Designed for students with experience and interest in producing music with technology who also wish to continue studying traditional music performance (classical or jazz) on an acoustic instrument or voice at the college level. The Bachelor of Music in Music & Technology prepares students for careers involving the creative use of music technology—performance, production, recording, composition, studio and live sound engineering, and music and sound for film, television or video games. Applicants must participate in a live or recorded audition on their instrument or voice in addition to submitting the PAT Portfolio.

Curriculum

The Bachelor of Music in Music & 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 or Electronic Chamber Music
• Creative Coding
• SMTD Music Theory and Musicology Core
• PAT Senior Thesis
• Private lessons on principal instrument or voice
• Participation in large ensembles
• Five 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

Degree requirements and term-by-term layout for current students.

Application Portfolio Requirements

In addition to the Portfolio, the Bachelor of Music in Music & Technology also requires an audition. Please see the specific audition requirements for each instrument / voice.

Applicants are required to submit a portfolio consisting of the following five items. For items 2–5, please provide a paragraph that briefly describes the equipment and techniques used, your motivation for the work, and the file name of the corresponding media. All sound files must be uncompressed stereo audio 16-bit resolution with a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz (CD quality).

1. Write a short essay (300 words maximum) that discusses the aesthetic and technical features of Holly Herndon’s “Interference” which distinguish it from other music. What was your response to hearing the piece, and what do you think led to that response?
2. A recording of you performing on a traditional acoustic instrument or voice, preferably with other instruments;
3. A remix, arrangement, interpretation, or cover version of ONE of the following pieces:
   • John Cage – “Sonata #5” from Sonatas and Interludes
   • Prince – “Condition of the Heart”
   • Grimes – “Genesis”
   • Lauryn Hill – “Everything is Everything”
4.  & 5. Pick TWO additional items from the following list:
   • A recording of an original composition (two to five minutes long) for any combination of electronic and/or acoustic instruments and digital sounds. If the composition has a notated score, please include it. Applicants may include two contrasting compositions to fulfill items 4 and 5;
   • A stereo mix of a high-quality recording that you have engineered. The recording should be produced primarily from microphone signals. This item will be evaluated based on the recording, mixing, and production quality;
   • An original video (up to five minutes in length) – such as a music video, live concert, animation, short film, video installation;
   • Visual art such as photography, painting, digital art, or drawing;
   • Original sound design, composition, or recording for visual media;
   • Documentation (video, audio, and/or still images) of a performance with electronic music hardware or an interactive system of your own design.

Audition & Interview Dates

How To Apply

Applicants must:

• Apply to U-M via the Common Application or Coalition Application (current U-M students should use the Cross-Campus Transfer Application) by December 1
• Submit an SMTD Artistic Profile by December 1
• Have all supplemental materials sent to the U-M Office of Undergraduate Admissions

Click the button below to read more detailed information about the application requirements and procedures.