Berklee College of Music has exciting news for beginner DJs and producers: starting in the fall of 2019, students can choose laptops and computers as their main instrument for performing. The “electronic digital instrument” or “EDI” initiative is meant to cater to all musicians, including those who don’t play a traditional instrument.

Currently, students are composing and producing music using computers, so the move to allowing computers as a performance instrument was natural, Berklee says. The school cites the steady growth of musicians using software and hardware like Pioneer DJ and Native Instruments with computers as a factor in their decision.

“This new initiative is going to have a huge effect on the field of music education. We’ll now have the opportunity to study and teach an important way that artists are currently exploring music,” said Michael Bierylo, chair of the Electronic Production and Design Department at Berklee.

The EDI program requires the three components below. Combined, these act as a single instrument capable of a wide range of musical expression.

1. A computing device
2. User-configured software
3. Performance controller(s)

Once accepted into the program, students can choose from majors such as Electronic Production & Design or Composition. If you’re interested in applying to the program, you can get a head start with the 2019 Five-Week Summer Performance Program. Visit Berklee’s website to learn more.