Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performing Arts Technology
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performing Arts Technology prepares students for careers in music production, recording, composition, and performance; studio and live sound engineering; interactive multimedia design; and music and sound for film, television or video games. During the first two years, students gain experience with a broad range of topics and possibilities in the field, and then specialize in the areas of most interest to them during the latter two.
Curriculum
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performing Arts Technology requires a minimum of 120 credits: coursework is 75% within SMTD and 25% within the liberal arts. SMTD coursework to include:
- Computer Music Composition and Arranging
- Sound Recording and Production
- Electronic Music History and Theory
- Performance: Digital Music Ensemble and Electronic Chamber Music
- Creative Coding
- SMTD Music Theory and Musicology Core
- Art & Design / Screen Arts & Cultures electives
- PAT Senior Thesis
- Six upper level PAT Electives chosen from: Advanced Studio Production I and II; Immersive Media; Image, Sound, and Story; Practicum in Music and Sound for Film; Interactive Media Design I and II; Performance Systems; Digital Sound Synthesis; Advanced Psychoacoustics; Technical Ear Training and Critical Listening; Digital Fabrication for Acoustics; Contemporary Practices in Research and Scholarship; Business of Music
- Additionally, students may select a Concentration—18 credits of focused study in a complementary area. Concentration options are: Engineering, Visual Arts, Computer & Information Sciences, or Multidisciplinary Studies. The Multidisciplinary Studies Concentration allows students to select courses in any one or more disciplines of their choosing in coordination with their academic advisor.
Courses
SMTD offers a wide variety of courses across all disciplines.
Silent Advisor
Degree requirements and term-by-term layout for current students.
Faculty
Anıl Çamcı
Jason Corey
Paul Dooley
Jeremy Edwards
Jonathan Edwards
John Granzow
Michael Gurevich
Alvin Hill
Andrew Kirshner
Sile O’Modhrain
Zeynep Özcan
Stephen Rush
Eric Wojahn
Brehm Technology Suite
Performance Opportunities
From large ensembles in celebrated concert halls to chamber groups in intimate recital spaces, performance opportunities across all disciplines abound, with nearly 900 student performances each academic year. Whether your focus is on early, classical, or contemporary music, whether your passion is for jazz, electronic, or world music, there is an ensemble—or in many cases, multiple ensembles—to suit your interests, including specific opportunities for percussion, piano, and organ & carillon. For students in theatre & drama, musical theatre, dance, and opera, opportunities abound in both professionally produced and student-run presentations.
Recitals
Across all disciplines, students perform and study with their peers in studio classes and perform for the public in solo student recitals and studio recitals.
Collaborative Piano
Collaborative Piano students work with vocalists and instrumentalists throughout SMTD.
Chamber Music
The thriving chamber music scene at SMTD offers students nearly limitless options to perform, innovate, and collaborate in small, self-driven, and diverse ensembles.
Large Ensembles
SMTD ensembles offer numerous concerts each season, performing notable works in the traditional canon as well as abundant newly commissioned works.