Bachelor of Science in Music Technology
The Bachelor of Science in Music Technology (BSMT) is a four-year degree program instilling students with technical, theoretical, and creative skills required to pursue professional careers in the growing field of music technology. Students enroll in both traditional music studies, (music theory, aural skills, keyboard studies, and applied instrument lessons) as well as our wide-ranging and innovative technology courses of Recording and Production, Creative Music Technology, Digital Signal Processing for Music, and Interface and Instrument Design. The degree culminates with presentation of a capstone project, combining a student's creative, technical, theoretical, and historical knowledge. One hundred and twenty (120) hours of coursework are required with a concentration in an allied field such as computer technology. The degree is designed as a four-year course of study.
The BSMT program covers the following areas of focus:
- Essentials of Music Technology: Concepts include acoustics, psychoacoustics, analog and digitalaudio, MIDI, and digital notation.
- Recording and Production: Technical competency in industry-standard recording software, techniques, and equipment. Concepts include analog and digital recording, microphone design and placement, studio design and setup, mixing, and mastering.
- Live electronic manipulation and performance: Concepts include hardware and software for live music creation, audio interfaces and live equipment setup, control interfaces for live manipulation of analog and digital instruments, and performance practice.
- Creation and Composition through Music Technology: The use of technology in creating, composing, and making music in both live and studio practices. Concepts include composition and notation software, and the theory and practice of composition with music technology.
- Digital Signal Processing and Synthesis: Software design through the use of a graphic programming environment. Concepts include audio and video digital signal processing, sound synthesis, and interactive and generative media.
- Interface and Instrument Design: The development of new instruments and interfaces using software programming and hardware construction.
Application to the BSMT Program
Students who intend to major in Music Technology must submit a departmental application, availablefrom the Music and Arts Technology department (IT352) or online athttp://www.engr.iupui.edu/departments/mat/, as well as a university online application athttp://enroll.iupui.edu/admissions/apply/. Applicants are required to perform a live audition (see Audition Requirements below) and an interview. Applicants must have either a high school diploma (with a minimum grade point average of 3.0) or a valid GED. TOEFL score are required for international students. Additional information may be requested to document musical skills or experience with technology.
Admission Requirements
Students pursuing admission to the Bachelor of Science in Music Technology degree must complete the following:
- Must first be accepted to IUPUI
- Submission of the Department of Music and Arts Technology application
- Successful audition and interview session
The audition and interview will be scheduled during a single audition time slot. Audition times can be found at http://www.engr.iupui.edu/departments/mat/. Auditions are good for a calendar year.
BSMT Audition Requirements and Expectations
Applicants to the Bachelor of Science in Music Technology are expected to show potential for success in a rigorous collegiate degree program. In addition to formal application documents, a required audition/interview session provides an opportunity for the applicant to demonstrate interests, skills, and experiences in one or more of the following areas:
- performance capacities on one or more musical instruments or voice
- knowledge of software or hardware music technologies
- music composition and/or other creative endeavors related to the arts
- comprehension of music theory
While an applicant is not required to demonstrate in all areas noted above, the audition committee seeks applicants likely to excel in a degree program balancing music technology course-work with music theory and performance/creative skills. Upon initial application, the department must be informed of a primary acoustic musical instrument/voice or a contemporary music technology instrument (example: laptop, midicontrollers, etc.) to be used in the audition. This designation will be the student's "primary" instrument for their study in the BSMT Program. Beyond demonstrating instrument performance skills, an applicant may bring hard copy materials, or computer-based demonstrations to illuminate skills and experiences in any of the other areas noted above. Please contact the department with questions of audition expectations or how best to present materials in front of the audition committee. If you are interested in auditioning for our degree program, but travel distance from Indianapolis prohibits an in-person audition, you may contact the department to request a remote video audition.
Audition Requirements -Instrumentalist or Voice as Primary Instrument
- Perform two contrasting pieces of repertoire for your instrument.
- Perform major scales in 1-2 octaves.
- Site reading examples. (provided at the audition)
Students are encouraged to choose repertoire that best represents their experience, skill level, and artistic range. For questions regarding instrument specific details, make a request to the department for this information and the appropriate instrument area coordinator will contact you.
Audition Requirements -Music Technology as Primary Instrument
The prospective student must supply three different pieces demonstrating a variety of experience and skill with music technologies. These pieces may be submitted in a recorded format for viewing at the audition, in advance (audio or video recordings, as appropriate), or performed live, if applicable. In the audition committee interview the applicant must clearly articulate their role in each submitted piece and by what means they employed music technology. The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate competency witha fully featured DAW (Logic, ProTools, Ableton Live, etc.), understand basic concepts of mixing audio, work methods for digital and analog audio, and be able to articulate standard functions of audio hardware. Experience with one or more acoustic instruments, music theory, composition and/or arranging are also desirable. The student pursuing music technology as a performance medium will take private music technology lessons for the duration of their degree program and serve performance, creative, and/or production roles with appropriate department ensembles.
Fore more information about audition expectations and details on how to schedule an audition, visit http://www.engr.iupui.edu/dapartments/mat/.
Admission Categories
Upon receipt of the completed application, letters of recommendation, transcript, evidence of musicianship, and the interview, the Graduate Admissions Committee of the IU Department of Music and Arts Technology at IUPUI may grant regular admission, grant admission on probation, or reject the application.
Music Minor
The music minor is available to students majoring in other areas of study at IUPUI. Students must submit an application for the music minor, available online athttp://www.engr.iupui.edu/departments/mat/. No audition is required for the minor.
Music Minor Requirements
The undergraduate Minor in Music requires students to complete 20 credit hours made up of the following requirements:
All courses must be completed with a C or higher to count toward the minor. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required to award the minor. A minimum of 10 credit hours must be taken at IUPUI.
