgrounds and dialects. In this course, a selection of Chinese performing art forms, such as Peking opera and other Chinese traditional operas, Quyi, Chinese folk songs, Chinese traditional music, and Chinese dance, are introduced. They represent the philosophy and aesthetics of Chinese people. These Chinese art forms are also compared with Western styles. Their cultural background and technical background (e.g., linguistic and acoustical aspects) are discussed.