Dr. Michael D'Errico

As a DJ and producer of hip-hop and electronic dance music, Dr. D’Errico has performed and collaborated with hip-hop and electronic dance music artists from Boston to Los Angeles. As a digital media artist, he has worked as a sound designer for virtual reality art installations and experimental video games, and he has developed mobile apps for music and multimedia annotation. His research interests include hip-hop, electronic dance music, popular music and technology, video games, and emerging digital media. His book, Push: Software Design and the Cultural Politics of Music Production (Oxford University Press, 2022), examines how trends in music software and digital instrument design influence the composition and production of electronic music. 

 

D’Errico teaches virtual instrument lessons at Millersville, as well as music production courses such as Synthesis & Sampling. In his full-time role, he’s an Associate Professor of Music & Computer Science at Albright College, teaching courses in music business, music technology, game design, and computer science. D’Errico initiated the Electronic Digital Instrument program at Albright, allowing students to take applied music lessons in DJing, beatmaking, synthesis, and other forms of digital music production. He is also the founder of the Albright Rap Collective, an official performing ensemble on campus comprising rappers and producers. 

 

He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Reading Musical Foundation and the executive committee for the US branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music. Additionally, he serves as an adjudicator for the Reading Film Festival. Dr. D’Errico holds degrees in musicology, music, and music education from UCLA, Tufts University, and the University of New Hampshire, and has served on the faculty of music, music industry, and media studies departments at Pitzer College, Pomona College, and UCLA.