Computer programming and music don't often go together, but Georgia Tech School of Music professor Jason Freeman has changed the way students learn both topics. In collaboration with Brian Magerko, a professor in Literature, Media, and Communication, he has developed EarSketch, a program that makes music and computing accessible for students of all ages.

The summer 2017 edition of the Georgia Tech Alumni magazine takes a closer look at the work of Freeman, a professor and researcher at the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology.

Users of the program can choose from a database of thousands of musical loops, using code to piece them together into unique compositions. The end result is a way for students to explore their creativity while learning programming at the same time.

“They’re learning a real programming language. It’s not some sandbox they’re learning in, it’s a real language that’s used throughout the industry. They can take those skills directly into another learning environment or eventually into a job,” Freeman says in the magazine.

First developed in 2011, the program's userbase has expanded to more than 11,000 students per month. Many of these students are in Advanced Placement Computer Science classes in metro Atlanta high schools, but EarSketch's userbase covers more than 300 schools in all 50 states, and more than 100 countries worldwide.

Read the full article.