This heuristic and inductive study proposes a philosophy and models for a humanizing role for higher education in the computer age. The university's traditional role stands the risk of serious erosion through increasing emphasis on technological programs, particularly in the computer areas. The pressures from inside and outside the university threaten to produce increasing numbers of what have been termed "highly educated barbarians." Because computerization offers to be a pervasive and widely-felt influence on society, the university must see that its graduates—both the producers and the consumers of computerization—become humane, liberally educated persons; they must have technical excellence and also an understanding of the "system Man." The study calls for an enhanced new curriculum fostering a "new mind" for the computer age, encompassing quality of both technique and humanity in its students.

Technology-based music educators are uniquely situated within the shifting landscape of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education. This dissertation investigates the lived experiences, perceptions, and teaching practices of secondary music teachers who teach through technology, exploring how they navigate the interdisciplinary connections between music, science, and technology. By employing a phenomenological methodology, the research reveals a transformation from an initially structured inquiry into a rhizomatic exploration, uncovering STEAM’s potential to challenge and transcend traditional educational paradigms. Drawing on metaphors of the tree and skunk, this dissertation contrasts hierarchical, binary models of knowledge with the rhizomatic thinking advanced by Deleuze and Guattari. Music technology educators thrive in these fluid, interdisciplinary spaces, which resist categorization and require constant adaptation. Situated in the epistemological ecotone between music and STEM fields, these educators embody a philosophical challenge to modernist, arborescent models of learning, embracing a post-humanist perspective that recognizes the interconnectedness and relationality of knowledge. The findings highlight how STEAM education, particularly within music, dissolves rigid disciplinary boundaries, offering students new ways to engage with music beyond traditional frameworks of performance and composition. Technology-based music educators serve as agents of change, creating opportunities for innovative teaching and learning that reflect the complexity of the contemporary world. Ultimately, this dissertation argues for a re-envisioning of music education as a liberal art through the lens of STEAM, one that acknowledges the philosophical and post-humanist implications of our rapidly evolving, interconnected world. In doing so, it positions music technology educators as vital contributors to a new renaissance in education, leading the way with their rhizomatic, transdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning. .