Alex Cohen

Teaching

My teaching combines technical practice with critical reflection. I have taught courses in music technology, digital audio production, interface design, signal processing, and project-based studio practice at Georgia Tech and North Carolina State University.

Teaching Approach

I approach technical skills as part of a broader process of inquiry. Students learn how systems work by building, testing, listening, and revising, while also examining the assumptions built into the tools and methods they use.

In project-based courses, I emphasize experimentation, iterative development, and collaborative critique. My goal is for students to leave with both practical fluency and a stronger sense of how media technologies shape artistic and social possibilities.

Courses Taught

Project Studio in Music Technology

Georgia Tech, 2022

Project-based course focused on designing and building interfaces, systems, and instruments for musical improvisation. Topics included microcontroller programming, sensor and circuit design, interaction design, and critical analysis of improvisational practice.

Introduction to Audio Technology II

Georgia Tech, 2022–2023

Applied digital signal processing for music in Python, with work in machine learning and music information retrieval.

Introduction to Audio Technology I

Georgia Tech, 2021–2023

Introduction to music computation, digital signal processing, and interface design for music applications using Pure Data.

Digital Audio Production

North Carolina State University, 2020–2021

Audio recording, editing, mixing, mastering, and broadcasting for journalism and advertising using Adobe Audition and Reaper.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, limited access to university recording equipment led me to adapt the course around computer- and phone-based production. Students worked with recording, editing, sampling, and remixing using tools and materials available outside a conventional studio environment.