From the Margins: What Music Theory Doesn't Want You To Know

In this episode, we finally get to talk about 🎼 SATB chorale-style part-writing and related radical reimagining of the undergraduate music theory core! We also celebrate Kaitlyn's successful defense of her Ph. D. dissertation, and reflect on the amazing things we've both done during our four years as doctoral students. 🥳 To view Kaitlyn's dissertation lecture, see it on youtube he...

In this episode, we debrief after a conversation we had with a senior scholar in our field, radically reimagining what the future of our field (and our ✨lives✨) might look like in the future! The big overarching question was, "what can the Society for Music Theory do to make it a better place for women and queer folks?" We also celebrate Kaitlyn's big announcement (you'll hav...

In this episode, we answer a few office hour questions, ask "what is music theory anyway?," and talk about what girlhood sounds like. We describe Little Girl Voice, Baby Voice, vocal fry, studio production, and so much more, in the voices of Disney & Pop princesses: Ariel, Rapunzel, Elsa, Hilary Duff, and Ariana Grande. Don't forget to drop by our office hours to send us questio...

Season 2, Episode 2 is here! 🎉 In this episode, we reflect on power and politics in music as seen through the Grammys and the Epstein files. (See time stamps for CW if you'd like to skip that part.) We also talk about integration within core musicianship curricula, and how to build bridges between music theory and aural skills. K&K have a wealth of experience at multiple different instit...

We're back and we hope you are as excited as we are for season 2! 🎉 In this episode, we catch up on what's been going on for the last 6 months and talk about aural skills pedagogy. K&K are both teaching aural skills this term and (as always) we have LOTS OF THOUGHTS. Tune in to hear what we're up to 🎙️ and catch up with us! Don't forget to drop by our office hours to send...

This week, we focus on grad school and specifically Kaitlyn's 🔥HOT TAKES🔥! We talk about piano lessons and group music-making, better ways to teach grad students, and practical strategies for teaching grad students how to teach . We also get into a speed round of our hottest takes, which was super cathartic, even if we flew a little too close to the sun ☀️ (oops - sorry not sorry!) Happy su...

For the last two episodes of this season, we share our 🔥HOT TAKES🔥 about music theory in undergraduate and graduate music school. This week, we focus on the undergrad curriculum and specifically Kasey's 🔥HOT TAKES🔥! We talk about equity, pedagogy, AI, what music theory can and should (and shouldn't) be, and how we both are "fixers." And, of course, we love the shallot 🧅 ap...

In this next installment of our Dear K&K series, we talk about the politics and power dynamics of grad school, including the application process, coursework and comps, teaching as a graduate assistant under a faculty supervisor, choosing advisors and dissertation topics, and navigating burnout, stress, and imposter syndrome. 😰 We don't have all the answers, but we certainly have plenty o...

In this episode, we interview our close friend and fellow Cykler Scholar Désiree Brissac Pereira ahead of her upcoming recitals! For her Cykler project, Desi has put together a program of songs by Brazilian composers (including herself), which she will be performing with soprano Sheila Minatti on Saturday, May 26th at 6pm in Beall Hall. We also talk the love of piano, composing, and strategies for...

In this episode, we talk about disentangling (or conflating) the ART versus the ARTIST and how to deal with such challenges in our daily lives. For example, we talk about JK Rowling, Schenker, Alma Mahler, Richard Wagner, Chris Brown, and Dr. Luke, and ways in which we navigate teaching, reading, performing, programming, buying, and listening to their work ... or choosing NOT to engage with it. Of...

In this episode, we talk about perfect pitch, aural skills (as always), and our experiences at different shapes of institutions: squares, circles, triangles, and chevrons. (You'll have to listen to the episode to find out what these shapes mean! ⭐️) Kasey and Kaitlyn both went to small liberal arts colleges and we both currently teach at a large R1 institution, so we have lots of thoughts ab...

In this episode, we discuss issues with our comprehensive exams, solutions, and the possibility of getting rid of them altogether (!!!), through the lens of abolition. To learn more about abolition, we recommend reading: Angela Davis, Are Prisons Obsolete? Angela Davis et al., Abolition. Feminism. Now. Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha and Ejeris Dixon, Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from...

UPDATE: We were in the news this week! Go check out the article at Eugene Weekly . (Thank you to William Kennedy!)  In this episode, we talk about where music is heard: from fancy concert halls to pop concerts to the farmer's market to hiking trails. With input from our students, we also talk about barriers to accessing these concerts, like funding, transportation, and etiquette expectations,...

In this episode, we talk about one of our favorite musical topics: vocal timbre and identity! We use examples from the Superbowl - "The Star Spangled Banner" - as well as our own in-progress dissertations - Disney Princesses and Chappell Roan respectively. We also do our best to answer a question in office hours, "what makes someone a queer icon?" and suggest some lesson plans...

In this episode, we ask and answer pedagogy questions in the spirit of becoming better teachers, sharing ideas, and best supporting students! Questions include: (1) I have great content but my students are drooling on themselves. What do I do?  (2) It's 2025 and I'm embarrassed that my syllabus still has so many dead white male composers. (AKA I'm taking over this syllabus from some...

In this episode, we continue talking about who gets to belong in both music academia and popular music genres, including Dolly Parton, Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, Mickey Guyton, Florence Price, and Mari Esabel Valverde. Lesson plans, links, references are all available on our blog, from-the-margins.com - check it out! Stay tuned for our next episode, "Dear K & K (pedagogy edition),&q...

In this episode, we talk about structural inequities in two music academies: higher education and the popular recording industry. We ask, "who gets to belong?" in both spaces (hint: racial and gendered hierarchies affect both!) and reflect on our own experiences as music theory grad students. All of our links and references are available on our blog, from-the-margins.com - check it out!...

Who are we? In this episode, we chat about who we are, what Thanksgiving sides we are, and how we got here. Tune in to learn more about your co-hosts, Kasey and Kaitlyn!

Welcome to our new pod, From The Margins: What Music Theory Doesn't Want You To Know, a podcast party where we gossip about music theory’s deepest, darkest secrets… and you’re invited! 🎉 Our "Who Are We" preview episode drops January 1, and our first full episode, "A Tale of Two Academies," drops January 15. Join us for some laughs, some seriousness, and some piping hot t...