Rachel Loh

What’ve you enjoyed most about your area of study? Was there a particular discovery, new skill or way of thinking, or insight that you found especially valuable? Please share an example from your favorite class or experience.

What I enjoy most about studying music is seeing my creative ideas take shape. For example, through Harmony and Counterpoint II and Writing in Tonal Forms I, I have had the pleasure of hearing professional musicians play my Minuet and Trio, as well as my Theme and Variations, at Killian Hall.

How does the knowledge from this field, or your interest in it, combine with your other major or minor studies at MIT?

At MIT, I’ve had many opportunities to combine my interests in computer science and music. One of my favorite classes was Interactive Music Systems, where I created a game similar to Fruit Ninja, except the player chops veggies to the beat of the music. I shared this game with my friends and family, who were obsessed with making it onto the leaderboard. I have also been able to combine my majors through research with Professor Eran Egozy and Professor Anna Huang. Specifically, I worked on the bar detection algorithm and user interaction for ConcertCue, Eran’s synchronized streaming platform for live concerts. Currently, I am coding a real-time graphical animation system to enhance the music-making process between AI and musicians. The system aims to show what the AI is “thinking” as it reacts to the musician and generates its own music.

An MIT education includes study in the scientific, technical, social science, arts, and humanities fields. How do you think that wide range of knowledge and perspectives will be valuable to you – for your career success and for your enjoyment of life?

Music has always been a big part of my life. I grew up playing piano, singing in a children’s chorus, dancing, and competing in show choir. Because MIT values a well-rounded education that includes both science and humanities, I have been able to continue pursuing my passion for music. The wide range of knowledge that I have gained at MIT will be valuable to me in the future, as I continue to work in the interdisciplinary field of computer science and music.

What are your plans for the future?

After graduation, I am excited to stay at MIT one more year to complete my Master of Science degree in Music Technology and Computation.