ABSTRACT
We propose an approach to electronic music teaching centered on user-modifiable open technologies rather than closed, proprietary solutions. This approach offers students the theoretical knowledge and technical skills to 1) develop critical thinking about the convoluted relations between humans and technologies and 2) resist neoliberal ideologies that are infiltrating many forms of technologies. We draw parallels between hackers and electronic music composers, who appropriate technologies by subverting original meanings and in turn construct new ontologies. Through the case study of an open-source maker platform adopted in a classroom, we identify the pedagogical benefits of open-source solutions and appropriation.
