Welcome
I’m Ben Guerrero, an Assistant Professor of Music at Eastern Mennonite University researching how technology and artificial intelligence are transforming music education and the creative industries. I serve on the National Association for Music Education’s AI Task Force and am a music technology specialist on a $1.8 million NSF collaborative research grant (TEAMuP) spanning the University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music, and Northwestern University.
This site is home to my research, creative work, and tools for music educators and musicians.
Astral Recording Studio
I recently helped design and build a state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos recording studio at EMU as we grow our music technology program. The studio features acoustically treated isolation rooms, an industry-standard Dolby Atmos control room with digital and analog equipment, a dedicated editing suite for sound design and post-production, and an extensive instrument and equipment library.
Learn more about the Astral Recording Studio
Harmonic Composer
Harmonic Composer is a free, browser-based music theory workstation for building, analyzing, and hearing chord progressions in real time. It identifies chords from MIDI input, analyzes harmonic function and modulations, generates voicings in SATB, jazz, and piano styles, and visualizes progressions on staff notation, guitar diagrams, and keyboard — all with 400+ chord types and no install required.
Try Harmonic Composer · Learn more
Research
My research explores music technology integration, AI in music education, online professional development, and the perception of groove. Here are some recent publications and projects:
Music Teaching and Learning Through Creative Musical Activities
My doctoral dissertation documenting how technology facilitates creative musical activities in an exemplary high school technology-based music class, through the lens of the TPACK framework.
Online Professional Development: K-12 Music Teachers’ Perceptions
A survey study investigating music teachers’ professional development needs to inform the design of authentic online programs.
Dancers’ Auditory Perception of Microtiming Deviations in Drum Grooves
Exploring differences in microtiming discrimination between dancers, percussionists, and non-musicians.
Music Education Technology Use in a Hispanic American Community
Research examining music education technology access and adoption within Hispanic American communities.
Assessing With SmartMusic: A Literature Review
A review of research on SmartMusic’s impact in the music classroom.
Rhythm and Groove: An Interdisciplinary Literature Review
An interdisciplinary review spanning ethnomusicology, psychoacoustics, neuroscience, and music education.
Rethinking the Digital Mixing Board: My Master’s Thesis
Exploring alternative interface paradigms for digital audio mixing through prototype iPad and iPhone apps.