Minor in Music Engineering
The Minor in Music Engineering provides students with experiences at the intersection of music and technology. Students learn the technologies behind music-making, both traditional and modern, and how new technologies can be applied to musical goals. The minor is available to students both in the School of Engineering and the School of Arts & Sciences.
Courses include:
- Music theory and composition
- Music technology
- Acoustic and electronic instrument design
- Music recording and production
- Analog and digital electronics
- Computer programming
- Fluid mechanics
- Acoustics
- Vibration
- Automation
- Materials engineering
- Sound sculpture
- Electronic Music Ensemble
- History of Electronic Music
Program co-directors:
- Paul Lehrman, Senior Lecturer, Department of Music
- Chris Rogers, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Requirements:
- 5 courses
- At least two courses with engineering course designations
- Final project (6 units in total) with three possible emphases:
- Music recording and production
- Electronic instrument design
- Acoustic instrument design
Students can participate in the program by taking individual courses, by engaging in research projects, and/or by taking the Minor in Music Engineering. Students interested in the minor should speak with a program advisor early in their undergraduate careers to ensure the requirements for the minor are met.
Each student taking the minor must have a minor faculty advisor who approves course selections and mentors the final project. A list of approved courses available at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts is available from the program directors.
More detailed course information and descriptions can be found on SIS.
Track Minor Checklists:
History and Sponsors
The Music Engineering program was originally launched in 1998 as the Musical Instrument Engineering program, and was funded in part by Steinway & Sons and Selmer Instruments, with an emphasis on research in acoustic musical instrument design and manufacture. In 2011, the program was expanded to include two other tracks: Music Recording and Production, and Electronic Instrument Design.
The Music Engineering program is funded in part by Steinway & Sons and is supported by the Departments of Music and Physics in the School of Arts and Sciences; the School of Engineering's Departments of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering; and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. In 2011, Steinway & Sons provided funding for the program, specifically supporting undergraduate research projects in music engineering. Subsequent projects have been funded by Avedis Zildjian Co. and QRS Music.