A new, multidisciplinary MIT graduate program in music expertise and computation will function college, labs, and curricula from throughout the Institute.
The program 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 new graduate program in music technology strikes me as both a necessary and a provocative gesture — an important leap in an era being rapidly redefined by exponential growth in computation, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interactions of every conceivable kind,” says Jay Scheib, head of the MIT Music and Theater Arts Section and the Class of 1949 Professor.
“Music plays an elegant role at the fore of a remarkable convergence of art and technology,” provides Scheib. “It’s the right time to launch this program and if not at MIT, then where?”
MIT’s practitioners outline music expertise as the sector of scientific inquiry the place they examine, uncover, and develop new computational approaches to music that embody music data retrieval; synthetic intelligence; machine studying; generative algorithms; interplay and efficiency methods; digital instrument design; conceptual and perceptual modeling of music; acoustics; audio sign processing; and software program growth for artistic expression and music functions.
Eran Egozy, professor of the apply in music expertise and one of many program leads, says MIT’s focus is technical analysis in music expertise that at all times facilities the humanistic and inventive facets of creating music.
“There are so many MIT students who are fabulous musicians,” says Egozy. “We’ll approach music technology as computer scientists, mathematicians, and musicians.”
With the launch of this new program — an providing alongside these obtainable in MIT’s Media Lab and elsewhere — Egozy sees MIT changing into the plain vacation spot for college kids inquisitive about music and computation examine, making ready high-impact graduates for roles in academia and trade, whereas additionally serving to mildew artistic, big-picture thinkers who can sort out massive challenges.
Investigating large concepts
The program will embody two grasp’s levels and a PhD:
- The Master of Science (MS) is a two-semester, thesis-based program obtainable solely to MIT undergraduates. One semester of fellowship is mechanically awarded to all admitted college students. The top notch will enroll in fall 2025.
- The Master of Applied Science (MAS) is a two-semester, coursework-based program obtainable to all college students. One semester of fellowship funding is mechanically awarded to all admitted college students. Applications for this program will open in fall 2025.
- The PhD program is obtainable to all college students, who would apply to MIT’s School of Engineering.
Anna Huang, a new MIT assistant professor who holds a shared college place 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 studying, and human-computer interplay to help human-AI partnerships in music-making.
“As a composer turned AI researcher who specializes in generative music technology, my long-term goal is to develop AI systems that can shed new light on how we understand, learn, and create music, and to learn from interactions between musicians in order to transform how we approach human-AI collaboration,” says Huang. “This new program will let us further investigate how musical applications can illuminate problems in understanding neural networks, for example.”
MIT’s new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building, that includes enhanced music expertise areas, may even assist remodel music training with versatile efficiency venues and optimized rehearsal amenities.
A pure dwelling for music expertise
MIT’s world-class, top-ranked engineering program, mixed with its give attention to computation and its conservatory-level music training choices, makes the Institute a pure dwelling for the continued growth of music expertise training.
The collaborative nature of the new program is the newest instance of interdisciplinary work taking place throughout the Institute.
“I am thrilled that the School of Engineering is partnering with the MIT Music and Theater Arts Section on this important initiative, which represents the convergence of various engineering areas — such as AI and design — with music,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the School of Engineering, chief innovation and technique officer, and the Vannevar Bush Professor of EECS. “I can’t wait to see the innovative projects the students will create and how they will drive this new field forward.”
“Everyone on campus knows that MIT is a great place to do music. But I want people to come to MIT because of 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 next generation of music technologies.”
“The 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 new approaches to computational models of music and be at the forefront of an evolving area.”