Her Music Academia

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Olivia Lucas (Louisiana State University) all about her musical upbringing as a vocalist, her time studying music theory at Harvard, and what she’s teaching at LSU. We also chat about how her early interest in metal music led to her current research on Lingua Ignota, who blends references to art music and classical vocal training with noise and extended techniques....

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Jennifer Ronyak (Institute of Music Aesthetics, University of Music and Performing Arts Graz) about her musical upbringing as a pianist, her time studying musicology at Eastman, and the major differences between music graduate programs in different countries. We also discuss her 2017 performance and analysis article “Meeting Barthes at Fischer-Dieskau’s Mill: Co-Pe...

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Melissa Hoag (Oakland University) about her musical upbringing as a pianist, her path to music theory, her time as coeditor of the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy , and her work as editor of Expanding The Canon and a forthcoming textbook. We also discuss the AP College Board Music Theory exam, the yearly grading session with over one hundred college professors and...

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Dan DiPiero (Boston University) about his curriculum at BU, his new Substack newsletter and podcast, and writing for public audiences. We also dive into their newest book, Big Feelings: Queer and Feminist Indie Rock After Riot Grrrl , as well as their forthcoming research on crushes in music. This episode is dedicated to Christine Capetola , an amazing scholar in A...

In this episode, I chat with Cecilia Oinas (University of the Arts Helsinki, Sibelius Academy) about her musical upbringing as a pianist, her path to music theory, and her budding research on politeness and etiquette in chamber ensembles. We also discuss her recent paper presentation at the SMT annual meeting in Minneapolis, which analyses the relationship between the piano and the vocal line in t...

In this solo episode, I chat all about the past semester including traveling for opera auditions, presenting at this year’s SMT/AMS annual meeting, and finishing my first dissertation chapter. I also discuss my yearly theme for 2025 and ponder what I’ll be focusing on in 2026. Please get in touch if you’d like to be a podcast guest in the new year! My article in Music Theory Spectrum SMT-Pod My ep...

In this bonus episode, I chat with Daniel Kumapayi about his upbringing as a double bassist, his experience studying at the University of Michigan, and the founding of the Pan Africanist art music foundation, Àkójọpọ̀. Make sure you check out the amazing resources on their website and follow their social media to stay up to date on their projects! Quick correction: at 10:47, we meant to mention Sa...

In this solo episode, I chat all about my summer shenanigans including traveling for research in June, traveling for singing in July, and (quite honestly) an August meltdown. I also discuss my theme of the year and what’s coming up on the podcast this fall. Stay tuned for my next semester in review episode in December, as well as some bonus episodes in the coming months! My MGMC lecture recital Ti...

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Christine Boone (University of North Carolina Ashville, St. Olaf College) about her musical upbringing as a vocalist, her path to music theory, and her forthcoming textbook project with Brad Osborn. We also discuss her research on mashups in popular music, including the gendered dynamics of pairing songs across genres. Christine’s article on mashup typology Christi...

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Anabel Maler (University of British Columbia) about her musical upbringing as a flutist, her path to music theory, and her interest in learning American Sign Language. We also dive into her new book  Seeing Voices , which discusses music making practices and musical experiences in various deaf communities.   Seeing Voices: Analyzing Sign Language Music Anabel’s 201...

In this episode, I chat all about my past semester of continuing this year's touring season with Opera For The Young, giving my first lecture recital, and formally starting my dissertation research. I also give an update on the podcast release schedule this summer and contemplate the goals I have for the upcoming season. Consider joining the HMA book club for our next meeting in early July! Si...

In this episode, I chat with The Dolphins Quartet (violinists Luke Henderson and Issac Park, violist James Preucil, and cellist Ian Maloney) about their backgrounds in music, their time at The Juilliard School, and how they met and started working together. We also discuss their rehearsal process, how they choose repertoire to perform, how they compose music for themselves, and their collaboration...

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Cora Palfy (Washington and Jefferson College) about her musical upbringing as a singer, her time studying music theory and cognition at Northwestern, and her music theory pedagogy article on "the hidden curriculum." We also dive into her 2022 book Musical Agency and The Social Listener , which discusses music as an agent that acts upon the listener throug...

In this episode, I chat with Lee Thomas Richardson about Beyoncé's eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter , including its reception by the Beyhive, our favorite (and least favorite) tracks, the nominations and awards the album received at the 2024 Grammys, and Beyoncé's new products that further expand her brand. Join us for our next book club meeting on Sunday, April 27th at 1:30 pm EST! Sign...

In this episode, I chat with Lee Thomas Richardson (Columbia University) about his musical upbringing as a saxophonist and a vocalist, his path to music theory, and the start of his research on Beyoncé and fandom. We also discuss Beyoncé's eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter . Stay tuned for part two of our conversation! Join us for our next book club meeting on Sunday, April 27th at 1:30 pm ES...

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Shannon Draucker (Siena College) about her musical upbringing as a clarinetist, her experience in an English PhD program at Boston University, and her current pedagogical practices at Siena. We also discuss her recent book Sounding Bodies: Acoustical Science and Musical Erotics in Victorian Literature , as well as her current research on orchestra culture and conce...

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Kristin Franseen (Western University) about her musical upbringing as a bassist, her early interest in becoming an orchestral librarian, and her time at McGill University earning a PhD in musicology. We also chat about her first book, Imagining Musical Pasts, and her current research on the intersection of music and gossip, specifically within the supposed feud bet...

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 Su...

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 cl...

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 "Trust and Since...

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 a...

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 h...

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 Mu...

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...

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...