Biography

Dr. Brian K. Shepard is assistant professor of pedagogical technology at the USC Thornton School of Music, where he teaches courses in composition, music theory, orchestration and music technology at both the undergraduate and graduate level. He also chairs the Thornton School Technology Committee.

In October 1999, Dr. Shepard conducted the very first demonstration of a private music lesson over Internet2 with full-frequency, uncompressed audio and video. Since that time, his  pioneering research into the musical capabilities and opportunities of Internet2 has brought him international recognition, and in April 2006, Brian received the inaugural IDEA Award by Internet2 for his work. In October 2009, after nearly 10 years of research into issues of audio quality and echo control in the high-bandwidth, musical videoteleconference, Dr. Shepard released his software EchoDamp to educational institutions around the world. This breakthrough application allows musicians to control echo in a videoteleconference without sacrificing audio quality as has been the case until now. He has been featured on CNN's Technology Week In Review and NPR's Morning Edition, as well as in Discover, Symphony, EdTech, AV Technology magazine, and most recently, The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Shepard is a composer of both acoustic and electronic art music as well as an arranger and orchestrator of "Symphonic Pops" charts. His works have been performed by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra, the Charleston (SC) Symphony Orchestra, Trio Contraste, the Margarita Baños-Milton dance ensemble and by numerous faculty and student ensembles from colleges and universities across the country. As a result of collaborations with dancers, he has been exploring the concept of interactive dance music. One of his recent forays into this area, HyperLinx, uses infrared sensors placed around a stage to detect a dancer's movements. This information is then used by a computer running a program written by Dr. Shepard in Max/MSP to create a musical accompaniment to the dance.

Before coming to USC, Dr. Shepard was assistant professor of composition and music technology at the University of Oklahoma School of Music where he chaired the Music Technology Department. He was an active performer in the Oklahoma City area, serving as principal percussion with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra, and playing frequently in recording sessions and for various shows, including Lyric Theater—Oklahoma City's summer music theater company. Dr. Shepard serves on the Internet2 Performance Events Advisory Committee and is a former member of the music editorial review board for MERLOT (Multimedia and Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching). He is also the audio recording "coach" for the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida.

Video Interviews with Brian Shepard
About Brian Shepard
Brian Shepard's Career Path
Importance of Being Well-Rounded
Current Trends in Music Technology
Future of Distance Learning
Pedagogical Technology
Internet2 and Music Distance Education
What is Composition?
What is Orchestration?
Why Study Music?

Professional Experience

Career Highlights:

• Created and Developed EchoDamp, the first audio mixing and echo controlling software application for musical videoteleconferences on high-performance networks, October 2009
  
• Conducted very first musical private lesson over Internet2, with full-frequency, uncompressed audio and video, October 1999
• Pioneered technology for teaching and performing music via Internet2, 1998-Present
  
• Principal Percussion, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, 1992-2005

Honors, Awards & Competitions:

• IDEA Award from Internet2 for Interactive Music Education Project, April 2006
  

Compositions:

• Eternal Stars for Brass Quintet
• Symphony No. 1 for Large Orchestra
• Where v. 1.04b for Computer Generated Sounds and Graphics
• HyperLinx for Dancer and Interactive Environment
• Conversation for Flute, Oboe and Piano

Research Interests:

• Echo control in Musical Videoteleconferences (EchoDamp)
  
• Music Distance Education
• Virtual Performance Environments

Publications:

• "Internet2 and Musical Applications" - Proceedings (the Journal of the National Association of Schools of Music), Spring 2009
• “Teaching Music Through Advanced Network Videoconferencing” - Proceedings (the Journal of the National Association of Schools of Music), Spring 2001
• “The Symbolic Elements of Messiaen's Work for Wind Ensemble, Couleurs De La Cité Céleste” - The Journal of Band Research, Fall 1982
• “Preparing A Percussion Audition” - Percussive Notes, Spring/Summer 1979
• “Percussion Maintenance: Tips for the Band Director” - The Instrumentalist, April 1979

Academic Degrees

• DMA, University of Oklahoma, Composition, 1995
• MM, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Conducting, 1981
• BM, University of Kansas, Percussion, 1979