Michael Zajner

“The program has a good environment to be supported while you experiment and discover different ways of creating music and sound.”

In Electroacoustic Studies, Michael Zajner discovered the freedom to realize his own creative ideas and take advantage of opportunities in and outside of the classroom.

How is Electroacoustic Studies?

The program is excellent. The first year is super valuable. You get a whole bird’s-eye view of the field. In the first year you get a lot of information handed to you at once, but after that you’re very well versed in the different terminology used. After that, in second and third year you have more room for experimentation into the niches that you’re interested in.

What niche are you interested in?

I’m interested in music technology right now, but many of my classmates focus on live performance or audio recording. Electroacoustics is good at providing a foundation for how to talk about audio and understand critical concepts, from which you can expand into many other disciplines. Concordia has many resources for you to experiment with and explore related fields.

For example, I’m engaged in an Innovation Lab Challenge, and right now the topic is artificial intelligence, algorithmic composition and music therapy. I’m translating a lot of the skills that I’ve learned in my courses into designing an algorithm to produce music for people to play if they’re suffering from anxiety or depression. I’m looking at extending some of that into my research with the Milieux Institute.

Do you have an idea of what you want to do after graduating?

I’m split between two different routes. I'm looking at doing a master's degree at Concordia based on the research I’m doing at Milieux. I’m doing two internships next spring – one with an arts center named Eastern Bloc and another at a recording studio called La Hacienda. At La Hacienda I’m going to be working on designing virtual studio technologies. I’m really interested in doing that because I’ve been using them the whole time I’ve been a musician. This will be the first time that I’m designing an instrument, which is significant because it will give me a unique sound. I’m looking to go down this route and find employment creating digital instrumentation.

Any advice for future Electroacoustic students?

Concordia has a great collaborative atmosphere. The students in Electroacoustics are very good at info sharing. We have social media channels and it’s easy to post about a problem you’re having because there’s always people willing to respond and collaborate. The same is true of the staff, many of the professors will take the time to help you figure out a solution to whatever problem you have.