A brand new, multidisciplinary MIT graduate program in music technology and computation will feature faculty, labs, and curricula from across the Institute.
This system is a collaboration between the Music and Theater Arts Section within the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS); Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) within the School of Engineering; and the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing.
“The launch of a brand new graduate program in music technology strikes me as each a vital and a provocative gesture — a very important leap in an era being rapidly redefined by exponential growth in computation, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interactions of each conceivable kind,” says Jay Scheib, head of the MIT Music and Theater Arts Section and the Class of 1949 Professor.
“Music plays a chic role on the fore of a remarkable convergence of art and technology,” adds Scheib. “It’s the suitable time to launch this program and if not at MIT, then where?”
MIT’s practitioners define music technology as the sphere of scientific inquiry where they study, discover, and develop latest computational approaches to music that include music information retrieval; artificial intelligence; machine learning; generative algorithms; interaction and performance systems; digital instrument design; conceptual and perceptual modeling of music; acoustics; audio signal processing; and software development for creative expression and music applications.
Eran Egozy, professor of the practice in music technology and considered one of this system leads, says MIT’s focus is technical research in music technology that at all times centers the humanistic and artistic points of constructing music.
“There are such a lot of MIT students who’re fabulous musicians,” says Egozy. “We’ll approach music technology as computer scientists, mathematicians, and musicians.”
With the launch of this latest program — an offering alongside those available in MIT’s Media Lab and elsewhere — Egozy sees MIT becoming the plain destination for college students involved in music and computation study, preparing high-impact graduates for roles in academia and industry, while also helping mold creative, big-picture thinkers who can tackle large challenges.
Investigating big ideas
This system will encompass two master’s degrees and a PhD:
- The Master of Science (MS) is a two-semester, thesis-based program available only to MIT undergraduates. One semester of fellowship is routinely awarded to all admitted students. The top notch will enroll in fall 2025.
- The Master of Applied Science (MAS) is a two-semester, coursework-based program available to all students. One semester of fellowship funding is routinely awarded to all admitted students. Applications for this program will open in fall 2025.
- The PhD program is on the market to all students, who would apply to MIT’s School of Engineering.
Anna Huang, a brand new MIT assistant professor who holds a shared faculty position between the MIT Music and Theater Arts Section and the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, is collaborating with Egozy to develop and launch this system. Huang arrived at MIT this fall after spending eight years with Magenta at Google Brain and DeepMind, spearheading efforts in generative modeling, reinforcement learning, and human-computer interaction to support human-AI partnerships in music-making.
“As a composer turned AI researcher who focuses on generative music technology, my long-term goal is to develop AI systems that may shed latest light on how we understand, learn, and create music, and to learn from interactions between musicians with a view to transform how we approach human-AI collaboration,” says Huang. “This latest program will allow us to further investigate how musical applications can illuminate problems in understanding neural networks, for instance.”
MIT’s latest Edward and Joyce Linde Music Constructing, featuring enhanced music technology spaces, can even help transform music education with versatile performance venues and optimized rehearsal facilities.
A natural home for music technology
MIT’s world-class, top-ranked engineering program, combined with its give attention to computation and its conservatory-level music education offerings, makes the Institute a natural home for the continued expansion of music technology education.
The collaborative nature of the brand new program is the newest example of interdisciplinary work happening across the Institute.
“I’m thrilled that the School of Engineering is partnering with the MIT Music and Theater Arts Section on this necessary initiative, which represents the convergence of assorted engineering areas — corresponding to AI and design — with music,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the School of Engineering, chief innovation and strategy officer, and the Vannevar Bush Professor of EECS. “I can’t wait to see the progressive projects the scholars will create and the way they are going to drive this latest field forward.”
“Everyone on campus knows that MIT is an ideal place to do music. But I need people to return to MIT due to what we do in music,” says Agustin Rayo, the Kenan Sahin Dean of SHASS. “This outstanding collaboration with the Schwarzman College of Computing and the School of Engineering will make that dream a reality, by bringing together the world’s best engineers with our extraordinary musicians to create the following generation of music technologies.”
“The brand new master’s program offers students an unparalleled opportunity to explore the intersection of music and technology,” says Daniel Huttenlocher, dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and the Henry Ellis Warren Professor of EECS. “It equips them with a deep understanding of this confluence, preparing them to advance latest approaches to computational models of music and be on the forefront of an evolving area.”
