Eastman School of Music launches new major in Music Creation & Technology next fall
Dennis DeSantis teaching at Eastman’s summer music production institute (photo: courtesy of Eastman School of Music)
(October 2026) — The University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music announces the launch of a newly conceived Bachelor of Music (BM) degree in Music Creation and Technology. Designed for students whose musical practice is grounded in electronic and digital technologies, to foster artistic and technical fluency in such areas as electronic music production and performance, sound design, recording and editing, DJing, and the development of software and hardware, this new field of study will be led by Associate Professor of Music and Technology Dennis DeSantis, who received his Doctorate of Musical Arts from Eastman in 2005. DeSantis is currently recruiting for the program’s inaugural class, commencing study in fall 2027.
The Music Creation and Technology program will blend hands-on experimentation with engagement in a variety of musical styles and practices. In addition to technical coursework, the curriculum will address the cultural, historical, and social contexts of music technology. Students will learn how to analyze and interpret electronic music from multiple perspectives, collaborate effectively in creative and professional environments, and contribute to inclusive artistic communities. Designed to help technologically curious musicians become leaders in their field, the program will prepare graduates to navigate and shape music’s ever-evolving landscape. As DeSantis explains:
“This program invites students to explore new ways of creating and experiencing music with technology. Students will make music using a range of modern tools, while also learning to think critically about those tools and to make new ones that push at the boundaries of what’s currently possible.”
DeSantis is a composer, percussionist, sound designer, author, and former Head of Music Learning at Ableton, one of the world’s leading music software companies. At Ableton, he led the creation of the interactive websites Learning Music and Learning Synths, and contributed to the design of Ableton products Live and Push. He is also the author of Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers, a widely used resource in music production education.
See DeSantis introduce the program.
Kate Sheeran, Eastman’s Joan and Martin Messinger Dean, says:
“Dennis’s broad experience across the music industry – alongside his work as a performer, composer, and educator – makes him especially well-suited to lead this program. With this major, Eastman is taking a progressive approach to the intersection of music and technology, positioning our students to engage thoughtfully in a rapidly evolving field and to lead the future of musical innovation.”
The Music Creation and Technology program will be housed in a newly constructed, state-of-the-art collaborative center spanning 6,000 square feet of repurposed and modernized space on campus. The facility will consist of labs, creative spaces, classrooms, teaching studios, and a recording studio. Forming part of the recently established Department of Sound Arts and Engineering, an interdisciplinary academic branch between the Eastman School of Music and the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, the Music Creation and Technology program represents an expansion of Eastman’s Beal Institute. The deadline for applications to the inaugural class is December 1, 2026. More information about the new program is provided here.
About Dennis DeSantis
Dennis DeSantis is a composer, percussionist, sound designer, author, and educator working across concert halls, clubs, studios, and classrooms. His work explores the boundaries between musical worlds, blending classical training with deep involvement in electronic music technologies and cultures.
He was formerly Head of Music Learning at Ableton, where he led development of the interactive platforms Learning Music and Learning Synths, contributed to the design of Live and Push, and served as a curator and moderator for the Loop conference. He is the author of Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers, a resource widely used in music production courses worldwide.
His electronic music has appeared on labels including Ghostly, Cocoon, and Global Underground, with performances across North America, Europe, and Japan. As a concert composer, he has been commissioned by Alarm Will Sound, eighth blackbird, Sō Percussion, and the Prism Saxophone Quartet, with performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Notable projects include an arrangement of electronic duo Autechre’s music for chamber orchestra and an opera with electronics for the Staatsoper Stuttgart. He received a Grammy certificate in 2008 for his work on eighth blackbird’s strange imaginary animals.
DeSantis holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in composition from the Eastman School of Music, as well as degrees from Yale University and Western Michigan University. Learn more about him here.
About the Eastman School & University of Rochester
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company, to provide world class musical training and a broad education in the liberal arts. Today, the school’s Collegiate Division enrolls more than 900 students, comprising around 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. Nearly a quarter are from overseas, and the others represent almost every U.S. state. They are taught by a faculty of more than 170 performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators, who include Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, and Emmy winners; Guggenheim Fellows; ASCAP Award recipients; published authors; recording artists; and musicians who appear in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 1,000 concerts to the Rochester community and beyond. Additionally, over 1,700 community members, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
Eastman was the first professional school of the University of Rochester, one of the nation’s leading private research universities, and one of only 62 members of the Association of American Universities. Through its unique cluster-based curriculum, the university gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty. Located in Rochester, NY, its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by Eastman and the Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and Memorial Art Gallery.