Teresa Nakra Named Director and Professor of Music and Technology

Nakra joins Stevens after 19 years as professor of music, design, and creative technology at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). At TCNJ, she helped build degree programs in music, music technology, and interactive multimedia. Accordingly, Nakra created curricula that allowed students to study music while developing the professional digital skills essential for their careers.

"I'm honestly just thrilled and delighted to have the chance to take my work to the next level at Stevens,” said Nakra. “Some of the things that attracted me to the music and technology program at Stevens were the incredible faculty, the high profile of the students, the rapidly growing facilities and the program’s history."

Stevens' program celebrates the integration of music and technology, an approach that aligns with Nakra’s career. Initially focused on studying music, Nakra earned her B.A. from Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude and receiving several awards, including the Doris Cohen Levi Prize, the David McCord Prize and the Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Fellowship. As her undergraduate career drew to a close, her conducting teacher encouraged her to explore new technology, emphasizing that the future of music would involve computers.

In turn, Nakra joined the MIT Media Lab, where she was recruited for the Brain Opera project due to her musical expertise. This interactive multimedia production allowed both musicians and the public to create and experience music using instruments and gestural sensors. The project premiered at Lincoln Center and was performed over 160 times across four continents.

She eventually earned her Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab, specializing in music technology. For her dissertation, she designed a sensor-infused jacket to monitor physiological and muscle tension signals in conductors. This jacket was worn by conductors from both the Boston Pops and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, allowing Nakra to analyze their physical responses during performances.

“The education that I got at MIT taught me to think of technology not just as a tool,” said Nakra. “The role of technology isn't just to use it, but to make it, to construct it, and to infuse it with better properties and features than where you found it.”

Most recently, Nakra published her book Constructing Music with Oxford University Press, introducing a new method for teaching music fundamentals through creative coding practices. The book allows students to explore and understand music without relying on traditional Western notation. Instead, its chapters offer numerous block-based coding examples that teach music theory through interactive and graphical means. 

Such an approach makes music theory more accessible, especially for students without formal music training. Nakra is passionate about this pedagogy, as she believes that "students pick music and technology mainly because they want to be creative."

Nakra will bring this spirit to Stevens, where she aims to inspire students to go beyond just learning how to use technology. “I think the vast majority of people approach technology from the perspective of ‘how do I use this thing?’” said Nakra. “What I’d love to see Stevens students engage in is ‘how do I make this thing better? How do I reinvent it or innovate, or create a better tool that will help me accomplish the task in the way that I envision it?’”

By optimizing the offerings available to students, her goal is to ensure that the music and technology program at Stevens remains "a lively, thriving, connected community of learners."

Dr. Nakra's appointment is a significant step forward for the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Her experience and leadership will guide the program's development, ensuring it continues to prepare the next generation of musicians and technologists for valuable, creative, and meaningful careers.