Mission Statement

To provide cadets, staff, and faculty with the opportunity to conduct multi-disciplinary research in the auditory domain, in order to increase the knowledge of music as a ubiquitous component of cultural and national identity.

Vision

The West Point Music Research Center is dedicated to understanding and communicating the effects of music through multi-disciplinary research and analysis. Providing innovative solutions and discoveries through international collaborations with leading academic departments, research centers, and industry.

Featured

PODCAST

A Discussion on the influence of Military Music on the American Sound, from Reconstruction to the Roaring Twenties.

Listen

A Song and a nation

In the West Point Music Research Center, the performance of the National Anthem during the Super Bowl is a moment of national identity. A high-end bar song that embodies the rule of law, free will, democracy—and thanks to a predictable flyover—an auditory and visual reminder to other nations of our willingness to travel to promote such ideals.

Measuring the Impact of Live Military Band Concerts

This collaborative research study with Missouri Science and Technology University aims to understand attitudes and emotions in response to military or university band performance in both live and recorded conditions.

Keeping Peace with a Different Drum: A Note on Military Music

Sergeant First Class Joseph Hart recently published an article with the Association of the United States Army highlighting new research on music analytics in Army Bands.

Airflow Imaging and Aerosol Particle Concentration During Musical Activity

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic demonstrated a need to further understand the characteristics of airflow and aerosol particle concentrations while conducting musical activity. In this study we investigated the playing of wind instruments, singing, and breathing during percussion playing.

Applying Jacobs Method to Calculate Social Distancing and Attendance at Live Music Events

About

Established in 2018, the West Point Music Research Center (WPMRC) conducts research on behalf of the United States Military Academy (USMA), the United States Army, and the Department of Defense.

Music permeates every aspect of daily life. It has significant and lasting effects on individuals and communities, including health and wellness, readiness and resilience, economic influence, community building, cultural and national identity, and diplomacy.

WPMRC is committed to enhancing cadet education, faculty development, and the Army mission through the lens of music, sound, and their far-reaching effects. The Center supports cadet projects, conducts research, compiles related literature, and facilitates workshops, lectures, and experiences, to be the preeminent center in this area of research.

Teach ◆ Research ◆ Advise

Focus Areas

National and Cultural Identity
Music and Health
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning
Data Analysis and Visualization
Media Analytics
Music Psychology and Sociology
Influence
Information Warfare
Auditory Cognition

Relevant Research Areas for USMA and U.S. Priorities

Build and Maintain the Team

Modernization

Strengthen Partnerships

Provide Professional Development

Promote the Reputation of USMA

Enhance the Education of Cadets

The West Point Music Research Center advances the Academy and Army’s commitment to modernization, enhances the West Point curriculum, and facilitates national and international collaboration with today’s preeminent academic departments, research centers, veteran artists, and industry leaders.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

WPMRC is actively pursuing the development of strategic partnerships with industry, academia, and other government agencies and laboratories.

West Point faculty partner with forward deployed units, DoD research organizations, academia, and industry to do research on real world problems and bring difficult projects to the classroom. Because West Point is a government organization, a number of options have been established by law and by regulation to support research at West Point. WPMRC’s first step in partnering with government, academic, or industry scientists is establishing the Memoranda of Agreement or Cooperative Research and Development Agreements. Donors interested in contributing to this research are invited to contact the West Point Association of Graduates.