Music Technology (B.A.)

The mission of the Music Program is to teach the theory, literature, and performance of music, and the theory and practice of Music Technology, to the highest attainable standard in the context of a liberal arts environment, with an orientation towards performance and study in both Western and Arab music.

The Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology is a liberal arts degree which prepares students for a career in sound engineering, ie. music recording, editing, production, and broadcasting, or for graduate study in the field. The curriculum involves a sequence of courses in music recording, editing, and production, music for video and film, and electronic music. Such training is crucial not only for students interested in a career in these professions, but also to performers and teachers who need to create and edit demos and audition tracks, to use music files in web sites and other internet applications, or to prepare and market recordings of their own performances and compositions.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology
 

In order to complete the Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology, a student will:

• Learn to read music, and acquire intermediate listening and sight-reading skills.
• Learn fundamental principles of music theory, both Western and Arab.
• Demonstrate the ability to play the piano at an intermediate level or better, and to use the keyboard as a tool for music data entry; more advanced students may also present part of a solo recital, in piano, some other instrument, or voice, with the permission of their teacher.
• Acquire a basic ability to compose and arrange using MIDI (musical instrument digital interface), the protocol for the transmission of music data between electronic musical instruments.
• Learn advanced techniques of recording, editing, mixing, and mastering with digital audio workstations (DAWs) and other editing software.
• Acquire an advanced understanding of the use of music events (i.e. MIDI and related technologies) using synthesizers and samplers.

Declaration of the Major in Music Technology

To be eligible to declare a major in Music Technology, students must take three courses:

• MUSC 2200 - Introduction to Music (3 cr.)  
• MUSC 2300 - Introduction to Music Technology (3 cr.)  
• MUSC 2301 - Music Production Using Digital Audio Workstations I (3 cr.)  

A final recommendation is made by the Head of Music Technology and Music Program Director after an interview with members of the Music Technology faculty.

A total of 120 credits are required for the bachelor’s degree in music technology.