ESP Biography



SARAH MCCARTHY, ESP Teacher



Major: Musicology (PhD)

College/Employer: Stanford

Year of Graduation: Not available.

Picture of Sarah McCarthy

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I am a second year PhD student in the musicology program at Stanford. Before coming to Stanford I earned my B.A. at UC Davis, with an emphasis in ethnomusicology. I wrote my honors thesis on tango. As a result of my interest in game music I also pursued electronic music as an undergrad. My current research is within the field of ethnomusicology, with a focus on the musics of Oceania.

Teaching is one of my favorite activities, so I am really looking forward to the opportunity to teach with Stanford Splash!



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

V3432: Intro to Video Game Music in Splash! Spring 2014 (Apr. 12 - 13, 2014)
Game studies is an academic discipline in its infancy. Game sound and music design are major aspects of the gaming experience. In this class we will examine the history and practice of video game music. We will explore questions like: Why was music included in games? How has gaming music changed over time? How does music affect the user experience? What are some of the common tropes of video game music? How is game music created and implemented? We will start our journey with the "beeps" and "boops" of the earliest arcade games and end with a look at major symphonic scores and mobile gaming music.