Stay ConnectedWhat does it mean to be a music researcher? How does a musician use music as a medium to foster community? Featuring interviews with other musicians, scholars and artists, host Lydia Bangura seeks to ask interesting questions about music and execute important and relevant music research. Join Lydia as she reads, writes and chats her way through a music PhD program.
Got questions or feedback? Interested in being a guest on the pod? Send inquiries to: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Copyright: © Lydia Bangura
In this episode, I chat about landing my first lead role with a professional touring opera company (!!), singing in the Laffont Metropolitan Opera competition (!!!), my first publication in Music Theory Spectrum (!!!!), and completing my dissertation proposal (!!!!!!). I also discuss my yearly theme for 2024 and set a new theme for 2025. Join us in the new year for our next book club meeting on Sunday, January 26 at 3:00 pm EST!
My article in Music Theory Spectrum
CGP Grey video on yearly themes
Cortex episode on yearly themes
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with Dr. Stephen Rodgers (University of Oregon) about his musical upbringing as a pianist, his path to studying music theory at Yale, and his current pedagogical practices at Oregon. We also chat about his art song analysis podcast, Resounding Verse, as well as the field of music theory's response to the public music theory plenary session in November 2023.
Our next book club meeting is scheduled for Sunday, December 1st at 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time! Sign up for the book club on Substack!
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I discuss our first two official meetings of the HMA book club, HMA on Substack and Discord, and the agreed upon community guidelines for our gatherings. I also introduce the November book club pick, which is A Third University Is Possible by la paperson. Join us for our third synchronous meeting on Sunday, December 1 at 3:00 pm EST!
A Third University Is Possible
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with D.C. based violinist Melanie Bates about her musical upbringing and her experience getting back into performance as an adult. We also discuss Black Music Academy, Melanie's grant funded project to educate D.C. students about the history, impact, and repertoire of Black classical musicians.
This month, the HMA Book Club is meeting synchronously on Sunday, October 27th at 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Sign up for free on Substack to get the book details and Zoom link!
Melanie's upcoming performance (Franklin Park Arts Center)
Melanie's interview (Levine Music)
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with Guilherme Andreas about his musical upbringing in Brazil, his experiences as a flautist and an arranger, and his 2022 debut album Beyond Bossa Nova. We dive into his search for Brazilian classical music for the album, his recording process, and his upcoming projects. Stream Beyond Bossa Nova wherever you get your music!
Sign up for our first HMA book club meeting at hermusicacademia.com/book-club!
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I officially launch the HMA Book Club! I discuss my own relationship to reading, why I think communities of reading are important, and my hopes for how this project might unfold. Our first online book club meeting (relax, just to chat about this episode!) is Sunday, September 29th at 4:00 pm EST. Sign up at hermusicacademia.com/book-club to get the Zoom link and lookout for Her Music Academia on Substack!
Kim's video on Black Women in Luxury
Kim's video on The Spectacle of Sexual Liberation
Kim's video on Megan Thee Stallion
The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off! by Gloria Steinem
Dear Ijeawele, Or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
When Chickenheads Come Home To Roost by Joan Morgan
The Self-Love Revolution by Virgie Tovar
Fearing The Black Body by Sabrina Strings
Belly of the Beast by Da'Shaun Harrison
My podcast episode with Megan Ihnen
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this solo episode, I chat about all of my musical endeavors over the summer, including singing in two opera productions, presenting at the music theory pedagogy conference, and grading exams at the College Board AP music theory grading session. I also discuss reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, starting my dissertation proposal (eek!), and I take a listen to my own recorded arias for the Metropolitan Opera competition (double eek!). Finally, I present the new fall podcasting schedule and reveal the next new project for Her Music Academia!
My recording of "Ach ich fühls"
My recording of "Piangero la sorte mia"
My recording of "I Want Magic"
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In our last summer bonus episode, I chat with Audrey Slote (University of Chicago) about her musical upbringing as a cellist, her path to studying music theory, and her current dissertation project about stylistic and thematic shifts in 2010's pop music. More specifically, we explore Solange's A Seat at the Table and Bon Iver's 22, A Million for evidence of these shifts in style before and after 2016.
Audrey's Nicole Mitchell podcast forthcoming in SMT-Pod
Audrey's article on Janelle Monáe
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this bonus episode, I chat with Dr. Brad Osborn (University of Kansas) about his musical upbringing, his experience in grad school at Florida State and the University of Washington, and how he got into popular music research. We also discuss his latest work on MTV Buzz Clips from the 90's and the music of his metal band, D'Archipelago.
Brad's podcast about music and mental health
Brad's article in Music and Science
Everything In Its Right Place: Analyzing Radiohead
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this special bonus episode, I chat with Jair Gallardo, the official editor for Her Music Academia! We discuss his musical upbringing inspired by video game music, how we met in community college, and his experiences as a multi-instrumentalist and teacher. We also chat about how he got into audio editing and engineering, his creative process, and some of his current creative projects. Connect with Jair if you need some audio/video engineering services!
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this solo episode, I chat all about my last semester of classes, my final papers, and my experience teaching aural skills at the sophomore level. I also discuss embarking on my first archival trips and balancing my research with my various singing endeavors. Finally, I contemplate my yearly theme of imagination and give an update on the podcast's new release schedule.
"The Captive Maternal" by Joy James
"When Malindy Sings" by Farah Jasmine Griffin
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In our last episode for Women's History Month, I chat with Dr. Rachel Lumsden (Florida State University) about her experiences as a flautist, her time in grad school at CUNY, and the music theory curriculum at FSU. We also discuss how she got into music theory and feminist studies, as well as her award winning MTO article "Music Theory for the 'Weaker Sex': Oliveria Prescott’s Columns for The Girl’s Own Paper."
Thank you for tuning in this season! Stay tuned for the semester in review episode in May!
Rachel's chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Public Music Theory
Robin James's "Why Is There No Music Analysis in Feminist Theory?"
Denise Von Glahn's Circle of Winners
Susanne Cusick's "Feminist Theory, Music Theory," and the Mind/Body Problem"
Marc Hannaford's "Fugitive Music Theory and George Russell's Theory of Tonal Gravity"
Stephen Lett's "Making a Home of The Society for Music Theory, Inc."
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Our third episode for Women's History Month, in which I chat with Dr. Candace Bailey (North Carolina Central University) about her musical upbringing as a pianist, her path to historical musicology, and her time in graduate school at Duke. We also discuss her current music history curriculum at NCCU and her 2021 book Unbinding Gentility: Women Making Music in the 19th Century South.
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In our second episode for Women's History Month, I chat with Dr. Jan Miyake (Oberlin Conservatory) about her musical upbringing, her path to music theory, and her current tenure as the president of the Society for Music Theory. We also discuss her course "Questioning Genius," which challenges students to analyze a wide range of music and introduces "ungrading" into the classroom. Finally, we finish with a conversation about mentorship.
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Our first episode for Women's History Month! I chat with Dr. Louise Toppin (University of Michigan) about her musical upbringing, her experience studying piano and voice, and her time as a graduate student at Michigan. We also discuss her current book project with the Humanities Collaboratory and her African American art song class.
Our Florence Price radio episode
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
For our last episode of Black History Month, I chat with Willard Jenkins about his early interest in record collecting, how he began writing reviews of jazz, and his time in festival management, specifically with the DC Jazz Festival. We also discuss his book project Ain't But A Few Of Us, which features several Black writers, critics, and music academics who write about Black music.
Ain't But A Few Of Us: Black Music Writers Tell Their Story
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
On our third episode for Black History Month, I chat with musician, entrepreneur, poet, and spoken word artist Aaron Dworkin (University of Michigan) all about his musical upbringing, his work in arts leadership, and his experience founding the Sphinx Organization. We also chat about his 2023 spoken word album The Poetjournalist, and explore the various intersections of art, storytelling, and Black history.
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with Jerome Bell (Eastman School of Music) about his musical upbringing in the church, his experiences in performance and composition, and how he ended up in a music theory PhD program. We also chat about his recent paper that he presented at the Society for Music Theory annual meeting in November 2023, titled "Modal Fluidity in Millennial Gospel," about shifting harmony in the music of Tye Tribbett and Richard Smallwood.
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Welcome back to a new season of the show! On our first episode of Black History Month, I chat with pop music critic and commentator Henny all about their musical upbringing, when they began thinking critically about music, and how they got into content creation. We also discuss the use of different scales, modes, and instrumentation in pop music to elicit a sense of promiscuity, danger, or rebellion. Check out Henny's work on all the platforms!
Megan Lavengood's MTO article about timbre in 1980's pop music
Why Pipe Organ Sound Scary video essay
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
A special bonus episode, in which I chat with composer, pianist, conductor, and coach Raphael Fusco. We talk about his musical upbringing, how he fashioned such a multifaceted career in music, and his time on the faculty at Opera Lucca, an Italian summer young artist program for singers, pianists, and composers (which I got to attend!). We also discuss and listen to his composition La Contesa Canora and dive into his compositional process.
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
HMA's last episode of the year, in which I review my fall semester! I chat about the classes I took, give an update on my teaching, discuss my big preliminary exam, and contemplate the conversation surrounding the public music theory plenary session at SMT's annual meeting. I also look back at my theme for 2023 and pick a new theme for 2024. Stay tuned for our new season of HMA beginning February 5! Happy holidays to you and yours!
Music Journalism Insider with Todd L. Burns
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Our last episode in the HMA fall season! I chat with Megan Ihnen, a New Orleans based mezzo soprano who collaborates with living composers to commission new works. We discuss her musical upbringing, her work in coaching and entrepreneurship, and her touring duo with alto saxophonist Alan Theisen. We also dive into her workshops on creative placemaking and the role that music making plays in communities.
Megan Ihnen and Alan Theisen presents...
The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg
"Researching Music- and Place-Making Through Engaged Practice" by Aoife Kavanagh
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Episode seven of our fall season, in which I chat with San Fransisco based soprano Chelsea Hollow about her musical upbringing, our shared experiences in community college, and how she's built her current singing career. We also discuss her 2023 debut album Cycles of Resistance, for which she commissioned twenty-two songs about resistance in eight different languages. Finally, we dive into the intersection of opera, art song, and activism to explore the role of music and artistry in resistance movements.
Chelsea's database of language coaches
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Part two of my conversation with Dr. Owen Belcher (University of Missouri Kansas City), Dr. Catrina Kim, and Dr. Alan Reese (University of Massachusetts Amherst), where we discuss music entrepreneurship, the "usefulness" of music theory, and their recent MTO article, "Public Music Theory's Neoliberal Learning Outcomes."
Public Music Theory's Neoliberal Learning Outcomes
Andrea Moore's "Neoliberalism and the Musical Entrepreneur"
My episode with Dr. Malia Jade Roberson about Music Entrepreneurship
A Third University Is Possible by la paperson
My lecture on A Third University Is Possible
The Education Myth by Jon Shelton
Diversity, Inc. by Pamela Newkirk
My episode with Dr. Vivian Luong about Music Loving
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In part one of this episode, I chat with Dr. Owen Belcher (University of Missouri Kansas City), Dr. Catrina Kim, and Dr. Alan Reese (University of Massachusetts Amherst) about their musical upbringings, their time together in grad school at Eastman, and their advice to current music grad students. Stay tuned for part two of our conversation when we chat about their recent MTO article, "Public Music Theory's Neoliberal Learning Outcomes."
Public Music Theory's Neoliberal Learning Outcomes
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In episode four of our fall season, I chat with Chris Jenkins (Oberlin College) about his musical upbringing in New York, his career as a violist, his current work as the Associate Dean of Academic Support at Oberlin Conservatory, and our shared experiences as Black musicians. We also discuss his new book Assimilation vs. Integration in Music Education: Leading Change Toward Greater Equity.
The upcoming Theorizing African American Music Conference
Assimilation vs. Integration in Music Education
Olly Wilson's chapter "The Heterogenous Sound Ideal in African-American Music"
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In episode three of our fall season, I chat with Dr. Patrick Nickleson (University of Alberta) about his musical upbringing in Canada, his background as a guitarist, and his path to musicology. We also discuss his 2023 book The Names of Minimalism: Authorship, Art Music, and Historiography in Dispute, available now through the University of Michigan Press.
Philip Ewell's On Music Theory
Patrick's upcoming paper at AMS
Patrick's co-authored essay in The Affect Theory Reader 2
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In the second episode of this season, I chat with Dr. Michael Buchler (Florida State University) about his musical upbringing, his time in grad school at Michigan (go blue!) and Eastman, his research on musical theatre, and his current tenure as the President of the Society for Music Theory. We also discuss his current union work and how that led to his research on the intersection of music and labor movements.
Michael's upcoming plenary session at the College Music Society national conference
My performance at the Theorizing African American Music Conference
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In our first episode of our new season, I chat with YouTuber Cory Arnold (12Tone) all about their musical upbringing, their experiences as a singer, and their journey to making YouTube videos about music theory. Come see Cory and I speak on the Public Music Theory plenary session panel at the Society for Music Theory's annual meeting in November!
This episode was edited by Jair G with ExpMediaProductions.
12Tone's Carly Rae Jepsen video
Musicking by Christopher Small
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this recap episode, I chat all about everything I did this summer, from traveling to Italy to sing opera for a month (!!!), to seeing Beyoncé on the Renaissance World Tour in London (!!!!), to the grad student strike at Michigan officially ending (!!!!!). I also discuss what I've been doing for fun this summer (including some book, music, and podcast recommendations) and give an update on what's to come for HMA. Check back for new episodes of the show every Monday starting October 9th! Wishing you the best for your next season!
TW: brief mentions of minstrelsy
Martha Waters' Regency Vows series (I misspoke, there are actually five books! Weee!)
Janelle Monae's The Age of Pleasure
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with Dr. Teresa Reed (University of Louisville) about her early experiences with music in the Black church, her path to studying music theory at Indiana University, and her time as the dean of music at the University of Louisville. We also chat about her published scholarship, diving into her first book The Holy Profane: Religion in Black Popular Music as well as her latest book You're Likely Not A Racist: Answers for Curious White People.
The Jazz Life of Dr. Billy Taylor
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with Dr. Daniel Barolsky (Beloit College) about his early experiences as a double bassist, coming to musicology through listening to recordings, and the current music curriculum at his college. We also discuss his work with Open Access Musicology and Daniel Leech-Wilkinson's book Challenging Performance: Classical Music Performance Norms and How to Escape Them.
This episode was edited by Jair G with ExpMediaProductions.
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In part two of our conversation, YouTuber and musician Tayo Omisore (COLORMIND.mp4 on YouTube) and I continue our conversation about "rap covers" and how rap is developing into a canon. We also discuss Tayo's songwriting and production process for his musical interlude segments in his YouTube videos.
This episode was edited by Jair G with ExpMediaProductions.
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with YouTuber and musician Tayo Omisore (COLORMIND.mp4 on YouTube) all about his musical upbringing with rap, his experiences learning to write music, and the development of his career as a Black musical content creator. We also discuss his video response to music theory YouTuber Adam Neely, who made a video about the absence of "rap covers." Tayo and I offer our perspective as Black musicians and ponder what music theory offers us when studying and discussing rap. Stay tuned for part two of our conversation!
This episode was edited by Jair G with ExpMediaProductions.
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with Dr. Ben Cornelius-Bates (Duquesne University) about his musical upbringing in Alaska, his path to composition, and his experiences studying the organ. We also discuss how to write music for the organ, particularly within the context of secular music, and talk about timbre in Maan Varjot by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho for organ and orchestra. Rest in peace to Saariaho, who passed away on June 2, 2023.
Ben's recorded organ improvisations
The second movement of Maan Varijot
This episode was edited by Jair G with ExpMediaProductions.
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this solo episode, I chat all about how my winter semester at the University of Michigan went. I give an update on the grad student strike, my classes, and my teaching. I also explore my yearly theme of simplicity, set new goals for Summer 2023, and discuss the podcast's progress!
THANK GAWD this episode was edited by Jair G with ExpMediaProductions! Hire him for all of your video/audio editing needs!
My Staging Blackness term paper
Tressie McMillian Cottom Twitter threads (one and two)
Oliver Burkeman's 3:3:3 method
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I invite Anna Rose Nelson (University of Michigan) on the show to give us an update on finishing her dissertation (hire her!). We also (in great detail!) break down the ongoing strike at the University of Michigan. Beginning with the very recent history of U-M graduate student workers and lecturers striking in 2020, Anna Rose shares about her experiences organizing with the Graduate Employees Organization on behalf of the School of Music, Theater, and Dance. We discuss how the bargaining with the university over the grad student workers' next three year contract has gone (poorly!) and what has led over 1,000 grad student workers to halt their teaching, office hours, and grading. Finally, Anna Rose shares about how the university's negotiations specifically affect music grad students, and how U-M faculty and undergraduates can support their grad student instructors and researchers. Thanks for your support! Solidarity!
(Again, this podcast is absolutely NOT an attestation that either Anna Rose or I are on strike! U-M kindly mind your business!!)
Small numbers correction: We mention that our economic ask was about 10% of the $200M we make the university each year. Actually, the highest compensation proposal would cost 33M (closer to 20%) in that first intense bump.
Anna's episode on modernist music
Former President Mark Schlissel
Steve Lett in Music Theory Spectrum
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Our last episode for Women's History Month! Today on the show I welcome another Michigan alum Dr. Vivian Luong (University of Oklahoma) to chat about her background as a clarinetist and a pianist, her time studying music theory at Michigan, and her current approaches to theory pedagogy. We also discuss her research centered around feminist music theory and what it means to love music, her MTO article titled "Rethinking Music Loving," and her Engaged Music Theory blog post titled "Feeling Like a Theorist."
Our podcast episode on Susanne Cusick's chapter "On a Lesbian Relationship with Music"
Vivian's Engaged Music Theory blog post
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
TW: brief mentions of sexual assault
For our second episode of Women's History Month, I chat with Dr. Susan McClary (Case Western Reserve University) about her path to musicology, as well as her experiences as an educator and researcher. We also discuss her incredibly influential scholarship centered around gender and sexuality in music by diving into her 1991 book Feminine Endings. Finally, she shares her current teaching philosophies as well as the music she is enjoying.
My SMT-Pod interview with Susan, Phil Ewell and Chris Jenkins
My performance at the Theorizing African American Music Conference
My podcast episode about Susan's article "Terminal Prestige" with Anna Rose Nelson
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Our first episode for Women's History Month! Today I chat with Dr. Kyra Gaunt (University at Albany, State University of New York) all about her experiences as a singer, her time studying voice and ethnomusicology at Michigan, and her first book The Games Black Girls Play: Learning The Ropes From Double Dutch To Hip-Hop. We also discuss her forthcoming book PLAYED, featuring her research centered around Black girls dancing on YouTube.
Thanks to Natalie Krafft for editing the written transcript of this episode!
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
We are finishing off Black History Month with a conversation about Beyoncé! My sister Ismatu Gwendolyn Bangura and I chat all about our personal relationships to her music, the public perception of Beyoncé, and the aesthetics and politics in her latest album, Renaissance. I also feature the voices of some of the Black women and femmes in my community to get their thoughts on the album. In order of appearance, you heard the voices of Erykah Benson, Gaby Kubi, Dylan Keese-Forster, and Ijeoma Opara. A huge thanks to my sister and my friends for being on the show!
Thanks to Natalie Krafft for editing the written transcript of this episode!
My first Beyoncé podcast episode
Article on Beyoncé performing in Africa
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, we are wrapping up Black History Month with some familial history! My younger sister Ismatu Gwendolyn Bangura joins me on the show to discuss our shared musical upbringing, their experiences leading a gospel choir at Northwestern University, and how their relationship to music changed after they became a sex worker. We also chat about their blossoming Tik Tok career and the ways in which they are using art, writing, dance, and poetry in their activism. Finally, Ismatu shares about the fundraiser they've started for our tribe back in Sierra Leone! If you are able, drop a dollar! And stay tuned for part two of our conversation, where we dive into the aesthetics and politics of Beyoncé's album Renaissance!
Thanks to Natalie Krafft for editing the written transcript of this episode!
My first Beyoncé podcast episode
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Continuing our series of conversations with Black musicians for Black History Month, today Dr. Phil Ewell (Hunter College of City University of New York) joins me on the show to discuss his background as a cellist, his time studying music theory at Yale University, and our shared investment in public music theory. We also examine the whiteness and maleness of music theory through the lens of other scholarship throughout the humanities, in order to explore what anti-racist work in music theory could actually look like. Finally, Phil shares a little about his new book, forthcoming through the University of Michigan press!
Thanks to Natalie Krafft for editing the written transcript of this episode!
Phil's Music Theory Online article
Our podcast episode about Phil's article
My time in Phil's residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
The Baptism of Early Virginia by Rebecca Anne Goetz
Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr
Preorder Phil's book: On Music Theory and Making Music More Welcoming For Everyone
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
This week we are continuing our conversations with Black musicians for Black History Month! In this episode, I chat with Darrian Dorrough (@94Drow) about his experiences in hip hop, the status of rap research in the academy, and his songwriting and production process. We also discuss his experience hosting a live show on Instagram called the Dope or Nope Show, where he and his collaborators review the music of unsigned artists and producers. Check out 94Drow's album MissFit and his singles wherever you stream your music, and follow the @dopeornopeshow on Instagram!
Thanks to Natalie Krafft for editing the written transcript of this episode!
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Happy Black History Month! In this episode, I chat with Jordan Brown (Harvard University) about her experiences as a singer and arranger, her path to ethnomusicology, and her positionality as a queer Black woman in music academia. We also discuss E. Patrick Johnson's 2001 article titled "Quare Studies, or Almost Everything I Know About Queer Studies I Learned From My Grandmother," which is utilized in Jordan's research about the music of queer Black femmes.
Jordan's single "Spaced Out" on Spotify
Jordan's podcast "Speaker Notes"
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with Dr. John Michael Cooper (Southwestern University) about his path to musicology, his experiences in music publishing, and the lives and music of Margaret Bonds and Florence Price. We also listen to and discuss Margaret Bonds' piece Tangamerican, performed by pianist Lara Downes. Special thanks to Lara and to Candace Johnson for their appearances in this episode!
Lara's recording of Tangamerican
Schirmer's editions of Price's music
Hildegard Publishing's Margaret Bonds page
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with Majel Connery all about her experiences as a singer, her choice to leave the field of musicology, and our shared experiences as women in music. We also discuss her new podcast from CapRadio, "A Music of Their Own," which explores the ways women in music navigate the industry and the ways the music itself is gendered. Make sure to stream her show wherever you get your podcasts!
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this solo episode, I chat all about how my fall semester turned out, from taking classes to teaching for the first time to quitting my barista job. I also discuss my experience presenting at the American Studies Association conference and at the big #musiccon (AMS/SEM/SMT 2022) in New Orleans. Finally, I reflect on achieving some of my goals of the past year and set a new yearly theme for 2023.
Singing Like Germans by Kira Thurman
Carefree Black Girls by Zeba Blay
A Taste For Brown Sugar by Mireille Miller-Young
CGP Grey's video on yearly themes
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with my friend Natalie Krafft all about her career as a music teacher, her experience doing music streams on Twitch, and our favorite recordings of the Goldberg Variations by Bach.
Follow Natalie on Twitch! @nitnatkat
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In part two of my conversation with Dr. Megan Lavengood (George Mason University) and Dr. Cara Stroud (Michigan State University), we chat all about timbre, the role of "world music" instruments, and Megan's MTO article "The Cultural Significance of Timbre Analysis: A Case Study in 1980s Pop Music, Texture, and Narrative." A special thanks for Cara and her class for their thoughts on Megan's piece and for making an appearance on this episode (in order of appearance: (Zephie Hillard, ShihPing Wang, Jessi Fegan, and Karla Evans).
The SMT Committee on the Status of Women writing groups
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In part one of my conversation with Dr. Megan Lavengood (George Mason University) and Dr. Cara Stroud (Michigan State University), we chat about their experiences in music theory, their approaches to reading and writing, and their thoughts on teaching theory during the pandemic. Stay tuned for part two of our conversation!
The SMT Committee on the Status of Women writing groups
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
In this episode, I chat with Dr. Dan DiPiero (Ithaca College) about his background as a jazz drummer, his experiences studying comparative studies, and his new book Contingent Encounters: Improvisation in Music and Everyday Life (out now and available open access through the University of Michigan Press!).
Get in touch with me at: hermusicacademia@gmail.com
Lydia pops in to give a special announcement about her new podcast, Her Music Academia! This is the pilot episode during which she reflects on her first year at the University of Michigan. Get in touch with Lydia at on her website, hermusicacademia.com, or send her an email at hermusicacademia@gmail.com.
In this happy hour episode, we discuss our plans for the fall semester, Lydia's artist residency with Dr. Philip Ewell, and Emily's women's history course (and newfound obsession with Harry Potter). We also provide an update on the future of the podcast.
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
In the last episode of season four, Lydia chats with Dr. Jenny Snodgrass (Lipscomb University) about her experiences as an opera singer (and with computer programming), her upcoming career change, the music theory pedagogy conference coming up next month, and her 2020 book Teaching Music Theory: New Voices and Approaches.
Music Theory Pedagogy Conference (June 2-4)
Bridging The Music Theory Gap Blog
Timestamps:
Jenny's background: 2:42
Jenny's experience teaching during the pandemic: 18:37
Discussing Jenny's book: 22:52
Jenny's career change: 34:39
The upcoming music theory pedagogy conference: 44:49
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
In episode seven of season four, we chat with Dan Inglis about his choose your own adventure music education, his career as a voice and piano teacher, and his music theory YouTube channel centered around developing aural skills for singers.
Dan's website (he's available for Zoom lessons!)
Timestamps:
Dan's background: 4:11
Dan's Solfège Trainer: 44:31
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
In episode six of season four, Lydia talks to Amelia Wellers about her experiences in music performance and music production, having a career outside of music, her rock album Wallflower (produced with Kyle Joseph), and how she uses music theory as a singer-songwriter and producer.
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
In episode five of season four, Lydia chats with Dr. Marc Hannaford (University of Michigan) about his experiences as a jazz pianist, pursuing careers in both music performance and music academia, and his forthcoming article "Fugitive Music Theory and George Russell's Theory of Tonal Gravity."
https://marchannaford.bandcamp.com/
Timestamps:
Marc's background: 4:12
Balancing a career in both academia and performance: 13:02
Marc's experiences teaching during the pandemic: 22:23
Discussing Russell's "Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization" and Marc's article: 29:17
A special bonus episode that Lydia recorded for her Everyday Musicology class! Lydia names her favorite Beyoncé songs, describes Beyoncé's particular expression of Black womanhood, and explores her complicated relationship to feminism, Black capitalism and Black excellence. Shoutout to her brilliant professor Dr. Castro and all of her amazing classmates!
Sarah Olutola's "I Ain’t Sorry: Beyoncé, Serena, and Hegemonic Hierarchies in Lemonade"
Kenya Hunt's Girl Gurl Grrrl: On Womanhood and Belonging in the Age of Black Girl Magic
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
In episode three of season four, we listen to and discuss American composer Edgar Meyer's violin concerto featuring soloist Hilary Hahn.
Episode two of season four, during which we listen to and discuss Beethoven's Egmont Overture, reflect on the implications of performing the piece, and discuss music as a mood regulator.
Timestamps:
Our experiences playing the piece: 7:18
Listening to and discussing the piece: 23:16
What do you use music for? 35:57
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
In this bonus episode, we listen to Vitali's Chaconne for violin and piano, and Lydia geeks out about all of the interesting music related things she's been reading in class.
Susan McClary's chapter in Ritual, Routine, and Regime: Repetition in Early Modern British and European Cultures (ed. by Lorna Clymer)
Suzanne Cusick's Feminist Theory, Music Theory, and the Mind/Body Problem
Joseph Straus' book Extraordinary Measures: Disability In Music
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
We're back for another eight episodes! In this happy hour episode, we dive deep into our courses for the new semester, from Schenkerian analysis to African history.
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
In this bonus episode, we catch up about our new semesters and discuss Joseph Straus' article in Music Theory Spectrum, "Music Theory's Therapeutic Imperative and the Tyranny of the Normal," centered around disability in music.
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Our final episode of season three, during which we listen to and discuss Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, updated renditions of the suite, and what makes dance music so fun to dance to. Stay tuned for some bonus episodes over the next few months!
Timestamps:
Background of the piece: 11:07
The March: 17:53
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy: 22:45
Russian Dance: 28:05
Bonus! New performances of the piece: 32:01
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode seven of season three, during which Lydia chats with Dr. Brent Ferguson (College of Southern Maryland) about his work as a composer and music theorist, his approach to music theory pedagogy, our experiences at community colleges, Renata Yazzie's (University of New Mexico) lightning talk at SMT 2021, and Linda Shaver-Gleason's "Is Music a Universal Language?"
Follow Renata Yazzie on Twitter @nata_yazhi
Timestamps:
Bren't background: 2:25
Brent's theory program at Southern Maryland: 22:18
How Brent constructs his syllabi: 30:33
Linda Shaver-Gleason's piece: 42:55
Episode six of season three, during which Lydia chats with Anna Rose Nelson (University of Michigan) about her experiences as a strings player, her research on (post) modernist music from Webern to Ferneyhough, and music theory as a compositional tool. We also read and discuss Lloyd Whitesell's "White Noise: Race and Erasure in the Cultural Avant-Garde" and Susan McClary's "Terminal Prestige: The Case For Avant-Garde Music Composition."
Timestamps:
Anna's background: 3:26
Anna's masters thesis and dissertation: 17:43
Summarizing and discussing the articles: 30:00
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode five of season three, during which we chat with Dr. William Montgomery and Hillary Lester of the Sounds of the World podcast! They tell us all about how they met and started their own music podcast, about their own compositional styles and methodologies, and about their favorite instruments to write for. Check out their show wherever you get your podcasts!
Timestamps:
Hillary's background: 2:42
Bill's background: 7:40
How they met and started their podcast: 13:52
How they each compose their pieces: 22:43
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
In this Halloween themed episode, we discuss the music of Krzysztof Penderecki, John Williams and George Crumb to try and explore the qualities that makes their music sound spooky!
Timestamps:
Penderecki's "The Awakening of Jacob" from The Shining: 3:25
The theme from Jaws by John Williams: 9:17
"Ancient Voices of Children" by George Crumb: 17:33
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Season three episode three, during which Lydia chats with TJ Laws-Nicola (University of Kansas) about their path to musicology, their experiences as a disabled music student, and "The Gaze as Theoretical Touchstone" by Corinn Columpar (as well as a much needed pipe organ tangent!).
Timestamps:
TJ's background: 1:37
TJ's experience at KU: 16:18
Discussing "the sonic gaze" and TJ's research: 38:03
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodast@gmail.com
Season three episode two, during which Lydia chats with Richard Desinord (Howard University) about his path to music education, his dissertation centered around harmony in gospel music, and our experiences as Black music theorists.
Timestamps:
Richard's background: 1:35
Richard's dissertation at Eastman: 14:57
Engaging with classical music while Black: 23:41
"Whoa, YOU'RE a music theorist??" 1:04:41
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
We're back for another eight episodes! In this episode, we have a drink and a casual chat about moving to new places, starting school in person, and our developing research.
Timestamps:
Emily and Lydia both move: 2:38
Schenkerian analysis and our other favorite classes: 7:44
Emily's research project and repertoire: 25:23
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Our last episode of season two! We discuss our excitement for the coming school year, the background and art songs of American composer Libby Larsen, and (of course) some aural skills pedagogy. Thank you for listening and for your continued support, stay tuned for our third season starting October 8th! Have a great start to your semester :)
Timestamps:
Our introductions to Libby Larsen: 8:12
"Blue Piece" for violin and piano: 12:41
"Lift Me Into Heaven Slowly:" 17:41
"Bucking Bronco:" 27:03
"Billy The Kid:" 34:02
Bonus song! "Big Sister Says" from Larsen's Love After 1950: 46:31
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode seven of season two, during which we chat with Megan Lyons (University of Connecticut) about her dissertation on the art songs of Amy Beach, Beach's controversial politics, how to analyze art song, and a whole lot of theory pedagogy!
Timestamps:
Megan's background: 2:32
Should written skills and aural skills be the same class? 14:24
How Megan picked her dissertation topic: 21:24
Amy Beach's racist (and sexist?) background: 29:19
Listening to and discussing "After:" 45:15
Analyzing art song and text painting: 57:40
Emily takes a pop quiz (spoiler: always write flat three!): 1:05:32
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode six of season two, where we read and discuss Susanne Cusick's chapter in Queering the Pitch: The New Gay and Lesbian Musicology. We also discuss our first piece of racist hate mail, our experience dating other musicians, personifying music (specifically as a woman), and pleasure as a form of self care.
Timestamps:
Hate mail: 1:47
Emily's Facebook poll about women in music: 10:50
An introduction and summary of the chapter: 12:45
So you wanna date a musician? 25:27
Who's on top? 35:17
The power/pleasure/intimacy triad: 46:47
Music that gives us pleasure: 56:06
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclub@gmail.com
Season two episode five, during which we chat with Susan O'Brien about her personas as an actor, singer and poet, as well as her experience starting Forte Chicago, an all-female opera sketch comedy troupe.
Timestamps:
Susan's background: 3:13
The challenge of pathfinding in music: 10:14
Susan's work with Forte Chicago: 26:40
Improv Shakespeare: 39:40
Dealing with (gendered) criticism: 43:53
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclub@gmail.com
Episode four of season two, in which we chat with Dr. Malia Jade Roberson about public music theory, performance anxiety, her struggles with tenure, and her experience publishing with Hal Leonard.
Timestamps:
Public pedagogy: 2:42
Malia's background: 14:35
Malia gets published: 34:23
"Those who don't do, teach:" 50:32
We are all music entrepreneurs: 1:05:57
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode three of season two, where we discuss performing and recording music during a pandemic, and Lydia's performance of Judith Weir's one woman opera.
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Season two episode two, where we chat with Corinne Costell (Roosevelt University) about her research on racism and cultural appropriation in opera, her work developing an anti-racist curriculum for white musicians, DBR's opera aria "They Still Want To Kill Us," and the implications of the term "ally."
Corinne's conference presentation
Daniel Bernard Roumain's "They Still Want To Kill Us" (on YouTube through July 31st!)
Timestamps:
Corinne's background: 4:06
Lydia rants about the tenure system: 13:02
Corinne's research project: 19:54
The challenges of Zoom: 36:20
The intersection of research and performance: 41:46
DBR and the Tulsa Opera: 49:10
Is the term "ally" useful? 57:23
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
We're back for another eight episodes! This summer season we'll be focusing on music, research, performances and theories by women. In this episode, we discuss the music of American composer Jennifer Higdon, our views on recital requirements in conservatories, and the constant dilemma of "making it" as a musician.
Timestamps:
Emily's experience with the piece: 3:30
Lydia rants about recital requirements: 7:02
The fear of not being a good enough musician: 17:16
Listening to and discussing Fanfare Ritmico: 29:05
Higdon's other works: 40:32
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode seven, in which sit down with Dr. David Kjar (Roosevelt University) to discuss his path to musicology, his experience playing early music, his thoughts on reimagining the early music movement, and the role of "authenticity" in historically informed performance.
Streetwise Opera's performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion
Timestamps:
Dr. Kjar's background: 1:34
Dr. Kjar's current project: 13:48
Discussion of Dr. Kjar's chapter on "Thirdspacing" Early Music: 17:02
Revisiting the idea of the "composer's intentions:" 28:30
Authenticity in live vs. recorded performance: 32:01
Defamiliarization, artistic agency and belonging: 38:01
Performance as a means for social justice: 47:33
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode six, in which we chat with Dr. Linda Berna (Roosevelt University) about her "retrograde" path to music theory, her dissertation about Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Sergei Prokofiev's "The Butterfly," and applying the philosophies and theories of non-musicians to expand the way the think about music.
Timestamps:
Dean Berna's background: 1:42
Picking a dissertation topic: 18:25
Barber's Knoxville: 27:40
Discussion of Dean Berna's chapter on Prokofiev: 30:52
Graphic notation: 37:12
Which came first, the music or the text? 41:43
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode five, in which we listen to and discuss a choral piece by Latvian composer Eriks Esenvalds. We also talk about our experience with modern and post tonal music, and the unique relationship of instrumentalists to their instruments.
Boccherini's Body by Elizabeth Le Guin
On a Lesbian Relation With Music: A Serious Effort Not To Think Straight by Susanne Cusick (chapter 4 in Queering the Pitch: The New Gay and Lesbian Musicology)
Timestamps:
Modern and post tonal music: 3:51
Listening to and discussing the piece: 17:51
Instruments as an extension of the instrumentalist: 25:42
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode four, in which we discuss Lydia's experience preparing for and participating in the Midwest Music Research Collective virtual conference in March 2021. She presented her paper titled, "The Black American Sound: Examining The Influence of 1930's Chicago on Classical Music at Large." We also dive into the erasure of Black Americans from the classical music canon, the inherent hierarchical nature of the canon, and cultural appropriation in music performance.
The conference's YouTube page (check out the other presentations!)
Joseph Horowitz's podcast on The American Scholar
Timestamps:
Lydia's process of preparation: 3:40
Presentation summary and discussion: 12:20
Q&A: 34:40
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode three, in which we talk about the second movement of Shostakovich's tenth symphony, separating the art from the artist, and honoring the composer's wishes.
Timestamps:
How connecting to a composer's background influences our relationship to their works: 1:12
Listening to and discussing the piece: 15:13
"This isn't what the composer would have wanted:" 33:28
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Episode two, in which we discuss aural skills pedagogy, the Dalcroze method, fixed do vs. moveable do solfege, and music theory in relation to performance and persona.
Anna-Stephen Robinson's article
Timestamps:
Emily's research project: 2:33
Fixed do vs. moveable do: 6:18
Improvisation: 17:18
Scale degree mimes: 21:56
The intersection of performance and analysis: 27: 10
Individuality in performance: 31:10
Teacher/student dynamics: 40:00
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
Our first episode in which we discuss our musical backgrounds, our relationships with music theory, our research interests and our future plans.
Timestamps:
Musical backgrounds: 2:40
How we met: 8:00
Why theory? 12:08
Lydia's racism rant: 18:33
Future plans: 23:35
Get in touch with us at: thetheoryclubpodcast@gmail.com
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