Dennis DeSantis on Eastman’s new degree; electronic music as instrument

Dennis DeSantis is known by a wide swath of the music production community as a face of education at Ableton, including the Making Music book. His new role is at the Eastman School of Music, where he’s helming their new BM in Music Creation and Technology. Let’s talk to Dennis about that program, and more broadly, how to think about music technology and education.

A $5 modular drum circuit, a free online course, and how it grows into more

No need to brave the Arizona heat: Glitch’n is a course in electronics that even absolute beginners can enjoy, assembling oscillators, generative beats, filters, and noise on breadboard circuits. But it also helps young people to learn crucial skills that can lead to teaching others and getting jobs. And, for that matter, it could do the same for you. Let’s have a look.

Peter Kirn - August 21, 2026

Ableton quietly launched Learn, powered by the engine from Note, Move

School’s out for summer. But Ableton’s getting ready for back-to-school, soft-launching Ableton Learn with lessons for starting from the beginning with music and production. And there’s a twist: its interactive features are powered by the same engine that Ableton Move and Note use.

Peter Kirn - July 7, 2026

What’s new in the DIY world of Music Thing’s Workshop System

Peter Kirn - January 7, 2026

Shae O. Omonijo’s free series on critical thinking, staying human, in the AI age

Peter Kirn - December 17, 2025

Barry Vercoe, who made coding sound accessible to all, has died

Peter Kirn - June 17, 2025

Add a notation view to Ableton Live Clips, for free: FPB Clip To Score

Peter Kirn - July 15, 2024

Tracktion Waveform Free gets updates for 2022 – and it’s a solid no-cost starter DAW

Peter Kirn - August 22, 2022

Ableton’s free Learning Synths site now exports, records, and adds more exploration

Peter Kirn - April 26, 2022