Teaching STEM concepts through Music Technology and DSP

Music is an integral part of high school students' daily lives, and most use digital music devices and services. The one-week Summer Music Technology (SMT) program at Drexel University introduces underclassmen high school students to music technology to reveal the influence and importance of engineering, science, and mathematics. By engaging participants' affinity for music, we hope to motivate and catalyze curiosity in science and technology. The curriculum emphasizes signal processing concepts, tools, and methods through hands-on activities and individual projects and leverages computer-based learning and open-source software in most activities. Since the program began in 2006, SMT has enrolled nearly 100 high school students and further developed the communication and teaching skills of nearly 20 graduate and undergraduate engineering students serving as core instructors. The program also serves to attract students from backgrounds under-represented in engineering, math, and science who may not have considered these fields.