Music Technology

Music Technology encompasses the application of recent computer technologies to document, shape, and create audio and music. Because almost all sound that we experience today comes to the listener through speakers, headphones, and earbuds, applications of music technology in radio, television, film, and digital gaming are vast. Courses within Music Technology provide educational opportunities to develop knowledge in these broad areas.

Analyzing our data-rich world to understand it is essential. In the data science domain area of Music Technology, students will develop skills and knowledge related to the areas of data sonification and data mapping that increasingly are applied in professional work. Data sonification, the mapping data to sonic parameters to articulate features in data, extends to many other fields such as mathematics, ecology, cybersecurity, and astrophysics. Audio production techniques that are necessary to vivify data round out the music technology domain specialization.

The primary coursework emphasizes the development of knowledge about data mapping, the creation of original data sets, and audio production procedures essential to making the final sonified output valuable.

You will take three music technology domain core courses and four courses from the electives menu.

Music Technology Core Courses (all three required)

course title quarter offered*
MUS 227 Elements of Electronic Music Winter, Spring
MUS 447 Digital Audio and Sound Design Fall, Winter, Spring
MUS 470 History of Electroacoustic Music Fall

Music Technology Electives (choose two in addition to MUS 448 & MUS 479)

course title quarter offered*
MUS 448 Interactive Media Performance (required) Fall
MUS 479 Data Sonification (required) Winter
MUS 360 Hip-Hop Music: History, Culture, Aesthetics Fall, Winter
MUS 445 Electronic Composition Fall, Winter, Spring
MUS 476 Digital Audio Workstation Techniques I Fall
MUS 483 Audio Effects Theory and Design Fall

*Course schedules are subject to change.