Electronic production and design professor Michael Bierylo's musical paradigm was dramatically challenged when he took the first sabbatical of his Berklee career and moved to Berlin to study the world of laptop performance. It was a natural result of changing his environment, and a process he embraced..

The rigor of Berklee can sometimes lead to a sort of tunnel vision for students focused completely on their own instrument or major. But when Berklee's Interarts Ensemble, under the direction of Electronic Production and Design professor Neil Leonard, went to Cuba this month, they saw firsthand how strongly connected different types of music—and art—could be.

Berklee's Electronic Production and Design (ELPD) Department encourages students to explore the use of technology in the service of art. ELPD majors combine performance, composition, and orchestration with computer, synthesis, and multimedia technology, and often go on to careers in film or video game sound design, production, or performance. Our video team sat in on the Interactive Video Programming and Performance class, taught by professor Neil Leonard, where students create full sensory experiences—sometimes improvised on the spot. Watch the videos below to get a taste of the class and meet Leonard, department chair Kurt Biederwolf, and three students.