About Music Technology Camp

The music technology camp at WPI was a week-long immersive experience through which middleschool and highschool students learn to use technology to facilitate musicianship. The camp was founded in 2013 by WPI music professor V.J. Manzo who wrote the curriculum with the principle idea that any student, including students without any prior music training, could use technology and technology-based musical instruments to learn how to compose and perform original music. Since that time, the camp has run multiple sessions for students of different ages and experience levels. Campers in this program use music technology software, hardware, and instruments developed in Manzo’s research labs (EGIL & IMSLab) as tools toward learning to compose and perform their own music. These tools offer increased accessibility for non-musicians, and promote a sense of community by actively engaging students in small teams toward creative goals.

Since 2021, the camp has been restructured as the the Les Paul Music Tech Camp and is only offered to students through participation in select groups.

Tech-Based Music Activities

Throughout the week, students get a hands-on crash course overview of the basics of sound, audio recording, synthesis, MIDI sequencing, multitrack recording, performing with tech-based music instruments, writing music for video, writing music for video games, and much more. Each day of the camp is focused on a new music-making theme, and features a variety of composition and performance activities using standard applications like GarageBand and Live and unique composition and performance technology and music video games developed exclusively for the camp.

A Few Music-Making Activity Examples

Composing with Found Sounds

Composing for Multimedia

Performing with Tech-Based Instruments

Students leave the camp with a general overview of technology-based musicianship skills and a digital portfolio of their compositions from the week.
Again, since 2021, the camp has been restructured as the the Les Paul Music Tech Camp and is only offered to students through participation in select groups. For more information on other summer camps offered at WPI, see here.