Explore every episode of the podcast Note Doctors

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Stephen Rodgers, Edmund A. Cykler Chair in Music and Professor of Music Theory and Musicianship at the University of Oregon, about the keynote address he presented at this year's Texas Society for Music Theory's Annual Conference. In this illuminating conversion, Dr. Rodgers invites us to explore our own assumptions about the canon, whether it's the repertorial canon; our analytical canons, systems, and rules; or our own personal ways of engaging with music.

We are so excited to have four past guests on the podcast to revisit a panel discussion they gave at the 2024 Pedagogy Into Practice Conference titled "Unexpected Pivots: How a Mid-Career Job Change Can Rejuvenate Pedagogical Practice." This conversation dives into the challenges of mid-career academia, the importance of knowing your why, and the value of having a supportive community.

Paul, Jenn (she's back!), and Ben talk with Dr. Anna Gawboy, associate professor of music theory at The Ohio State University, about her work mentoring graduate theory students in the classroom and on their research.

Ben and Paul (Jenn unfortunately had technical problems getting on the call) welcome onto the show Dr. Philip Ewell, professor of music theory at Hunter College of the City University of New York and author of "On Music Theory." We have a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with Phil on Russian string pedagogy, the experience of black classical musicians in Europe, and what the future might hold for our current students studying classical music.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben are back after a wee bit of a hiatus. They discuss the evolving challenges they face in academia and the expanded responsibilities that have come with their growing roles at their respective universities, while still finding joy in their work—and yes, they're still teaching music theory!

We are thrilled to kick off our fifth season by interviewing Dr. Frank Lehman, Associate Professor of Music at Tufts University. One of the premiere theorists in the area of film music, Frank shares with us about his latest book "Film Music Analysis", how he uses this genre in the theory classroom, and admits his adoration for the music from the Rings of Power.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben finish our summer-long bookclub by discussing the last two chapters of Ken Bain's "What the Best College Teachers Do."

Paul, Jenn, and Ben continue our summer-long bookclub by discussing chapters 5 and 6 of Ken Bain's "What the Best College Teachers Do." We discuss how the best teachers conduct class and treat their students and Jenn also drops a couple highly quotable quotes.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben continue our summer-long bookclub by discussing chapters 3 and 4 of Ken Bain's "What the Best College Teachers Do" and how the best teachers prepare to teach and what they expect of their students.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben begin our summer-long bookclub by discussing the first two chapters of Ken Bain's "What the Best College Teachers Do."

In this summer short, Paul flies solo - giving an in-depth breakdown of the Note Doctors theme music. Hang on tight as Paul digs into funky bass lines, the fifth mode of the melodic minor scale, and even a little Neo-Riemannian theory.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben kick off our series of summer shorts by recapping some of the highlights from the past Pedagogy into Practice Conference.

Listen in on Paul, Jenn, and Ben's panel discussion "Conversation's in Music Theory: More than just talking" from the 2024 Pedagogy into Practice Conference.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Brian Jarvis, Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the University of Texas at El Paso, about his work in creating new and engaging ways to visually represent musical form and timbre, specifically his programs BriFormer and Auralayer.

Paul, Ben, and Jenn celebrate the season (and being done with the semester) by sharing the Christmas songs they like to use as examples in the music theory or aural skills classroom. Songs include Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Greensleeves, and This Christmas.

We are back with our second episode produced in collaboration with the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy! Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Brent Auerbach, professor of music theory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, about his upcoming JMTP article entitled "Reining in Pitch and Pitch-Class Motives: Restrictive Rules for Improving Analytic Outcomes in the Tonal Theory Classroom."

We are back with another episode produced in collaboration with the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy! Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Jennifer Shafer England, assistant professor at Montana State University, about her upcoming JMTP article entitled "One Bite at a Time: Writing in the Theory Classroom."

In this special episode, Paul, Jenn, and Ben remember the late Dr. Gene Cho. An Emeritus Regents Professor of Music Theory at the University of North Texas who impacted the lives of many music students over his more than four decades-long teaching career, Paul, Jenn, and Ben share their own memories and recount the numerous lessons they learned from Dr. Cho.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Catrina S. Kim, Assistant Professor of Music Theory at UMass Amherst, about how we can reframe university directives of antiracist and decolonized curricula in order to create a more holistic and ethical music theory pedagogy. We also want to note that in the conversation, the described learning outcomes from Jason Hooper’s Theory 1 class were drawn from or inspired by work by Jesse Stommel, Claire Hay, and Neil Postman.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Brent Ferguson, Lecturer in Games Sound and Music at Brunel University London, about how he uses video game music examples in his teaching and his most successful strategies for gamifying the theory curriculum.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Stephanie Venturino, assistant professor of analysis and musicianship at the Yale School of Music, about her work in developing online pre-college materials for the AP Music Theory curriculum.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Sean Powell, Professor of Music Education and Chair of the Division of Music Education at the University of North Texas, about his new book "The Ideology of Competition in School Music."

Paul, Jenn, and Ben kick off season 4 by welcoming onto the podcast Dr. Nancy Rogers, Professor of Music Theory at Florida State University. Co-author of the popular textbook "Music for Sight Singing", Dr. Rogers explains the process of curating such a collection and provides practical advice for teaching aural skills.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben finish our first ever Note Doctors Summer Book Club by discussing the last two chapters of Philip Ewell's "On Music Theory, and Making Music More Welcoming for Everyone."

Paul, Jenn, and Ben discuss chapters 4 and 5 of Philip Ewell's "On Music Theory, and Making Music More Welcoming for Everyone."

Paul, Jenn, and Ben continue discussing Philip Ewell's "On Music Theory, and Making Music More Welcoming for Everyone." Chapters 2 and 3 feature topics related to white mythologies, the Western canon, and Heinrich Schenker's legacy.

In this bonus summer short, Jenn talks with us about her amazing experience attending the Workshops in Music Theory Pedagogy held at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben begin our summerlong bookclub by discussing the Intro and Chapter 1 of Philip Ewell's "On Music Theory, and Making Music More Welcoming for Everyone."

Paul, Jenn, and Ben discuss how they deal with three common challenges theory and aural skills teachers face: cell phones in the classroom, lesson planning, and student accommodations.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben kick off the summer by playing Au Contraire Mon Frère/Ma Soeur, a game where Jenn and Ben see who can best defend or refute some of our favorite music theory hot takes from past podcast episodes.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Timothy Chenette, associate professor of music at Utah University State, about how we can improve the way we teach aural skills. Dr. Chenette is also the author of the newly released free online textbook "Foundations of Aural Skills."

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Kyle Gullings, associate professor of music theory and composition at the University of Texas at Tyler, about his work with openmusictheory.com and the benefits of open educational resources.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Stacey Davis, Acting Director of the School of Music and Professor of Music Theory at the University of Texas at San Antonio, about her research on performance expressivity and how she creates connections in the theory classroom between analysis and performance practice.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Amy Hatch, assistant professor of instruction at the University of Texas at Arlington, about the way she brings various pedagogical influences - from inside and outside music -into her theory classroom.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with three assistant professors: Matthew Bilik (Anderson University), Richard Desinord (Michigan State University), and Megan Lyons (Furman University). Each of our guests are currently in their first year in a tenure-track position and graciously shared their experiences on the job market and the things they've learned since starting their new positions.

To start the new year, we answer the question we like to ask all our guests. For fun, we use the 4 stages of a dating relationship (initial encounter, curiosity, enlightenment, and commitment) to describe our journeys with music theory.

We are back with our final episode of the year produced in collaboration with the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy! Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with two music theory professors from the University of Delaware, Dr. Patricia Burt and Dr. Philip Duker, about their implementation of the Question Formation Technique in their theory classrooms.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Charles Leinberger, professor of music at the University of Texas at El Paso, about his work as a music theorist and archival researcher of film music by Ennio Morricone.

We are back with another episode produced in collaboration with the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy! Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Melissa Hoag, associate professor of music theory at Oakland University and reviews editor for JMTP. In this jam-packed episode, Dr. Hoag gives a preview of the numerous theory and aural skills resource reviews in the upcoming JMTP and as a special bonus, shares about a new book she edited entitled "Expanding the Canon: Black Composers in the Music Theory Classroom."

Paul, Jenn, and Ben celebrate their 50th episode by bringing back their guest from episode one: Jenny Snodgrass, academic director in the School of Music at Lipscomb University. In a wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Snodgrass shares what she has learned throughout her career as both a theory professor and administrator.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben welcome back Benjamin Dobbs to the podcast. Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Music Theory and Composition at Furman University, Dr. Dobbs shares his passion for student mentorship and how he helps young music theory scholars develop their research skills.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Megan Lavengood, Assistant Professor and Director of Music Theory at George Mason University, about her work analyzing timbre in popular music, the classic sounds of the Yamaha DX7, and the potential for music theory exploration in video game soundtracks.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. Toby Rush, Associate Professor at the University of Dayton, about his popular "Music Theory for Musicians and Normal People" handouts and the ways in which he has incorporated topics such as acoustics and electronic music into the core music theory curriculum.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben kick off season three with a pair of guests - Benjamin Dobbs, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Music Theory and Composition at Furman University, and Shana Southard-Dobbs, Associate Professor of Psychology at Lander University. They share their work exploring the efficacy of growth mindset strategies in the music theory classroom along with the benefits of performing cross-disciplinary scholarship of teaching and learning research.

We finish our current series on "Theory Desert Island Piece" - one of those compositions you just love including in your theory class - with Jenn's pick: "Chichester Psalms" by Leonard Bernstein.

We continue our current series on "Theory Desert Island Pieces" - one of those compositions you just love including in your theory class. Ben's pick comes from the world of video game music: "The Legend of Zelda Theme" by Koji Kondo.

We begin a three-week series where each one of us gets to name a "Theory Desert Island Piece" - one of those compositions you just love including in your theory class. Paul starts us off with his pick: "Seven Last Words of the Unarmed" by Joel Thompson.

There were just too many clips to fit into one summer short so Paul, Jenn, and Ben are back with another episode rating movie scenes on how accurately they portray music theory topics.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben kick off the summer by rating video clips from television, film, and YouTube on how accurately they portray music theory topics.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben recap the highlights and challenges of the past spring semester and dig into the mailbag to answer some listener emails.