Bachelor of Arts in Music (Technologist)

We have a comprehensive curriculum that includes acoustics and psychoacoustics; sound design and editing; music recording, digital and analog mixing, and mastering; studio production for popular music genres; electroacoustic music techniques; acoustic and electronic music composition; audio and video field recording for live events; advanced MIDI sequencing and orchestration; DAW interfaces (Audacity, Reaper, Ableton, Logic, Pro Tools); interactive computer music, virtual and physical instrument design, algorithmic composition, audio synthesis, DSP programming, MIDI manipulation, and real-time performance with Max/MSP; multi-channel sound diffusion; digital controllers for studio production and live performance; and the history/aesthetics of electronic music. Many of these topics are taught in our Recording and Electronic Music I and II course sequence, and subsequent courses such as Studio Production Ensemble; Interactive Arts Ensemble, and our Concert Recording Practicum course. Additionally, the Technologist track allows students to flexibly meet their performance requirements through a variety of elective performance course options that accommodate both traditional (classically trained) and non-traditional (technology oriented) music students.

We will be having a series of Open Houses with music department information sessions and tours during the 2019-2020 academic year: Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 8, Jan. 20, Feb. 16 and March 22. We can also schedule meetings with faculty on alternate dates. Our music audition deadline is Feb. 16 if you are planning to audition on an instrument for music scholarship consideration and starting the program in Fall 2020.

Our more dedicated students typically work as mentors for the concert recording/archival staff, which is a paid position that provides valuable practical experience in audio and video recording, mixing and mastering, as well as experience in music technology education. The students also seek out opportunities on their own for music internships and teaching opportunities off-campus or put together their own freelance music ensembles to perform in the Tampa Bay area, if they have a performance background.

Currently UT has a music recording studio with a live room and control room, a computer music project studio for composition and contemporary performance studies, and a music technology lab in the existing Ferman Music Center. The new Ferman Center for the Arts, which is under construction and anticipated to open in Fall 2020, will include a new recording studio that will be one of the best music recording facilities in the Tampa Bay area. The recording studio will include a state-of-the-art analog/digital hybrid control room with surround mixing, a large acoustically-tuned live room and two adjacent isolation rooms. There will also be a new recital hall with audio and video mixing capabilities in the performance space and a fully-equipped music technology lab. Large ensemble recording for concert, film and popular music will also be possible in the large ensemble rehearsal room. The recording studio, recital hall, music technology lab and large ensemble rehearsal room will be connected via a Dante network, opening up the possibility for collaborative music technology projects throughout the building. View general information about the new Ferman Center for the Arts building.

The main difference between a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree is that a B.A. degree is considered a liberal arts degree and a B.M. degree is considered a professional degree by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) accreditation standards. B.A. degrees typically have the same amount of core musicianship requirements as B.M. degrees, but B.M. degrees typically have additional required music courses in a particular field of study. A Bachelor of Arts degree provides students with options to pursue electives or a second major/minor, while a Bachelor of Music degree may require a student to focus more exclusively on their field of study in order to be able to graduate within four years (depending on the amount of credit in the major field of study that is required by the program). For graduate music program applications or future job opportunities, B.A. and B.M. degrees are both considered valid.