The Institute of Music promotes methodical studies and the spread of knowledge in various fields of Western musical culture. Its activities are mainly focused on three areas: compositional processes, theory and practice of musical interpretation and audiovisual experiences. These activities involve conserving and developing major archives and collections of private individuals, publishing musicological literature, and organising conferences, seminars and musical events to encourage synergies between public and private Italian and international organisations.

At the centre of this area of study are the sources of musical creation in the 20th century that are approached from various points of view. The reconstruction of the genesis of music works or events; the biography of people or the history of musical organisations are just some of the aspects analyzed in this area.

The organic set of studies, workshops and masterclasses, characterised by the combination of historical research, theoretical elaboration and music performing practice , as well as activities that focus on themes and repertoires of eras, different areas and cultures, are part of the theory and practice of musical interpretation.

The link between sound and image, as it is configured in the electronic age, is at the center of the third area of activity. Audiovisual productions (a vast field that ranges from cinema to art installations) are explored in terms of structural relations and communicational methods. The study of the acoustic dimension as built into the complexity of the audiovisual product means bringing together different methodological approaches: enquiries into production systems and professional figures, the study of production processes, the analysis of repertoires and compositional strategies, and the historically-informed surveying of individual audiovisual documents in their specific compositional and dramaturgical dimension.