Bachelor of Music Music Technology & Digital Media (Jazz)
Overview
What to expect
Forward-looking, collaborative, and grounded in both musical and technological study, the Bachelor of Music in Music Technology & Digital Media (MTDM) in the Jazz stream offers a comprehensive learning experience supported by faculty active in contemporary music creation, production, and research. Students with a background in the jazz idiom integrate technology into their artistic practice while developing proficiency with professional audio systems, industry standard software, and multimedia production workflows. Core courses build a strong foundation in music, acoustics, and digital audio, while electives allow students to shape their studies toward areas such as composition, performance, computer science, or music for media. Through hands-on learning in recording, production, and sound design, students gain the creative and technical skills needed to contribute to media and live production environments, emerging with refined craft and a strong professional network.
Why it stands out
The first Bachelor of Music degree of its kind in Canada, the Music Technology & Digital Media program offers students unparalleled opportunities to create, collaborate, and innovate with technology at the centre of their musical practice. With access to a vibrant community of composers, performers, technologists, and producers, students build a professional network while refining the skills that prepare them for graduate study and a wide range of careers in today’s evolving media landscape.
Who it's for
The Music Technology & Digital Media program is designed for creators including composers, performers, producers, or interdisciplinary artists. It welcomes students working across genres and instruments, including those who perform using technology-as-instrument such as synthesizers, turntables, or digital audio workstations. Applicants with interests in music for film and video games, multimedia creation, sound design, live show control, or the technical craft of recording and production will find a strong fit within this community.
Successful candidates will demonstrate experience with music and technology creative work through a portfolio that may include original compositions or arrangements, media scoring, performances, engineered or produced recordings, or developed music‑related software/apps.
In the Jazz stream, MTDM applicants are highly proficient in the jazz idiom. Applicants to the MTDM program in the Jazz stream demonstrate such musical proficiency through a pre-screening recording, a live or recorded audition, and a Jazz Entrance Theory Examination. Additionally, MTDM applicants will complete an interview with MTDM faculty to discuss their background, interests, and goals.
Outcomes
Opportunities for study
Students engage in a wide range of opportunities to develop their creative practice at the intersection of music and technology. Instruction takes place in small seminars, and project-based courses, with opportunities for individualized mentorship. Coursework explores areas such as digital audio production, sound design, music for film and media, interactive and computer-based music, recording and mixing, and the technical foundations of acoustics and signal processing.
Hands-on experience is central to the program. Students work with professional-grade recording, production, and performance technologies, gaining fluency in industry-standard tools and workflows while executing creative projects to professional standards.
Collaboration is a defining feature of the learning environment. Students regularly work with peers across disciplines and programs on multimedia projects, performances, and productions. Opportunities to engage with industry professionals and researchers further expand students’ perspectives and professional networks, preparing them for diverse careers in music, media, and technology.
Opportunities after graduation
Graduates will be prepared to pursue creative and technical careers in music and media. They emerge with strong skills in music production, sound design, and the integration of technology into composition and performance, supported by a solid foundation in audio, acoustics, and digital systems.
Equally important are the professional connections developed throughout the program. Through collaboration, project work, and engagement with Toronto’s dynamic arts sector, students build networks that support their transition into creative industries and further study.
Opportunities include work in film, television, video games, and advertising; independent music production and engineering; and multimedia support for live performance and events. Graduates may also continue to advanced study in music technology, digital media, and related fields.
Postgraduate opportunities
A Bachelor of Music in Music Technology & Digital Media qualifies graduates for further study at the postgraduate level.
The two-year Master of Music (MMus) degree in Music Technology & Digital Media offers advanced coursework and independent creative work under faculty supervision.
The Faculty of Music offers a Combined Music Technology & Digital Media degree program (Mus.Bac. + MMus). Students in the undergraduate program can apply to the Combined degree program in year 3. Students who are accepted will begin working on the requirements of the MMus Music Technology & Digital Media in year 4 of their undergraduate degree.
MTDM graduates may also pursue further study in related fields such as Composition and other areas of music and media, building on their integrated expertise in creative practice and technology.
Curriculum
Bachelor of Music
- Core courses
- Specialization courses
- Music electives
- Breadth electives
Core Courses
Core courses include music history and culture courses from global and Western art music perspectives as well as jazz history courses. Jazz MTDM students complete comprehensive studies of melody and harmony and receive solid training in jazz theory and ear training.
See Jazz Core Curriculum for more information.
Specialization Courses
MTDM students take a required four-year sequence of technology courses. In addition, they take Introduction to Computer Programming, offered through the Faculty of Arts & Science, in Year 1, and Musical Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, and Technical Ear Training in Year 2. MTDM students will participate in the Electronic Music Ensemble in Years 2 and 3, in which they will contribute to multi-genre music creation through composition, performance, and production. Elective Music Technology courses will be completed in Years 3 and 4.
Music & Breadth Electives
All programs require the completion of a specific number of Music Electives and Breadth Electives. A Music Elective is any Faculty of Music course (excluding Core Music Courses) that are not required for a specific program. A Breadth Elective is a course offered by the Faculty of Arts & Science; however, up to one full credit of designated Music courses can be counted towards this requirement. Students have the opportunity to benefit from the diverse course offerings that span different areas and traditions of music.
Options within the Degree
Music: Certificates are offered in conjunction with a degree. Currently there are Certificates offered in Music Entrepreneurship, Health Applications in Music, Music Technology, Popular Music Studies and Ethnomusicology, and Piano Pedagogy. (The Music Technology Certificate is not available to students in the MTDM program.)
Currently there are Minor programs offered in History and Culture, Composition, and Historical Keyboard.
Arts & Science: Within the Breadth Electives, students have the option of completing requirements towards a Minor or a Major from the Faculty of Arts & Science, in a discipline that sparks their interest.
See Jazz Core Curriculum for more information.
Visit our Music Technology Area
Successful applicants must meet both:
- academic admission requirements
- music admission requirements
The application process is the same for all Jazz undergraduate programs:
- review the application deadlines and save them to your calendar
- follow the steps outlined on Apply to Degree Programs
- prepare for your audition
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