What Do I DO?--Mary Simoni

Mary Simoni
Assistant Professor of Music and Computer Technology and
Director of the Center for Performing Arts Technology

I've always been interested in composition but aware of the difficulties in finding employment. As an undergraduate, I double-majored in Music Theory/Composition and Instrumental School Music. My advisor, the great theorist Paul Harder, told me I'd have difficulty getting a job with a B.Mus. in Music Theory/Composition and that an additional degree in Instrumental School Music would be an asset in finding a position as well as provide depth to my degree in composition. His advice served me well. After graduation, I not only got 1 job - but 3 part-time jobs as a band director! I made enough money to live but was sorely disappointed by the quality and kind of music I could make with junior and high school bands.

I went to graduate school and completed a Masters in Composition and was quickly advised to enroll in a Ph.D program. Recalling Paul Harder's advice and carefully monitoring the job market, I moved to a Ph.D. in Music Theory. I finished both my Masters and Ph.D. in three years. It was 1983 - the MIDI specification had just been released. I was skilled in programming computers by this time. Upon receiving my Ph.D., I promptly switched my focus back to composition and began studying digital sound synthesis and algorithmic composition.

With the help of a very good friend, we opened the area's first digital music studio and began teaching and composing. I was employed by Lansing Community College to teach in the Music as well as Computer Science Departments. I spent a summer studying with Charles Dodge and many peaceful summers at Stanford University.

I took a position at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. For family reasons, I returned home to Michigan and took a position at the University of Michigan as the Director of Computing Services. I eventually started teaching adjunct at the School of Music as well as consulting on technology-based curricula. I was offered my current position in April, 1994 and finally feel like a reached a pleasant plateau in my career.

Who knows what I'll do next!

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Mary Simoni Assistant Professor of Music and Computer Technology and Director of the Center for Performing Arts Technology

Mary Simoni
Assistant Professor of Music and Computer Technology and
Director of the Center for Performing Arts Technology