As faculty scholars, we are dedicated to exploring music’s intellectual, critical, structural, and social domains. We are experienced in a broad array of approaches and methodologies, including Schenkerian analysis, serialism, transformation theory, informatics, and cultural studies; and we are passionate about musical repertoires ranging from the classical music of the long eighteenth century through a variety of twentieth-century genres to post-millennial pop.

Our students and faculty work together to maintain a high standard of rigorous, conservatory-style pedagogy in music theory while leading the way towards a more diverse and inclusive future for our field.

All of our MM and PhD students receive associate instructorships in music theory, enabling them to work with some of the brightest young music students in the world. Students teach all levels of theory and aural skills, from the fundamentals up through the analysis of post-tonal music.

Additionally, the program offers many unique opportunities for professional development. Students, faculty, and guests regularly present at the weekly Music Theory Colloquium Series, and our Graduate Theory Association, open to all graduate students with an interest in music theory, organizes and hosts an annual symposium of research in music theory, the oldest of its kind in the country. The GTA also publishes the Indiana Theory Review, a peer-reviewed scholarly journal produced entirely by students.

The extensive training our students receive as pedagogues and scholars contributes to the excellent success rates that our alumni enjoy on the job market. Our graduates hold teaching positions in major universities, liberal-arts colleges, and schools of music around the world.