Matt Courtney
Matt Courtney (he/him) is a musician, producer, researcher, and educator with years of experience as a performing artist and event coordinator. Matt grew up in Texas, Indiana, and Washington state, and, after earning his B.S. in cognitive psychology, he found work as a jazz bassist and became a house musician at a popular venue in the Midwest region. During this time, Matt became heavily involved with booking touring acts, running sound for various venues, and supporting the arts community in his hometown. Matt’s passion and drive in the music industry led to numerous noteworthy events, including performing in the Men’s Chorus of the Evansville Philharmonic, headlining music festivals across the nation, and even earning endorsement deals with Washburn basses, Digitech pedals, Oscar Schmidt ukuleles, Quik Lok stands, and David Eden amplifiers.
In 2015, Matt moved to Boston and by 2016 had earned a master's degree in mind, brain, and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Matt was a research assistant at Harvard Project Zero, a teaching fellow for statistics, and later became an executive function coach at HGSE’s access and disability services office. During this time, Matt arranged an event with Noam Chomsky and Howard Gardner at Harvard. In 2018, Matt got involved with numerous research projects at MIT’s Center for Biomedical Innovation, and he was simultaneously recruited by Harvard researchers to be a statistician for studies investigating the utility of virtual reality in educational settings. Matt has presented findings from some of his work at the AOCC conference at Harvard University and the ABOS Conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Some of his research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and a trade magazine.
Matt is still an active musician and session player, collaborating with artists from coast to coast. He is thrilled to be a part of Berklee's student employment team, where he can help students navigate processes and find fulfilling work experiences that align with goals in their careers and lives.