“Music is life,” says Ange, a Computer Science student and member of the on-campus club JamNetwork. This is a sentiment shared by many members of the club, which dedicates itself to creating a space for music-loving individuals to play together in a casual, improvisational space.
For some students who are a part of JamNetwork, the club also empowers them to explore the diversity of sound while discovering unexpected harmonies between music and mathematics.
Many JamNetwork executives as well as club members belong to the Faculty of Mathematics. The executive secretary, Imaan (Computer Science), explains that math and music are linked.
The end-of-term Jamboree allows club members to show off their talents
“So much of Western music theory is very mathematical at its core,” Imaan says. “There’s so much that deals with numbers and identifying patterns that leads to a really beautiful connection between the two and lets you use the same parts of your brain to think about both music and math.”
Executives of this club have created a sub-club to teach members about the link between math and music and its effectiveness. This JamNetwork extension is called “Theory and Composition” and it is run by the events leader, Charlie. He explains that this sub-club “explores a variety of mathematical questions and applies them to music.” “In these sessions we examine musical intervals and compare their sound to the mathematical qualities,” he says.
Almost every day, students from across the university’s Faculties gather for multi-hour jam sessions. While the mix of individual students might vary from day to day, the format generally remains the same.
Ange explains what a typical jam session looks like: “[Members] split off into multiple rooms: one loud room with the drum kit and amps, the other quieter, usually just a mic and acoustic guitars.”
But jamming isn’t all this club does. “We also have lots of workshops, open mics, and our end of term Jamboree!” adds Imaan.
The Jamboree is similar to an end of term concert, explains Charlie. The Jamboree connects all the different bands and sub-clubs of the JamNetwork and allows them to perform their work. This event not only showcases the talents of the JamNetwork, but is also a collaboration with other clubs as well, such as the acapella club.
For Ange, JamNetwork was an essential part of feeling comfortable in his first year at the University of Waterloo: “I actually found and joined the club Discord before my classes even started. I just showed up to the first jam and had a blast meeting new people and playing music”.
He has stayed, he says, because he enjoys the diversity of music he gets to experience. “People play everything from pop, to jazz, to bluegrass, to metal, and everything in between.”
Imaan adds that “[music] is such a pure and diverse form of creative expression with endless ways for you to use it to voice thoughts and feelings, and so universally present in all parts of our lives.”
JamNetwork members often find that sessions give them a deeper understanding of harmony.
“Music theory and harmony is all about math: it’s just numbers,” says Ange. “Building chords and melodies all comes from different intervals that have different harmonic qualities. Time signature, rhythm, measure subdivisions: they’re all just a bunch of numbers too.”
Beyond musical harmony, the JamNetwork also helps members build meaningful relationships.
Imaan says that meeting other people who were passionate about music is what has kept him in the club - as well as its accessibility. “It’s super welcoming and inclusive by design, as it’s meant to be a place for musicians of all styles and experience levels,” he says.
Charlie explains that the club was created because there wasn’t a place on campus for casual musicians. JamNetwork is meant to be a musical hub for individuals of all skill levels to network with each other, have fun, and learn something new.
For both Ange and Iman, the JamNetwork is a club of acceptance, a place where students can embrace their differences and celebrate in their shared interests. Ange explains that it is a club “filled with people who don't care who you vote for – just don't mislabel a subgenre of metal!” he jokes.
At the end of the day, Ange says, “It’s just fun. It’s as simple as that”.
To learn more about JamNetwork and how you can attend an upcoming session visit the club's Discord here.
This piece is part of an ongoing series about connections between Math and Music: you can read previous entries in the series here and here.
