Since long before he arrived at NC State, Thomas Reid considered himself to be both a musician and a student of STEM disciplines. 

In combining the two at NC State as a member of the new Music Technology program, the second-year student is getting a chance to add an additional title: pioneer. 

Reid, native of Harrisburg, North Carolina, first heard about NC State’s Music Technology program at a music educators conference when he was still in high school – and knew that he found a fit. 

“When I heard about how they combined the two together with this new Music Technology program, I thought, ‘I’ve found my place,” Reid said. “That’s always been what I was interested in: problem solving with STEM, but also all of the fun and endless possibilities that you can have with the arts and music.”

Finding a Blend of Interests on a New Path

In high school, Reid participated in his high school concert band and marching band, playing the clarinet. 

He also discovered an interest in helping with the technological side of performances, running electronic cables for sound systems and exploring the audio and video side of music production. 

“To be able to combine music and science in such a unique way was really inspiring to me.”

“That led me to gravitate towards this field of Music Technology,” Reid said. “I found it really interesting to combine these subjects I was interested in, and had a bit of experience in, to create and improve the technology I was using at school. Just to be able to combine music and science in such a unique way was really inspiring to me.” 

The Music Technology program, the first degree-granting major in NC State’s University College, sees students such as Reid take courses that give them a base foundation in electrical and computer engineering, including math and physics prerequisites in the first year, and then 200-level engineering courses.

At the same time, these students take music classes such as music theory, piano skills and musical history. Additionally, these students are expected to come into college with an ability to play a musical instrument, and participate in one of the Department of Performing Arts and Technology’s several music ensembles.

Justin Mathew, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Performing Arts and Technology, and the Music Technology program’s director, quickly recognized Reid’s drive and passion for exploring one of the university’s newest offerings. 

“I think he encompasses our university’s Think and Do motto when it comes to the Music Technology classes, the program itself and his excitement and passion about learning this field,” Mathew said. 

“I think he encompasses our university’s Think and Do motto.”

The Music Technology program is unique in that, unlike other, long-established majors at NC State, there’s a blank slate for students to figure out where they can go and what they can do with a career in the industry. 

Reid has enjoyed exploring new territory alongside his classmates. 

“I think it’s really exciting,” Reid said. “It’s really cool to see that there are so many paths that you can go towards. You see that in our classes. We know what the class is going to cover, but  the content may shift to reflect what students find useful or interesting. Also, we’re all new to this. None of us started off as pros. We’re all eager to learn, and we’re all in this thing together. So it’s been a lot of fun to figure it out and develop the program as we go along.” 

As part of helping pioneer the first class of Music Technology students, Reid has also gotten a chance to participate first hand in the creation of the program’s signature space. 

“It’s been a lot of fun to figure it out and develop the program as we go along.” 

He was part of a group of students that helped design, build and set up the Music Technology lab in Price Music Center, complete with audio mixing boards, a recording studio and more, with classes using the space for the first time this semester. 

“It’s really cool to get the opportunity to see a department grow,” Reid said. “It’s so cool to be a part of this. You get the experience building the space, but then I also get to see it come together with my classmates who also like doing the same thing. It’s a group effort to improve our knowledge and improve our resources.”

Reid has emerged as a key student leader for a new department, though, when asked if that took on added importance with a new program, Mathew was quick to point out that having those student leaders is a key for any program. 

“For every type of program out there, having students like him invigorates other students. He showcases the capability to understand both the musical and technical side of things,” Mathew said. “He’s a great example to the other students, and I think that, from a faculty point of view, it’s nice to see the same sort of passion that we as faculty have for this field. It reinvigorates us about the topics we’re teaching.”

A Well-Rounded Student of Music

As previously mentioned, Music Technology students are required to participate in four semesters of the Department of Performing Arts and Technology’s various music ensembles. 

During his first year at NC State, Reid was part of the Symphonic Band, which combines its end of semester concert with an audio and video presentation. 

“It was really cool to see how that came together,” Reid said. “You’re playing the music, but you can also see how we can use the music technology that we have to make a more convincing and storytelling concert, which is a lot of fun to do, and I hope to do it again.” 

As he seeks options for his future musical ensembles, Reid looks forward to trying something new to him, such as an orchestra or Jazz Band.

“You’re not limited to the ensembles that you’re familiar with,” Reid said. “You can go take Jazz Band if you want to learn something new. You can go take choir. You can go take whatever you want, and it’s cool that you can expand your music knowledge while taking a STEM-oriented major.” 

Reid also works as a student technician for music productions, and is part of a student club called Musical Empowerment. 

This club gathers music students at NC State and connects them with K-12 students in the Triangle area to provide free music lessons. 

“The musical opportunities that I’ve had have been so helpful to me,” Reid said. “They’ve really helped me find my place in school, and in potential career paths as well. So I just think it would be awesome to give back to people who may not have what I had in the past, and just give them a chance to get that music education and mentorship to learn what they want to learn.” 

“The musical opportunities that I’ve had have been so helpful to me.”

Reid also works as an operations assistant with the Student Centers, largely helping with event setup. 

In his free time, he enjoys playing the clarinet, composing music and further exploring the digital side of music production. 

“That’s the one main thing I’ve been getting into, just learning how classical-style pieces are made, but I’ve been trying to learn more recently about how pop music and electronic music is made, which I find pretty cool,” Reid said. 

A Future Career in Music Tech

After graduating from NC State, Reid said he would like to find a company in the music and audio industry that solves problems with acoustics and audio engineering.

He hopes to find a position that allows him to further develop skills that he’s learning in NC State’s Music Technology program, such as working with spatial audio. 

“I think these classes have been really helpful to not only make me aware of it, but introduce the science, and the way it can correlate with those things, and give a really great base for learning and knowing where to go next,” Reid said. 

As the Music Technology program continues to grow in future years, it will start to build its own alumni base of graduates who go into the industry and represent NC State. 

Mathew looks forward to having future alumni such as Reid back to continue promoting the program and growing its community. 

“There are a couple reasons I want to do that,” Mathew said. “One is to have alumni explain to the current students how the skills they learned apply to their careers and give advice on the different types of paths they can take. Secondly, I’m hoping we can show the alumni how much we’ve grown and evolved, so they can be proud of being a part of this program’s history.”