New & Noteworthy

Surveys the relationship between music and technology from the Paleolithic Age to the present. Examines the origins and impact of diverse musical instruments, with attention to connections between musical and technological developments; the reasons instruments are accepted, modified, or abandoned; and debates about the effects of new technologies on music. Considers such forces as standardization, institutionalization, and commodification—as well as experimentation, hacker, and DIY cultures—and asks whether music technologies are just tools or rather carry with them ethical values and ramifications. By studying the sociocultural history of such instruments as the violin, piano, electric guitar, and synthesizer, offers students an opportunity to gain an understanding of the interplay between technological change and the enduring human need for music.

This combined major is an interdisciplinary program in which students are encouraged to explore connections between Music and Computer Science. Possibilities include the composition of new musical works based on generative algorithms, the development of digital signal processing software for the manipulation of sound and/or the development of software analysis tools.

The combined major in physics and music provides a strong foundation in classical and modern physics, including studies of the various physical phenomena including electromagnetism, dynamics, building blocks of matter, energy, and radiation. It also provides students with a solid background in composition for acoustic and electronic instruments and for combined and/or interactive live and digital sources. The combined major allows students to learn how physical principles influence sound production and propagation.

Associate Teaching Professor, Recording

Doug Bielmeier holds an EdD in Instructional Leadership from Argosy University and an MM in Music Composition from Bowling Green State University. He has most recently held the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Music Technology at Indiana University, Purdue and he has also held teaching positions at Middle Tennessee State University and The Arts Institute of Washington. He has fifteen years of experience in the role of studio manager, live sound engineer, and staff engineer, and his research focuses on the relationship between audio education and the industry, DIY circuit building, and high-resolution/multichannel recording via the internet. One of his compositions has been featured in a new collaborative album recently released on Ravello Records, entitled Mind & Machine.

Assistant Teaching Professor, Choral Arts

Katherine Chan completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and she comes to Northeastern from the University of Wisconsin-Superior where she was the Visiting Director of Choral Activities. At Northeastern, she will lead the 100-plus member NU Choral Society and develop new choral opportunities for students throughout campus. Her work as a professional conductor has allowed her to connect with choral communities nationally and internationally in clinics and festivals throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Her scholarly work in conducting has been published in the Australian Choral Journal and SingOut, and she has served as a national committee member of the Australian National Choral Association.

Assistant Professor of Creativity and Creative Practice

Psyche Loui holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and she has held faculty positions at Wesleyan University and Harvard Medical School. She is rapidly becoming a world-leading expert in the areas of improvisation and creativity and neuro-cognitive inspired algorithmic composition. In both of these areas, she employs behavioral, neuro-imaging, and computational modeling studies to trace the learning trajectory of jazz improvisation. She is developing a mapping system that interfaces with standard electroencephalography systems to create music out of electrical signals recorded from the scalp in real time. At Northeastern, she will have affiliations with the Cognitive Brain Health Group led by Art Kramer and with the Departments of Psychology and Biology.

Assistant Professor

Francesca Inglese holds a PhD from Brown University where she completed her dissertation, “Colouring Cape Town: Music, Race, and Place in South Africa’s Minstrel Carnival,” an ethnography of contemporary minstrel troupe music and dance performance. At Brown, she was the recipient of the Joukowsky Family Foundation Outstanding Dissertation Award as well as a dissertation fellowship from the American Association of University Women. Since 2016, she has been a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Humanities at Dartmouth College.