Dr. Michael Mulshine
PQ Senior Piano Teacher
Master Music Technology Instructor
B.A.in Music, Princeton University
Ph.D Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics, Stanford University
Dr. Michael Mulshine (Mike) is a lifelong pianist, a drummer and percussionist, vocalist, composer, singer-songwriter, computer musician, and music technology researcher. He has composed, performed, and carried out music technology research domestically and internationally.
As a pianist, Mike is trained in classical, jazz, and experimental styles. In high school, he studied with Professor Emeritus Charles M. Joseph at Skidmore College and attended intensive piano workshops at Eastman School of Music and Westminster Choir College. He received his Bachelors degree in Music at Princeton University, where he performed with the Princeton Pianists Ensemble and studied privately with Professor Geoffrey Burleson (Hunter College, NYC). He completed his Ph.D. in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics and Music Composition at Stanford in 2025. During his time there, he studied jazz and Latin jazz piano with acclaimed Bay Area pianist Murray Low and performed with the Stanford Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble. He has written a lot of music for piano and mixed ensembles, merging stylistic influences from classical music, jazz, folk and pop songwriting, and experimental music.
Mike completed his Bachelors degree in Music with Certificates in Applications of Computing and Music Performance via Electronic Media at Princeton University in 2016. Subsequently, he worked as a Research Specialist in Electronic Music under Princeton Professors Daniel Trueman and Jeff Snyder for three years (2016-2019). In that time, he co-directed the Princeton Laptop Orchestra and co-developed many musical instruments. Mike’s graduate research in music technology at Stanford (2019-2025) was advised by Ge Wang (founder of Smule and inventor of the ChucK music programming language). Mike’s studies resulted in the production of unique and highly interactive audiovisual musical experiences on the web, as sound installations, and as multimedia live musical performances. He uses a broad array of programming tools and digital hardware to create these varied creative experiences, ranging from C/C++, HTML/CSS and Javascript, microcontrollers like Teensy and Arduino, and computer music programming languages like ChucK and Max/MSP. His dissertation–entitled “Vernacular Computer Music”–addressed the latent tensions between everyday musical creativity and music technological progress and Computer Music research institutions. In general, his research espouses and encourages an increased criticality about how we use technology in music and celebrates the vital importance of musical creativity.
Mike has studied composition with composers like Daniel Trueman, Steven Mackey, Patricia Alessandrini, Mark Applebaum, Erik Ulman, and more. He has composed for musicians like Carolina Santiago (pianist, Spain), Manuela Freua (soprano, Brazil), Nina Guo (soprano, USA and Germany) and Eddie Kass (double bass, USA), and musical / creative groups like Distractfold Ensemble (UK), Adapter Ensemble (Copenhagen), Ensemble Schallfeld (Austria), LEIMAY (NYC), Share Music (Sweden), and Ensemble Linea (France). He is particularly interested in composing interactive musical compositions that encourage creative contributions from performers and audience members alike, sometimes involving new music technologies to do so.
Mike also writes songs and has released albums and singles in recent years. He enjoys performing around the Bay Area with friends, including at venues like Brick & Mortar (SF), The Hotel Utah (SF), and Baba’s House (Oakland). His songwriting style blends folk, pop, jazz, electronic, and classical influences in a style all his own.