【press release】

Kunitachi College of Music" Music Data Science Course "
Starting in 2023
~Learn the basics of AI and pioneer research into data analysis and performance science~

We are pleased to announce that Kunitachi College of Music (pronounced: Kunitachi Ongaku Daigaku, location: Tachikawa City, President: Takeda Tadayoshi, hereinafter referred to as "our college") will be launching a new course, "Music Data Science Course" in April 2023. This course will incorporate scientific methods with a focus on data science to analyze music.

Background to the establishment of the course

In addition to traditional music performance and creative activities, our college has long been conducting research and education into the relationship between music and the latest technology. The Department Department of Performance & Composition Computer Music major, which pursues artistic expression using computers, offers interdisciplinary learning that considers programming, recording, and creative techniques as a whole.

In addition, our college 's Collection for Organology, which houses musical instruments from all over the world and throughout history, has continued to conduct research and studies on musical instruments, including from a scientific approach.

The newly launched "Music Data Science Course" will focus on music and incorporate data science techniques that have traditionally been the domain of individuals with specialized science education in engineering and other fields, while conducting research to create a new musical culture.

Until now, in the field of data science, particularly with regard to music, there has not necessarily been a sufficient number of people who can combine musical and emotional expertise with logical evidence, making it difficult for research to progress. Meanwhile, at music College, students have the expertise to logically express the emotional aspects of music in words, but there is a lack of an environment in which they can acquire knowledge of data analysis and mathematical science, and they have sometimes been unaware of the potential for new research. By allowing students with specialized music knowledge, which takes many years to acquire, to acquire basic knowledge of mathematical data science, it is expected that they will be able to open up new research fields in data analysis with musical evidence, something that has not been possible in research at music College to date.

We will also be studying "performance science," which uses scientific methods to analyze performance itself, and will be conducting research into postures that are easy to use while playing, and how to move the body for efficient performance.

Course Content

The "Music Data Science Course" is a unique program our college that can be enrolled from the third year. * This course is open to students who are interested in data science and scientific analysis methods, regardless of their major or field of study, as long as they pass the course selection exam.

The course subjects will cover everything from basic knowledge of AI (artificial intelligence) to developing a music recommendation system using machine learning functions. In the fourth year, students will be expected to write a graduation thesis and do an internship at a company.

Currently, research using data science methods is already being conducted at our college Graduate School, with one student aiming to build a system that can use AI to image-judge the quality of musical instrument reeds.

By linking data science and music, we aim to pioneer a new musical culture together with technology and develop human resources in accordance with our college 's fundamental philosophy of "contributing to the development of music culture in Japan and around the world."

Message from the Course Instructor (Masaaki Miura, Associate Professor Department of Music Cultures & Education Musicology and Music Informatics)

While traditional education and research in performance and composition continues at music College in Japan, the world's needs for music are evolving rapidly. Since the turn of the 21st century, when individuals have become able to carry large amounts of music with them, the field of music information processing has required the realization of computers that can understand acoustic waveforms, which has necessitated the development of many signal processing technologies. Since then, the need for a deeper understanding of music has increased, but there are still not enough specialized educational institutions to train such talent.

our college provides an education that meets the needs of society, aiming to produce highly skilled "music data scientists" backed by specialized knowledge of music. Students are expected to have careers in the music information industry, particularly in industries that handle music distribution and music data. Students can also advance to Graduate School to learn even more advanced music information processing technology. This course is perfect for those who are interested in data science while receiving specialized music education, those who want to scientifically analyze their own performance techniques, and those who are interested in science fields and also want to receive specialized music education.

As stated in our college educational philosophy, "To cultivate conscientious musicians and educators who will contribute to the development of culture in Japan and around the world," we will contribute to society in the future by providing a specialized education course in music information based on data science, allowing musicians to demonstrate their abilities in the field of music information and contribute to the development of culture.

* Course system
This is a program (group of subjects) unique to Kunitachi College of Music that allows students to further enhance their expertise and hone skills outside of their major with an eye toward future career plans. Students can take this course from their third year onwards, and can choose any course based on their motivation and ability, regardless of department or major. As of 2022, there are 30 courses available, including Opera Soloist Course, Piano Pedagogy Course, and Arts Management Course, and from 2023, Music Data Science Course will be added, bringing the total to 31.

Contact for inquiries regarding this matter