Temple University
Ph.D. Music Education (2012)
Summa Cum Laude
Philadelphia, PA

New York University
M.M. Music Technology (2007)
Magna Cum Laude
New York, NY

Kean University
B.A. Music Education (2005)
Cum Laude
K-12 NJ State Teacher Certification
Union, NJ

Complementary Education

University of California Santa Cruz
Certificate in Algorithmic Composition (2008)
Santa Cruz, CA

Current Teaching

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Dept. of Humanities & Arts, Music Division, est. 1865
Associate Professor of Music Technology & Cognition (2018 - present)
Assistant Professor of Music Technology & Cognition (2012 - 2018) [tenured 2018]
Collaborative Faculty Appointment: Interactive Media and Game Design (2017 - present)

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Previous Teaching

University Teaching

Montclair State University, Cali School of Music, College of the Arts, est. 1908
Visiting Professor of Music Technology (2007 - 2012)

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Kean University, Conservatory of Music, College of Visual & Performing Arts, est. 1855

Adjunct Professor of Music (2007 - 2011)

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New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Department of Information Technology, College of Computing Sciences, est. 1881
Visiting Specialist - Music Technology (2011 - 2012)

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Scholarship

"My publications typically focus on the use of technology to facilitate musicianship as well as a range of topics including music theory, technology, and education; in particular, the notion of using technology to facilitate musicianship with non-musicians, and separating the cognitive functions of musicianship from the physical actions of performance."

Featured Publications

Books

Manzo, V.J., Kuhn, W. (forthcoming 2025). Interactive Composition, 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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Manzo, V.J. (2016). Max/MSP/Jitter for Music, 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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Bianchi, F., Manzo, V.J. (Eds.). (2016). Environmental Sound Artists. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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Manzo, V.J. (2015). Foundations of Music Technology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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Manzo, V.J., Kuhn, W. (2015). Interactive Composition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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Manzo, V.J. (2011). Max/MSP/Jitter for Music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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Book Contributions

Williams, D. B., Webster, P. (2022). Experiencing Music Technology, 4th Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. (Contributed an interviewed section on MIDI implementations)

Stevens, B. (2021). Teaching Electronic Music: Cultural, Creative, and Analytical Perspectives. London: Routledge Publishing. (Contributed chapter Algorithmic Composition: Implementations in Western Tonal Art Music, Video Games, and Other Music Technologies)
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Bell, A. (2020). The Music Production Cookbook. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. (Contributed chapter on environmental sound art composition)
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Rothenberg, D. (2013). Bug music: How Insects Gave Us Rhythm and Noise. New York: St. Martin's Press. (Contributed insect gradual quantization attraction algorithm model)
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Miller, E. (2011). Bio-Guided Music Therapy: A practitioner's guide to the clinical integration of music and biofeedback. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp. 79 - 83 (Contributed chapter Personal experience at the juncture of music and physiology)
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Publications in Peer-reviewed Journals & Conference Proceedings

Manzo, V.J., McKenna, R., Halper, M. (2022). Teaching Signal Processing Design for Effect Pedals: Making Signal Processing Tangible. Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction (JATMI): Vol. 3 : No. 1, Article 2.
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Manzo, V.J., Manzo, D. (2015). Interactive music systems within multimedia game development environments. Journal of Technology in Music Learning (JTML), 5(2).
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Manzo, V.J. (2014). Software-assisted harmonic function discrimination. Journal of Music, Technology & Education (JMTE), 7(1), 23 - 37.
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Manzo, V.J., Manzo, D. (2013). Game programming environments for musical interactions [revised]. Symposium, the Premier Journal of The College Music Society: Music Business and Industry, Volume 53.
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Manzo, V.J., Halper, M., Halper, M. R. (2011). Multimedia-Based Visual Programming Promoting Core Competencies in IT Education. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) / SIGITE National Conference Proceedings, pp. 203 - 208.
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Publications in Professional Periodicals

Manzo, V.J., Dammers, R., Lopresti, M. (2013). The New Jersey TI:ME tech expo. Tempo, Publication of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, Volume 68, Number 1, pp. 34 - 36.
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Manzo, V.J. (2012). Separating physical actions from cognition via technology-based instruments. Tempo, Publication of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, Volume 67, Number 1, pp. 34 - 36.
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Manzo, V.J. (2011). Software-assisted composition instruction for non-music students. [revised] Tempo, Publication of the New Jersey Music Educators Association, Volume 66, Number 1, pp. 24 - 27.
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Manzo, V.J. (2011). Software-assisted composition Instruction for non-music students. TI:ME, Publication of the Technology Institute for Music Education, Volume 3, Number 1, pp. 3 - 9.
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Manzo, V.J. (2010). Let technology facilitate your objectives. TI:ME, Publication of the Technology Institute for Music Education, Volume 2, Number 2, pp. 2 - 9.
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Manzo, V.J. (2008). EAMIR: an interactive music system for education. SoundWaves/SoundTree, [online article], pp. 1 - 4.
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Other Publications

Academic

Manzo, V.J. (2015). Foundations of Music Technology: Instructor manual. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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Manzo, V.J. (2012). The effects of polyphonic interactive music systems on determining harmonic functions. (Doctoral Dissertation) Temple University. Ann Arbor: ProQuest/UMI, 2012. (Publication No. 11076.)
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Manzo, V.J. (2012). Polyphonic instrument background as bias in determining harmony aurally. (Independent Graduate Research) Temple University.
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Manzo, V.J. (2011). Confounding pitch-height in studies of tonal hierarchy. (Independent Graduate Research) Temple University.
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Manzo, V.J. (2010). Computer-aided Composition with High School Non-music Students. Read at College Music Society (CMS) / Assoc. for Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI) National Conference
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Manzo, V.J. (2007). Implementing modality in algorithmic composition. (Independent Graduate Research) New York University.
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Fiction & Other Creative Writing

Manzo, V.J. (2014). Before Heaven: RPG story and gameplay narrative. Published by Clear Blue Media and Knockout Media.
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Manzo, V.J. (2004). Before Heaven: a music fantasy novella. Published by Clear Blue Media.
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Manzo, V.J. (2003). The Parallel: a short story and concept album. Published by Clear Blue Media.
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Citations

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Editorial Positions

External Reviewer

Presentations & Lectures

"I have had the opportunity to present my ideas on a variety of topics in music, music technology, and composition at conferences, forums, and universities. I value the opportunity to interact with colleagues throughout the world as well as the new ideas and collaborative paths that sometimes form through these interactions."

Featured Presentations & Lectures

Conference Presentations

Invited Guest Lectures

Other Lectures & Presentations

See also Other Lectures & Presentations in Service section

"My research is primarily focused on the exploration and development of technological processes that facilitate musicianship. This is evidenced in part through the creation of new innovations that support music composition, performance, and education. My interest in technology-based music systems that has led me to create interactive music software applications and games, multimedia programming development kits, open-source projects, research and education tools, and other technologies that have been released publicly, including commercial distribution and patents applied for based on novel intellectual property. I'm the founding director and PI of two research labs in these areas: the Interactive Music Systems Lab (IMSLab) and the Electric Guitar Innovation Lab (EGIL) both of which are collectively known as the RATLab . Through these labs, our team of researchers, musicians, and students (Lab RATs and ARAs) develop and implement new technologies and approaches to facilitate music composition, performance, and education with both musicians and non-musicians. Specifically, this is accomplished through the creation of technology-based instruments, electronics, composition algorithms, interactive systems, research experiments, and proofs-of-concept.

"

Featured Research Projects

Grants, Sponsored Research, and Fellowships Awarded

"The awards listed below indicate funds received to support my research efforts from foundations and grant organizations as well as sponsors from industry and other professionals (support amounts and additional donor support disclosed in full CV or upon request). As indicated, such funds have, in many cases, supported undergraduate and graduate student involvement. "

Additional Research Projects and Patents

"These projects represent ongoing initiatives and, in many cases, collaborations with key individuals in the professional community. Many of the projects are not supported through typical funding organizations and are sustained, instead, by volunteerism or, if noted, special gifts including in-kind donations. "

Consulting and Entrepreneurship

"I have been hired as a consultant for a variety of projects including specialized music construction infrastructure, music technology lab and studio development, music software development, and projects requiring expert knowledge in specific areas of music research. As shown below, I try to involve students in these projects as much as possible. In addition to my work as an individual consultant, I have explored entrepreneurship in several capacities, which includes being the founder of a boutique multimedia design and production company, Clear Blue Media , and a non-profit music charity, EAMIR . "



Rutgers University*, Mason Gross School of the Arts, est. 1766
Music technology consultant for the A/V implementation, and design of the Mason Gross School of the Arts' building project* (2012 - 2013)

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Oxford University Press, est. 1586
Publication and manuscript reviewer (2010 - present)




Routledge Press, est. 1836
Publication and manuscript reviewer (2020 - present)




My Music Machines, Inc., Schenectady, NY, est. 2008
Software and technical designer (2009 - 2010)

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The Davis Center for Sound Therapy, Inc., Succasunna, NJ
Software and technical designer (2009 - 2014)

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Montclair State University, Cali School of Music College of the Arts, est. 1908
Consultant for the A/V construction, implementation, and design of the Cali School of Music's building project/renovation of Chapin Hall (2008 - 2009)

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EAMIR, non-profit music technology charity, est. 2007
Founder, director, and developer (2007 - present)

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/
Clear Blue Media, LLC - multimedia creation est. 2006
Founder, director, and engineer (2006 - present)

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Fuse Audio, LLC, - audio electronics innovations est. 2018
Co-founder, co-director (2006 - present)

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Awards

Music and Multimedia

"Creative works such as compositions, interactive media installations, and other musical works are recognized as another type of publication within the music profession. In tandem with written publications, these works substantiate the pedagogical and philosophical concepts described in theory; exemplifying ways of conquering specific issues related to composition such as, for example, harmonic development, accessibility or other idioms of the performance instruments themselves, or simply addressing issues of acoustical balance in ensembles of varying instrumentations. These works, the scores, audio recordings, the systems and source code, and, in most cases, performance videos are available within my portfolio. In addition to distributing these works through their respective publishers and a variety of digital music portals, my compositions have been performed by professional musicians worldwide in recital halls, theater productions, interactive installations, and more as indicated below."
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Featured Compositions

Chamber & Solo Instrumental Compositions

Composer — "I’ve composed these works to be performed by traditional acoustic instrument performers and chamber music ensembles. "
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Electro-acoustic Interactive Compositions

Composer and software system programmer — "These are compositions in which human performers interact with real-time computers; both the traditional performer and the computer contribute something purposeful and carefully planned to the overall musical output that the other can't. In this capacity, I am the composer of the notated musical scores for human performers and the software system programmer¬ for the interactive components. "
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Algorithmic Compositions

Composer and software system programmer — "These compositions are experiments in computer-realized musical intelligence; specifically, data-driven algorithmic composition techniques and logic and rule-based approaches. The compositions, once realized by the software system, are then, typically, performed by traditional acoustic instrumentalists or by the computers themselves. In this capacity, I am the composer of both the musical algorithms as well as the software system programmer of the algorithms. "
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Multimedia Interactive Installation Works

Composer and software system programmer — "These works are interactive musical installations in which individuals without musicianship skills are able to engage with technology-based systems to create original musical works in novel ways. In this capacity, I am the composer of the overall musical processes permitted by the system, and the software system programmer. "
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Compositions for Theatre & Film

Composer, lyricist, performer, producer, and recording engineer — "I am the composer and lyricist of these compositions for dramatic works. In most cases, after composing the music, I perform or realize these works in my own recording studio. The resulting recordings are then either used in the performance or used as a reference for live performance by an ensemble. In these works, the compositions are used as a non-diagetic score for the overall production, or, as is the case with musicals, the music is an integral diagetic part of the performance. "
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Compositions for Fixed Multimedia & Games

Composer, performer, producer, and recording engineer — "I am the composer, performer, producer, and recording engineer of music compositions and sound design for these independent video games and multimedia environments. In most cases, after composition, these works are realized and recorded in my own studio, and delivered to the production team to be used in the final production or release. "
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Discography of Recorded Works

Composer, performer, producer, and recording engineer — "In addition to disseminating my music through live performance and mixed media, these audio recordings are distributed through the respective publishers as indicated and available through iTunes and other established digital music portals. As noted, I am represented in one or more capacities as a composer, performer, lyricist, interactive software/system developer, multimedia designer, producer, and recording engineer. "
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Select Performances of Composed Works

"The performances listed below represent some of the diversity of venues and contexts in which my music has been performed. This includes theatrical venues, concert halls, multimedia installation spaces, and small experimental performance spaces. "

"Just as musical works are recognized as another type of publication within the music profession, the technological components I've developed to facilitate these musical objectives are recognized within the field of music technology. These technological advancements, as described in my publications, provide the mechanism to realize music using new media. I am the primary developer and director for such technologies, which include integrated software/hardware systems, algorithm libraries, and development toolkits. Toolkits and systems developed for the EAMIR project are open-source and published at the charity's website eamir.org . The educational games I've developed reflect my research in informal music learning environments and are primarily published by my company, Clear Blue Media . Other systems and any associated compositions are available from their respective publishers, listed below. Additionally, if you are part of the WPI community, you can view the research and technology projects I am currently working on with WPI students here ."

Featured Technologies

Interactive Music & Multimedia Composition, Performance, and Instruction Systems

Creator and programmer

Music Education-oriented Video Games

Programmer, composer, sound design, and creator

Musical Instrument Hardware

Creator, co-inventor

Research/Data Analysis Software Tools for Cognition, and Theory

Creator and programmer

Algorithms, Libraries, and Software Development Kits (SDKs)

Creator and programmer

Music & Multimedia Interaction Technologies

Creator and programmer

 

Service

Service to Professional Community

Advisory Board Member

Invited K-12 Teacher Development Lectures

Service to Campus-wide Community

Service to Department

WPI Music Division Initiatives

"The initiatives listed below represent service contributions to the music division at WPI. As shown below, these initiatives are mix of my own creative efforts to promote music at WPI as well as administrative guidance I provide to student music organizations. The websites for the WPI London HUA Project Center (2016) and the WPI Media Project (2013), for example, represent my own initiatives to make the creative and academic efforts of my students more publicly visible. Links to these initiatives are provided within my portfolio included before-and-after images of the Alden Hall B30 computer music lab renovation. "

WPI Invited Guest Lecturer & Special Seminar Organizer

"The events listed here featured me as an invited guest speaker or organizer for an on-campus WPI event for undergraduate and graduate students. "

WPI Faculty Development Workshops and Lectures Participant

"The events listed here show my participation in open faculty development workshops and other voluntary professional development efforts offered by WPI. My presentation at such workshops is indicated herein. "

Service to Local Community

Invited Student Education Lectures

"The presentations and lectures listed here were given to K-12 music students about the role of technology in facilitating musicianship. "

Other Volunteerism and Community Engagement

"I volunteer regularly in a variety of capacities including one-off student mentoring opportunities, performing in music ensembles, audio engineering consulting, and music technology product-testing."

Volunteer Recreational Performing Ensembles