UWM - Music Composition & Technology

The Peck School of the Arts offers more than 20 undergraduate and graduate programs serving more than 2,100 students, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive arts schools in the region. The PSoA's Music Composition and Technology program fosters development in instrumental, vocal, and electroacoustic composition, with an emphasis on contemporary and experimental techniques. Students re

fine their craft and evolve their musical voice through individual weekly lessons with a faculty member, working on projects ranging from instrumental and vocal chamber music to electroacoustic music, electronic instrument design, and multimedia production. Studies in pencil-and-paper composition cover a variety of traditional and contemporary approaches to notation, rhythm, harmony, texture, orchestration, and large-scale form. At the same time, coursework in music technology includes analog and digital synthesis, surround sound and spatialization, algorithmic composition, creative applications of recording and editing, and computer programming for audio and interactive applications. The Electro-Acoustic Music Center, operating at UWM since its founding in 1982, makes a variety of studio spaces, electronic instruments, and software applications available to qualified students. Concerts each semester provide opportunities to realize student compositions in performance. Ensembles including TORCH (the TC-11 Orchestra), MiLO (the Milwaukee Laptop Orchestra), and the Contemporary Music Ensemble develop skill in contemporary improvisation with both acoustic and electronic instruments. The Unruly Music festival presents three concerts of contemporary music with guest artists each semester, and offers performance opportunities for advanced students. And there are frequent occasions for collaboration with students and faculty in the Peck School of the Arts programs in Art + Design, Dance, Film, Interdisciplinary Arts and Technology, and Theater. Through the development of both creative imagination and musical technique, Music Composition and Technology degrees prepare students for professional careers in music and a variety of allied fields. Recent graduates are working in music publishing, multimedia production, film and television composition, software development, and arts management, as well as pursuing graduate study and academic careers in composition.