What is the derivative of music?

In our continuing effort to prove to students that Signals & Systems is not just another mathematics course taught by the ECE Department, we ask the question, What is the Derivative of Music? The first-order difference (or first-difference) is an incredibly simple algorithm that very accurately approximates the numeric derivative operator, especially for oversampled signals. Its inverse also accurately approximates the numeric integration operator, but not without numeric difficulty. Given a real-time demonstration using winDSK8, we can now show students that these mathematical operators provide powerful signal processing filtering tools for real-world signals. During this ASEE session, we will include the demonstration that the derivative operator is more than a symbolic mathematical operator and much more than just another academic exercise. We have successfully used winDSK, winDSK6, and the latest version, winDSK8, to provide demonstrations of any number of concepts during outreach (K-12 events), at freshman motivational events, and in junior, senior, and even graduate ECE courses.