IUPUI Music Program Moves to School of Engineering & Technology
In a well-orchestrated move that officials say hits all the right notes, the Indiana University Music program at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is now part of the engineering and technology school on the campus.
Under a re-organization agreement signed by IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz and others on Tuesday, May 27, 2008, the music program became the Department of Music and Arts Technology in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI.
"At first sight, you might think - what is music doing in engineering?" says IUPUI Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculties Uday Sukhatme, voicing what would be an obvious question.
"The focus of the music program in Indianapolis has always been very different from that in Bloomington," Sukhatme answers, referring to the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music on the IU Bloomington campus, which is world-renowned for its music performance emphasis.
At IUPUI, the music program has focused on music technology since 1993 when it offered the nation's first Master of Science degree in Music Technology. All faculty members hired since 1993 have backgrounds in music technology, computer music, Internet-based music instruction, electronic music, multimedia programming, web design and/or Internet performance techniques.
The IUPUI Department of Music and Arts Technology is the only program in the nation to focus on technology as a tool for music performance, music composition, music instruction, and music listening and arts technology. Faculty members are internationally known as pioneers in developing the fields of music technology and arts technology.
"Music technology is pervasive in music at all levels," says G. David Peters, who directed the music program at IUPUI. "Today's technology, such as MP3, iTunes, digital synthesis, digital recordings, digital video, amplification and analysis of sound, has roots in digital sound research conducted by IUPUI music faculty." Under the reorganization, Peters becomes the Chair of the Department of Music and Arts Technology.
The department has no plans to change faculty, physical facilities, or current degree requirements as a result of the restructuring. It will continue to award Indiana University degrees to its graduates, Peters said. The department currently has 15 full-time and 32 adjunct faculty members for its 75 graduate-level students, which includes students from as far away as Taiwan and Greece who are earning their degrees via the Internet. The program, which also offers a music minor, provides music instruction for 4,000 other students.
In addition to the music technology graduate degree which provides education in computer-based music technology, multimedia and interactive design and multimedia production techniques, the IUPUI Department of Music and Arts Technology also offers the Master of Science in Music Therapy. The music therapy program is designed to provide professional board-certified music therapists (http://www.cbmt.org) with advanced research skills and clinical practice, and teach music therapists how to use various music technology.
A third degree program, a bachelor's degree in music technology, is in the final stages of approval. Officials hope to admit the first candidates for that program during the 2008-09 school year, Peters said.
IUPUI music faculty voted unanimously in favor of the re-organization as did the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology Faculty Senate.
The Dean of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, H. Oner Yurtseven, stresses that "music faculty members at IUPUI are well-acquainted with computers, engineering, technology, computer graphics, and several other disciplines housed in the School of Engineering and Technology. Likewise many Engineering and Technology faculty members have interest in music technology, signal processing, recording technology, sound synthesis, noise, etc. The combination of the interests and expertise of these two groups will raise the productivity of campus research and will benefit IUPUI students, faculty, staff and the community we serve."
The restructuring is one of several recommendations proposed in 2007 by then IU President Adam W. Herbert following a review of Indiana University academic programs statewide. The IU Board of Trustees approved the recommendations and called for restructuring plans to be completed by June 30, 2008.
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