Bio
Carlos Arana - PhD in Engineering & AI Specialist
Carlos Arana is a highly accomplished professional with a PhD in Engineering and specialized expertise in AI, music, and education. He is a thought leader in the intersection of artificial intelligence and the music industry, contributing to innovative developments in AI-driven music education and creative technologies.
Carlos holds a PhD in Engineering and AI from the University of Buenos Aires and Univ. of Lomas de Zamora, where he focused on developing AI applications for music education. He is a professor at Berklee College of Music and several prestigious institutions, and has developed and taught groundbreaking courses in AI, data science, and music, including the world’s first course on AI for Music at Berklee.
As an author, Carlos has written influential books on Brazilian guitar and music theory, published by renowned publishers such as Hal Leonard and Warner Bros. Publications. His work has also extended to cutting-edge research in AI applications for music, with notable contributions to the fields of neural networks, machine learning, and music technology.
Carlos has collaborated with major musicians and organizations, both in the music and tech industries, and has contributed AI solutions to optimize business and health services. Additionally, he has spoken at international conferences and workshops, sharing his expertise on AI, music, and data science, including at MIT and UC Berkeley.
His passion for blending creativity with technology is central to his work, driving him to mentor and collaborate with artists and innovators across the globe.
Education
2023 - Ph.D. in Engineering and AI Specialist, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Thesis: Artificial Intelligence in Music Education: Development of a Learning Environment Based on Generative Neural Networks
2016 - Specialization in Business Intelligence and Data Mining, Universidad Austral, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1996 - Bachelor in Industrial Engineering, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1991 - Certified Professional Guitarist, ITMC, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Postgraduate Studies
Statistical Learning - Stanford University, USA
Neural Networks for Audio and Music - CCRMA, Stanford University, USA
Musical Applications of Machine Learning - KAIST, South Korea
Robotics for SMEs - Fundación Banco Ciudad Buenos Aires, Argentina
Applied Statistics in Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior - FLACSO, Argentina
Academic and Teaching Experience
Author and Professor of Artificial Intelligence for Music and Audio, Berklee College of Music, USA
Professor of Computer Programming for Musicians, Berklee College of Music, USA
Professor of Data Analytics in the Music Business, Berklee College of Music, USA
Professor of Brazilian Guitar, Brazilian Embassy in Argentina
Visiting Lecturer of Data Science and AI, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Professor of Data Science and Big Data, UBA, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Professor of Artificial Intelligence, UCA, Universidad Católica Argentina
Professor of Data Science for Business, UCEMA, Universidad del CEMA, Argentina
Professor of Business Analytics, UCEMA, Universidad del CEMA, Argentina
Books Authored
Hal Leonard Brazilian Guitar Method (Hal Leonard, USA, 2013)
Bossa Nova Guitar (Hal Leonard, USA, 2009)
Getz/Gilberto – Transcribed Scores by Carlos Arana (Hal Leonard, USA, 2011)
Brazilian Rhythms for Guitar (Warner Bros Publications, USA, 2006)
Academic Contributions and Leadership
Created and developed the first worldwide course on Artificial Intelligence for Music and Audio at Berklee College of Music
Created and developed the first Data Mining and Big Data course at UBA, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Redesigned Analytics in the Music Business course at Berklee College of Music, integrating Machine Learning and AI
Redesigned Programming for Musicians course for Berklee College of Music, adding Web Audio API JavaScript applications
Created and developed Brazilian Guitar course for the Brazilian Embassy in Argentina
Created and developed Industrial Robotics module for the course of Industrial Automation at UBA
Created and developed the Data Science in Business course for UCEMA’s MBA program
Created and developed the Artificial Intelligence course for the Computer Engineering program at UCA, Universidad Católica Argentina
Professional Experience and Consultancy
Founded and managed CADARA - Musician’s Library, specializing in musical publications in Argentina and neighboring countries
Session guitarist, Music Brokers Records – specializing in recording Bossa Nova versions
Produced recordings in Nashville-TN, collaborating with musicians like Dave Pomeroy, Chris Leuzinger, and Steve Smith
Active performer in the Brazilian music scene with bands like Bebeto e a Mixtureba and Os Novos Caipiras
Developed AI solutions for commercial and process optimization at Sancor Salud Health Services
Developed electoral forecasting tools using social media analysis for Poliarquía Political Consultants
Conducted statistical experiments for Fate Argentina’s Material Laboratory
Implemented Data Mining strategies for Secure Imports
Conferences, Workshops, and Public Speaking
AES Symposium - AI and the Musician (Boston, USA, 2024)
Generative Music AI Workshop - Music Technology Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain, 2023)
National Data Science Education - UC Berkeley (Berkeley, USA, 2020-2022)
AI Latin American SumMIT - MIT (Cambridge, USA, 2020)
Data Science in Business - Global Faculty Week Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey, Mexico, 2021)
Workshops on Brazilian Guitar, African Influence in Brazilian and Argentine Music, and more
Publications and Research Contributions
Artificial Intelligence Applied to Education: Achievements, Trends, and Prospects (INNOVA UNTREF, 2021)
Recurrent Neural Networks: Sequential Data Model Analysis (UCEMA Working Papers, 2021)
Machine Learning Models Using Decision Trees (UCEMA Working Papers, 2021)
Language Proficiency
Spanish - Native
English - Advanced (Fluent)
Portuguese - Advanced (Fluent)
Professional Websites