Hal Peterson has worked in the San Francisco Bay area for the past thirty years as a composer, arranger, performer, and music educator. He received his undergraduate training in music theory and instrumental performance at San Jose State University and went on to Stanford University, completing a doctorate in music theory and composition in 1973. His compositions range from serious to popular in content and include Symphony for Synthesizer and Orchestra, Classical Overture, Fantasia Tarantella, prologue, Reflections, and Chesapeake Street Beat. His latest arranging projects include Dances at Threave and Carmen Suite 2 for band.
Dr. Peterson currently works for the San Jose Unified School District as a specialist in music and computers. He has developed an internationally accredited music curriculum in electronic music with the assistance of grants from Apple Computer, the Packard Foundation, the California Arts Council, and a variety of hardware and software companies. In 1991, The International Baccalaureate Board of Examinations in Cardiff, Wales, UK approved this curriculum as a School-Based Syllabus in Electronic Music, the first secondary music curriculum to ever receive this distinction. Peterson currently teaches courses in electronic music, AP theory, music appreciation, computer video and multimedia at Leland High School in a fully networked Digital Media Lab which he designed. He has published two books on music technology: The School MIDI Lab: Teaching Music Through Technology, and The IB Curriculum in Electronic Music at San Jose High Academy.
He currently serves as Music and Technology representative on the Executive Board of Directors for the Bay Section of the California Music Educators Association, where he organizes and teaches music technology training sessions, and serves as the webmaster for their web site. He has served as a consultant on technology in the schools for music hardware and software companies and made numerous presentations on technology topics at local, state, and national educational conferences.
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