Advancing the Field of Harmonics
Research, Practice, and Innovation of Harmonic Systems
Open Inquiry · Integrative Studies · Applied Technology · International Collaboration
About The Institute
Welcome to the Harmonics Institute. We are an international nonprofit organization committed to advancing the field of Harmonics as a foundational framework for understanding reality as music according to principles of harmonic resonance, transformation, and relationship across domains.
Harmonics continues where acoustics ends: not as a subset of sound, but as a principle of generativity embedded in the fabric of reality and the creative process. We explore harmonic function as the underlying structure of order in both mind and matter, enabling the alignment of perception, expression, and system design.
The Institute brings together researchers, artists, scientists, technologists, and contemplatives in a shared inquiry into the logic and technical implementation of harmonic systems. Through formal research, integrative practice, and collaborative development, we work to apply harmonic frameworks to challenges in consciousness, culture, computation, and beyond.
The Institute was established in 2023, precipitated by conversations between Kelly Snook at a conference on science, spirituality, and the arts, in mutual recognition of the need for a dedicated forum for theoretical and applied Harmonics research, serving as a convergence point for collective inquiry and application.
We propose a re-evaluation of our context for the game of life with an ammendment to Einstein’s well-known quote ‘God does not play dice’: God plays music – a form of play where order and chaos, determinism and probability co-exist in harmony.
The Institute aims to as a forum for advancing Harmonic Systems Theory and for cultivating its implications across disciplines. Our mission is to formalize and disseminate the harmonic paradigm as a basis for research, pedagogy, and design. We aim to assist in developing the architecture necessary for emerging stages of cultural and technological evolution that depend on integrative expressions of intelligence that are coherent across scale.
Harmonics is the study of musical function as a generative and unifying principle of reality. It articulates a paradigm defined in terms of harmonic theory which is interpreted and applied through the lens of musical holism, viewing reality itself as an expression of harmonic structure. As a meta-disciplinary field, Harmonics draws upon and contributes to fields ranging from cosmology to artificial intelligence, from contemplative science to aesthetic philosophy and practice.
At the heart of our approach is the concept of musical autopoiesis: to quote Stevie wonder, the idea that ‘music is a world within itself’, where resonant harmonics systems generate themselves through self-referential processes of differentiation and integration. We study harmonic function both linearly (as cycles) and non-linearly (as loops), seeking patterns of coherence across systems of meaning, matter, and mind. This paradigm opens new paths for understanding the ourselves and the world as creative intelligence – whether expressed cosmologically, biologically, culturally, or technologically.
News & Press
The Institute @ Jacob Collier’s Hideaway Retreat
The Harmonics Institute at Jacob Collier’s Hideaway Retreat We are delighted to share that Michael Rene, co-founder of the Harmonics Institute, will be attending Jacob…
Founding the Harmonics Institute
The Harmonics Institute was founded to advance a new meta-disciplinary approach to harmonics as a unifying paradigm across science, art, philosophy, and contemplative practice. Conceived…
Research Initiatives
Musical Meta-Theory
Foundations of Harmonic Systems Thinking: Axioms, Language, Methodology, Application
Cultural Discourse
The Dialectic of Harmonics within and across lines of civilizational communication
Fundamental Frameworks
Harmonics Experience across paradigms: Creative Practice, Contemplative Thought & Experimental Science
Applied Technology
Embedded Harmonic Systems: Sonification, Instrument Design & Technical Innovation
Generative Intelligence
Harmonics in the Creative Process of Technological, Cognitive, and Cosmological Systems
Scientific Foundations
Principles of Harmonics in Physics, Cosmology & the Scientific Method
Institute Projects
Concordia: A musical XR instrument for playing the solar system
The Concordia Project introduces a scientific and musical instrument that enables immersive auditory engagement with the solar system. An international collective of musicians, scientists, technologists,…
The Sound & Sense Podcast: Conversations with the Harmoncis Institute
Sound & Sense is a research-driven podcast produced by the Harmonics Institute, dedicated to open dialogue and inquiry into the multifaceted theme of harmonics.
The Delta System of Music: A Calculus-Inspired Framework for Musical Transformation
The Delta System forwards a dynamic musical framework designed for analysis, composition, pedagogy, and instrument design.
The Harmonic Model: Toward a Cosmology of Generative Self-Reference
 The Harmonic Model represents a formal cosmological system grounded in harmonic meta-theory. It seeks to provide a coherent explanatory framework for the emergence of…