S. Alex Ruthmann
Director
Biography & links for S. Alex Ruthmann
Founder and director of the MusEDLab, leading research and design in creative music technologies and education.
Academic profile & selected work →NYU Music Experience Design Lab
People
The researchers, designers, educators and students behind the lab’s work.
Director
Permanent members
Dr. Ethan Hein
Music Adjunct Faculty, NYU; adjunct professor, The New School
Permanent members
Biography & links for Dr. Ethan Hein
Founding MusEDLab member and lead designer of Groove Pizza, bringing music education and creative technology into dialogue.
Ethan holds a PhD in music education from NYU, where he teaches music theory, music history and songwriting. His work with the lab includes Groove Pizza and aQWERTYon, tools that invite learners to explore rhythm, harmony and musical expression.
With Will Kuhn, he coauthored Electronic Music School: A Contemporary Approach to Teaching Musical Creativity (Oxford University Press, 2021). He shares his teaching and musical ideas through his blog, podcast and MusicRadar column.
Dr. Sunny Choi
Senior Researcher, University of Turku; Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Jyväskylä
Permanent members
Biography & links for Dr. Sunny Choi
Sunny combines research on music learning with music-technology practice. His past industry roles include Chief Operating Officer at Clefer and Head of Curriculum at Yousician.
Personal website · Turku profile · Jyväskylä profile · Industry experience
Lab Alumni
Meet the people who have shaped the lab through research, creative technology, music, mentoring and teaching.
Tyler Bisson
Software developer and consultant · Slalom
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Jordana Bombi
Bank of America
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Jordana Bombi
Andrew Brown
Professor of Digital Arts · Griffith University
At MusEDLab: Visiting scholar.
Biography & links for Andrew Brown
Andrew’s work spans creative music practice, digital arts and education. He co-authored Scratch Music Projects with S. Alex Ruthmann.
James Chang
Undergraduate student · Stanford University
At MusEDLab: Former student researcher.
Biography & links for James Chang
Contributed to the Boulez spatial-audio project.
James’s MusEDLab work includes the Boulez spatial-audio experience. His public profile lists Stanford study from 2026 to 2030.
Fah Daengdej
Zanobe
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Chenchong Deng
Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study graduate · Boston University
At MusEDLab: Former research student.
Biography & links for Chenchong Deng
Music education.
Chenchong completed Boston University’s Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Music Education.
Stefania Druga
Staff Research Scientist · Sakana AI, RSI Lab
At MusEDLab: Visiting scholar.
Biography & links for Stefania Druga
Marilu Duque
Founder · AppSavior
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Jamie Ehrenfeld
Director of Education · Belongó
At MusEDLab: Director, CORE/Ed Sullivan Fellows Program.
Biography & links for Jamie Ehrenfeld
Founding MusEDLab member and NYU music education graduate; previously led Ed Sullivan Fellows and CORE Music.
Joshua Emanuel
Music educator · A. MacArthur Barr Middle School, Nanuet
At MusEDLab: Music education researcher; NYU Music Education PhD, 2026.
Biography & links for Joshua Emanuel
Research on songwriting and classroom music learning.
Joshua is a music educator, percussionist and songwriter.
PhD in Music Education, NYU Steinhardt, 2026
A Design-Based, Practitioner Inquiry into Developing a Middle School Songwriting Curriculum
Joshua’s doctoral research examines how songwriting teaching develops through the iterative design of an eighth-grade music curriculum. Combining practitioner inquiry, his own songwriting and dialogue with fellow educators, it explores curricular structure and creative freedom, constructive feedback and teacher identity. Findings offer practical principles for songwriting instruction and professional learning communities.
Quinn He
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Biography & links for Quinn He
Developed aQWERTYon visualization; works across creative learning, HCI and AI education.
Seth Hillinger
Founder and organizer · NY Music Tech
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Seth Hillinger
Damon Holzborn
Musician, new-media artist and software developer
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Damon Holzborn
Camilla Jonasson
Scientific development leader · Pedagogisk Inspiration Malmö
At MusEDLab: Visiting scholar.
Biography & links for Camilla Jonasson
A 2026 Malmö research report identifies Camilla’s scientific-development role. Her practice also includes musical performance.
Marijke Jorritsma
Design manager and lead UX designer · NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Marijke Jorritsma
Helped playtest Groove Pizza.
Jamie Kiliany
Senior Director of Development · Jarrett Creative Group
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Jamie Kiliany
Andre Kostiw-Gill
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Biography & links for Andre Kostiw-Gill
Co-founded Playgrounds, as documented by NYU in 2018.
Maria Krajewski
Mentor
Lab Alumni · Mentors
Biography & links for Maria Krajewski
Co-founded MAD Academy at City-As-School.
Angela Lau
Founder and Director · Pilco Studio
At MusEDLab: Student and Staff Alumni.
Biography & links for Angela Lau
Based in Jeju, South Korea, Angela develops playful, creativity-centered learning experiences. An NYU master’s graduate, she brings a background in music education, educational technology and experiential learning.
Katie Lau
The Walt Disney Company
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Katie Lau
Charlotte Leclerc
Music industry professional · The Orchard
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Charlotte Leclerc
Theresa Leonard
Head of Audio Recording Programme · Verbier Festival Academy
At MusEDLab: Visiting scholar.
Biography & links for Theresa Leonard
Tavis Linsin
Research Director · Harvard Project Zero
At MusEDLab: Visiting scholar.
Biography & links for Tavis Linsin
Yiting Liu
Founder of Vibes; creative technology director · New York City
At MusEDLab: Former coder in residence.
Biography & links for Yiting Liu
Interactive creative tools and Chinese music projects.
An NYU ITP alum, Yiting develops interactive and spatial experiences. Her work on Vibes explores real-time visuals driven by music, alongside installations and public creative-technology experiences.
Yitao Ma
The Tianjin Juilliard School
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Yitao Ma
William Mahlan
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Biography & links for William Mahlan
Paulo Roberto Affonso Marins
Faculty · Universidade de Brasília
At MusEDLab: Visiting scholar.
Biography & links for Paulo Roberto Affonso Marins
Jaye Mateyko
Head of US Operations · MusicFirst
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Jaye Mateyko
An NYU music education master’s graduate, Jaye has taught elementary general music and high school marching band. They have worked at MusicFirst since 2015.
André Miranda
Founder and CEO · Musiversal
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for André Miranda
André founded Musiversal, a platform connecting musicians and music production. NYU’s account of his work describes his Screen Scoring education and connection with Alex Ruthmann.
Adam November
Creative technologist and musician · Future Colossal
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Adam November
Contributed to Groove Pizza.
Keith Patchel
Composer · In memoriam · died 2021
At MusEDLab: Composer.
Biography & links for Keith Patchel
Composer-in-residence.
Keith served as composer-in-residence at MusEDLab. His work is remembered in Queens College’s alumni magazine.
Tommy Payne
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Biography & links for Tommy Payne
NYU ITP Class of 2016.
Eric Rosenbaum
Director of Scratch Lab · Scratch Foundation
At MusEDLab: Visiting scholar.
Biography & links for Eric Rosenbaum
Eric designs playful technologies for creative learning. His biography records his work with MusEDLab.
Quin Scacheri
Axiotl Inc.
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Quin Scacheri
Jason Sigal
Music recommendations engineer · Spotify
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Jason Sigal
Former Creative Coder in Residence.
Jason’s work connects music, software and creative coding. His personal site records his engineering work at Spotify since 2017.
Sumanth Srinivasan
Software engineer and creative coder · JWX
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Sumanth Srinivasan
Asyrique Thevendran
Director of Engineering · Paywatch
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Asyrique Thevendran
A January 2026 UNIMAS event report identifies Asyrique’s engineering leadership role.
Martín Urbach
Educator, youth organizer and restorative justice consultant
At MusEDLab: Mentor.
Biography & links for Martín Urbach
Ernesto Valenzuela
Music Adjunct Faculty; Technology Operations Manager · NYU Steinhardt
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Ernesto Valenzuela
Ernesto works across music teaching and technology operations at NYU.
Casey Voss
Software developer · AMAG Technology
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Zehao Wang
Assistant Professor · School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
At MusEDLab: Affiliate creator, research and design projects across the MusEDLab.
Biography & links for Zehao Wang
Zehao researches musical acoustics, sound synthesis, instrument design and spatial audio. He earned a PhD in computer music at UC San Diego and a mathematics bachelor’s degree at Peking University, and held visiting positions at NYU Shanghai and Stanford’s CCRMA.
Camille Weins
Technical Director, Los Angeles · CultureHub
At MusEDLab: Lab contributor.
Biography & links for Camille Weins
Meghan Todt Williams
Violinist, educator and artistic producer · New York / NYU teaching
At MusEDLab: Music education researcher; NYU Music Education PhD, 2026.
Biography & links for Meghan Todt Williams
Research associate with the NYU NEA Research Lab.
Meghan performs as a violinist and teaches violin, chamber music and pedagogy. She earned a BA at Princeton and an MM at NYU; her work combines performance, teaching and arts research.
PhD in Music Education, NYU Steinhardt, 2026
“This Is Who I Am”: Mapping the Education, Careers, and Lives of Interdisciplinary Musicians in the United States
Meghan’s doctoral research examines how musicians combine intensive musical training with other fields of study to build their careers and lives. A questionnaire with 98 respondents and two interview rounds with 10 interdisciplinary musicians informed narrative and voice-centered analysis of nonlinear, evolving careers. It offers guidance for young musicians considering interdisciplinary higher education and connections between musical study, work and lifelong music making.
Alex Zhang
PhD student in Information Science · University of Washington Information School
At MusEDLab: Former visiting researcher.
Biography & links for Alex Zhang
Creative learning, AI and music research.
Zhiyu (Alex) Zhang studies creative learning with AI and music and collaborates with KidsTeam. His listed advisers are Katie Davis and Jin Ha Lee.
Shay Ase
Mentor
Lab Alumni · Mentors
Tiffany Billey
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Diana Castro
Product Designer & Creative Director; Music Adjunct Faculty, NYU Steinhardt
At MusEDLab: Lead Designer in Residence.
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Profile & sources for Diana Castro
Muhammed Cisse
High-school intern
Lab Alumni · Fellows & interns
Madeline Flieger
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Matthew Fontana
Former lab member
Lab Alumni · Research alumni
Rosie Gao
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Jacob Gunther
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Kenneth Holder
Mentor
Lab Alumni · Mentors
Kevin Irlen
At MusEDLab: Software Architect in Residence.
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Cyndi Yudi Jia
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Kigan Joseph
Mentor
Lab Alumni · Mentors
Matthew Kaney
Part-time Lecturer, Parsons School of Design, The New School
At MusEDLab: Lead Creative Coder in Residence.
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Profile & sources for Matthew Kaney
Sharon Leshner
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Jacob Lewin
High-school intern
Lab Alumni · Fellows & interns
Amber Lewis
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Raquelle Luberta
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Kalli Luo
GSTEM high-school fellow
Lab Alumni · Fellows & interns
Alana Mittleman
GSTEM high-school fellow
Lab Alumni · Fellows & interns
Herby Mizani
Mentor
Lab Alumni · Mentors
Mateo Molina
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Ilan Pomerance
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Chava Rafael
GSTEM high-school fellow
Lab Alumni · Fellows & interns
Max Rothstein
High-school intern
Lab Alumni · Fellows & interns
Kate Stone
Creative scientist; Chair of Trustees, Just Bee
At MusEDLab: Entrepreneur and Engineer in Residence.
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Profile & sources for Kate Stone
Miranda Viederman
GSTEM high-school fellow
Lab Alumni · Fellows & interns
Devin Visslailli
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Jingyi Wang
Lab contributor
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Ava Zhang
Visiting scholar
Lab Alumni · Visiting scholars
Julie Ballantyne
Associate Professor of Music Education, University of Queensland
At MusEDLab: Visiting Scholar.
Lab Alumni · Visiting scholars
Profile & sources for Julie Ballantyne
Toni Blackman
Hip-hop artist and educator; co-founder, Bloom Afrique
At MusEDLab: Visiting Scholar; Advisory Board.
Lab Alumni · Visiting scholars
Profile & sources for Toni Blackman
Bruce Carter
Arts researcher; member, National Council on the Arts
At MusEDLab: Visiting Research Scholar; Research Scholar — Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
Lab Alumni · Visiting scholars
Profile & sources for Bruce Carter
Madeline Pance Docimo
Independent cellist, writer, songwriter and music producer
At MusEDLab: Student Researcher.
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Profile & sources for Madeline Pance Docimo
Eric Dalio
At MusEDLab: Teacher in Residence.
Lab Alumni · Teachers in Residence
Yilu “Lulu” Guo
Researcher, educator and artist
At MusEDLab: Student Researcher.
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Profile & sources for Yilu “Lulu” Guo
Tanya Kalmanovitch
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), Intern, Ottawa River Integrative Mental Health; musician
At MusEDLab: Research Scholar — Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
Lab Alumni · Visiting scholars
Profile & sources for Tanya Kalmanovitch
Ailbhe Kenny
Associate Professor in Music Education, Mary Immaculate College
At MusEDLab: Visiting Scholar.
Lab Alumni · Visiting scholars
Profile & sources for Ailbhe Kenny
Sanna Kivijärvi
Senior Lecturer, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences; researcher, Cultural Well-being Research and Education Centre (CuWeRE)
At MusEDLab: Visiting Affiliate Scholar.
Lab Alumni · Visiting scholars
Profile & sources for Sanna Kivijärvi
Matt McLean
At MusEDLab: Teacher in Residence.
Lab Alumni · Teachers in Residence
Yusuke Narita
At MusEDLab: Student Researcher.
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Profile & sources for Yusuke Narita
Willie Payne
Assistant Professor of User Experience / Design, School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
At MusEDLab: Student Researcher.
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Profile & sources for Willie Payne
Jarritt Sheel
At MusEDLab: Scholar in Residence.
Lab Alumni · Visiting scholars
Guergana Tzatchkova
At MusEDLab: Coder in Residence.
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Dave Van Dusen
Braze
At MusEDLab: Student Researcher.
Lab Alumni · MusEDLab Student and Staff Alumni
Profile & sources for Dave Van Dusen
Yan Yue
Last known affiliation (2015 archive): Fujian Normal University
At MusEDLab: Visiting Scholar.
Lab Alumni · Visiting scholars
Profile & sources for Yan Yue
Xianbao Zhao
Last known affiliation (2015 archive): Shenzhen University
At MusEDLab: Visiting Scholar.
Lab Alumni · Visiting scholars
Profile & sources for Xianbao Zhao
Historical Advisory Board
Former advisory-board members who contributed to the lab’s development.
Kat Bloomfield
Founder and CEO, Arts Business Collaborative
At MusEDLab: Advisory Board (historical).
Historical Advisory Board
Profile & sources for Kat Bloomfield
Lubna Dajani
Founder & Managing Director, Allternet Limited
At MusEDLab: Advisory Board (historical).
Historical Advisory Board
Profile & sources for Lubna Dajani
Keith Garde
At MusEDLab: Historical Advisory Board.
Historical Advisory Board
James Miles
Chief Growth Officer, Path with Art; Assistant Professor, Performing Arts and Arts Leadership, Seattle University
At MusEDLab: Advisory Board (historical).
Historical Advisory Board
Profile & sources for James Miles
Philipp Schmidt
Senior Vice President, Technology Innovation, Axim Collaborative
At MusEDLab: Advisory Board (historical).
Historical Advisory Board
Profile & sources for Philipp Schmidt
Yrjan Tangenes
Last known affiliation (before its January 2026 closure): HANCE
At MusEDLab: Advisory Board (historical).
Historical Advisory Board
Profile & sources for Yrjan Tangenes
Ken Umezaki
Independent investor and business advisor, Digital Daruma
At MusEDLab: Advisory Board (historical).
Historical Advisory Board
Profile & sources for Ken Umezaki
Frank Østevold
Co-founder and CEO, oiid
At MusEDLab: Advisory Board (historical).
Historical Advisory Board
Profile & sources for Frank Østevold
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