A brand new, multidisciplinary MIT graduate program in music technology and computation will characteristic college, labs, and curricula from throughout the Institute.
This system is a collaboration between the Music and Theater Arts Section within the College 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 know-how strikes me as each a obligatory and a provocative gesture — an essential leap in an period being quickly redefined by exponential development in computation, synthetic intelligence, and human-computer interactions of each conceivable type,” says Jay Scheib, head of the MIT Music and Theater Arts Part and the Class of 1949 Professor.
“Music performs a sublime position on the fore of a exceptional convergence of artwork and know-how,” provides Scheib. “It’s the fitting time to launch this program and if not at MIT, then the place?”
MIT’s practitioners outline music know-how as the sector of scientific inquiry the place they examine, uncover, and develop new computational approaches to music that embody music info retrieval; synthetic intelligence; machine studying; generative algorithms; interplay and efficiency techniques; digital instrument design; conceptual and perceptual modeling of music; acoustics; audio sign processing; and software program improvement for artistic expression and music purposes.
Eran Egozy, professor of the follow in music know-how and one of many program leads, says MIT’s focus is technical analysis in music know-how that all the time facilities the humanistic and creative features of creating music.
“There are such a lot of MIT college students who’re fabulous musicians,” says Egozy. “We’ll method music know-how as laptop scientists, mathematicians, and musicians.”
With the launch of this new program — an providing alongside these out there in MIT’s Media Lab and elsewhere — Egozy sees MIT changing into the apparent vacation spot for college students focused on music and computation examine, getting 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 huge concepts
This system will embody two grasp’s levels and a PhD:
- The Grasp of Science (MS) is a two-semester, thesis-based program out there solely to MIT undergraduates. One semester of fellowship is mechanically awarded to all admitted college students. The primary class will enroll in fall 2025.
- The Grasp of Utilized Science (MAS) is a two-semester, coursework-based program out there to all college students. One semester of fellowship funding is mechanically awarded to all admitted college students. Purposes for this program will open in fall 2025.
- The PhD program is offered to all college students, who would apply to MIT’s College of Engineering.
Anna Huang, a brand new MIT assistant professor who holds a shared college place between the MIT Music and Theater Arts Part and the MIT Schwarzman Faculty 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 Mind 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 focuses on generative music know-how, my long-term purpose is to develop AI techniques that may shed new gentle on how we perceive, be taught, and create music, and to be taught from interactions between musicians in an effort to remodel how we method human-AI collaboration,” says Huang. “This new program will allow us to additional examine how musical purposes can illuminate issues in understanding neural networks, for instance.”
MIT’s new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building, that includes enhanced music know-how areas, will even assist remodel music schooling with versatile efficiency venues and optimized rehearsal services.
A pure dwelling for music know-how
MIT’s world-class, top-ranked engineering program, mixed with its concentrate on computation and its conservatory-level music schooling choices, makes the Institute a pure dwelling for the continued growth of music know-how schooling.
The collaborative nature of the brand new program is the newest instance of interdisciplinary work occurring throughout the Institute.
“I’m thrilled that the College of Engineering is partnering with the MIT Music and Theater Arts Part on this essential initiative, which represents the convergence of assorted engineering areas — reminiscent of AI and design — with music,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the College of Engineering, chief innovation and technique officer, and the Vannevar Bush Professor of EECS. “I can’t wait to see the progressive tasks the scholars will create and the way they’ll drive this new area ahead.”
“Everybody on campus is aware of that MIT is a good place to do music. However I would like folks to return to MIT due to what we do in music,” says Agustin Rayo, the Kenan Sahin Dean of SHASS. “This excellent collaboration with the Schwarzman Faculty of Computing and the College of Engineering will make that dream a actuality, by bringing collectively the world’s greatest engineers with our extraordinary musicians to create the subsequent era of music applied sciences.”
“The brand new grasp’s program provides college students an unparalleled alternative to discover the intersection of music and know-how,” says Daniel Huttenlocher, dean of the MIT Schwarzman Faculty of Computing and the Henry Ellis Warren Professor of EECS. “It equips them with a deep understanding of this confluence, getting ready them to advance new approaches to computational fashions of music and be on the forefront of an evolving space.”
