How Music Works: Engineering the Acoustical World
GENED 1080
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Music and technology are two dimensions of humanity that have been interdependent for tens of thousands of years; what can this intersection teach us about our past and our future?
How does Shazam know what song is playing? Why do some rooms have better acoustics than others? How and why do singers harmonize? Do high-end musical instruments sound better than cheap ones? How do electronic synthesizers work? What processes are common in designing a device and composing a piece of music? How is music stored and manipulated in a digital form? This class explores these and related themes in an accessible way for all concentrators, regardless of technical background. The class is driven by hands-on projects to enhance your technical literacy, a critical skill for anyone designing solutions to today's most pressing and complex issues. The projects are designed so that the creativity of students in all fields will have a role to play. Lectures, demonstrations, and guest lecturers/performers are integrated into the class to build foundational knowledge and to inspire. We will also explore wider social and historical themes related to music and acoustics. The class is approached from an engineering perspective, using music and musical instruments as the framework to introduce a broad array of concepts in physics, mathematics, and engineering. Requires no previous exposure to physics or calculus beyond the high school level.
Class Notes
This course is part of the Gen Ed lottery and has an enrollment cap. To participate in the lottery, you must request permission to enroll and rank your choices through my.harvard by 11:59 p.m. EST Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
- Note: You must rank your course choices to participate in the lottery--even if you choose only one course.
The Gen Ed lottery will run Thursday, November 13. If you are successful in the lottery, your course petition in your Crimson Cart will turn into a green check that allows you to enroll. You will have until 11:59 p.m. EST Friday, November 14, to select “enroll” and claim your seat. After that time, enrollment will open up to non-lottery petitioners.
For more information, please check the Registration and Lottery page of the Gen Ed website.
Sectioning for this course will take place at the end of registration. Once you have enrolled in the course and the placeholder (“DIS”) section, please rank your section preferences by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19. To do this, click on the cog icon next to the Gen Ed course in your Crimson Cart. You will then be prompted to rank the section times. Once we have your ranking, we will do our best to find you a seat in your highest-ranked available section.
If none of the times work for you, you are welcome to not set any preferences and remain in the placeholder for the time being. However, please note that if enrollment does not significantly change during Add/Drop, no additional sections will be added and you will ultimately need to enroll in an available section or drop the course.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
NOTE: This course requires additional sections; you will be prompted to choose secondary components during the Add to Cart process
