Studio report: Music technology at Penn State University

Music technology is a relatively new presence at Penn State University, with a gradual introduction of courses having begun in 2001. These courses led to the establishment of a Music Technology Minor in 2006 [1], which enjoys a robust interest among students from Music and other majors. Some 5-15 students declare candidacy for it each semester. This has caught the attention of higher administration, which has committed significant one-time capital upgrade funds to construct an acoustically-treated recording studio. There are also ongoing explorations about expanding curricular options, possibly in collaboration with international universities. Our main strength is in providing foundational principles for undergraduate training. To be sure, Penn State does not lie within the same echelon as schools that offer degree programs and/or a strong research presence, but we expect that to change. There are various challenges to growing a program from scratch, which are no doubt relevant to the circumstances of other schools that have established music programs, but no history and possibly little awareness of music technology as a no-longer-emerging field.