Musical Beginnings

My interest in music technology developed out of my artistic training as a classical pianist. I began taking lessons at the age of seven under the supervision of Hannah Voight, a professional performer and graduate of Eastman School of Music. In my teens, I began to take more agency in my practice, and it was my desire to continue with the piano that led me to my choice to major in Music at the College of Wooster.

It was there that I studied under Brian Dykstra, a graduate of Eastman and Juilliard School of Music, and well-known composer of classical ragtime. With a dedicated practice regimen and regular performances, my pianistic abilities increased precipitously. Through my classes and coursework, I became fascinated by music theory, composition and history. Supplemented by classes in philosophy, the literary and visual arts, my understanding and appreciation for human aesthetic expression expanded and deepened.

My pianistic development continued in Montréal, where I joined the McGill Conservatory and studied under Chad Heltzel, and later, the great Jean-Fabien Schneider. I made the difficult choice to leave this wonderful city, but realized that I could ultimately do more for music (and perhaps the world) through leadership in music technology. An engineering curriculum and PhD life made regular practice more difficult, but I have nevertheless continued practice. I have worked to expand my core repertoire, practice under-developed skills such as sight-reading, improvisation, song-writing and aural skills.

These early experiences in music laid the foundation for my career as a researcher and designer of music technology. Through scientific research, I seek to further fundamental knowledge of human interaction with musical instruments. Through engineering and design, I apply this knowledge as principles guiding the development of future auditory technologies. From my perspective, the pinnacle of human technological interaction lies in musical instruments, and their ability to help us perform, learn and connect.

You can find my music on SoundCloud. In the spirit of social media, I also occasionally broadcast my piano practice on Mike Winters Piano Studio.