SMT-Pod

In this week’s episode, Joon Park presents an interpretive strategy for melodic closure that occurs at the start of a song, which he terms a "terminal opening." This episode was produced by Jose Garza along with Team Lead Anna Rose Nelson. Special thanks to peer reviewers Cara Stroud and Shersten Johnson. SMT-Pod’s theme music was written by Maria Tartaglia, with closing music by Yike Zhang. For s...

In this week’s episode, Leah Amarosa explores the unique structural and textural features of contemporary worship music, demonstrating how its formal processes are shaped to enhance spiritual and communal engagement. This episode was produced by Katrina Roush along with Team Lead Matthew Ferrandino. Special thanks to peer reviewers Joshua Busman and Shersten Johnson. SMT-Pod’s theme music was writ...

In this week’s episode, Zach Lloyd and John Combs demonstrate a need for a broader definition of reprise in musical theater by examining reprises in two contrasting versions of  Shrek the Musical , the original 2008 Broadway production, and the recently revised 2024 National Tour. This episode was produced by Zachary Lloyd along with Team Lead Jennifer Weaver. Special thanks to peer reviewers...

In this week's episode, Stefanie Bilidas and Grace Gollmar discuss the role of timbre in the listener's perception of genre, focusing on cover songs and Massive Attack's discography as two case studies. This episode was produced by Jose Garza along with Team Lead Thomas Yee. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. For supplementary materials on this episode a...

In this week's episode, Brent Ferguson talks about a pedagogical approach he implemented with his undergraduate students, an approach he calls the "buffet-style grading system." Let's begin with a student composition from this class. This episode was produced by Jennifer Beavers along with Team Lead Lydia Bangura. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. For supple...

In this week's episode, Jeremy Orosz discusses a formal trend that's been emerging in pop and rock songs. In the last decade or so, a surprisingly high number of songs in verse-chorus form contain only two statements of the chorus as opposed to the typical three. Over the course of the episode, Orosz walks us through his detailed corpus-based study, discussing nuances of this trend and the impact...

In this week’s episode, Tori Vilches delves into various adaptations of the Italian folk song “Bella Ciao” in Netflix’s La Casa de Papel, demonstrating its role in symbolizing resistance against oppressive structures and contributing to the humanization of the show’s anti-hero characters, ultimately fostering emotional connections between viewers and the show. This episode was produced by Zach Llo...

This week’s episode will consider The 5th Dimension’s medley, “Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1969) in relation to its Vietnam War Era context and through the lens of Afrofuturism. This episode was produced by David Thurmaier along with Team Lead Richard Desinord. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. For supplementary materials on this episode and more i...

In this week’s episode, game designer Brent Ferguson and composers George Reid and Matthew Ferrandino discuss their chiptune rearrangements of canonical and marginalized composers’ music for the  Bardcore  video game project. This episode was produced by Zach Lloyd along with Team Lead Thomas Yee. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. For suppleme...

In this week’s episode, Thomas B. Yee discusses non-octave repeating scales, exploring precedents in the ideas of theorists from outside mainstream music theory and the application of non-octave repeating scales in the works of living composers. This episode was produced by Katrina Roush along with Team Lead Jennifer Weavers. Special thanks to Craig Weston, Luis Javier Obregon, David Forrest, Liam...

In this week's episode, Nariá Assis and Luís Raimundo investigate sound masses. Their insightful analytical discussion touches on the intricate relationship between texture and rhythm, the historical evolution of the use of sound masses, and current applications in both modern and contemporary classical and electronic music. This episode was produced by Katrina Roush along with Team Lead Anna Rose...

This episode introduces a simple, but powerful pedagogical exercise inspired by the short story writer George Saunders, which involves listening to a piece of music one segment at a time, describing what you noticed, and guessing what will happen next. This episode was produced by Jose Garza along with Team Lead Jennifer Weaver. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David V...

This episode explores how women in the Azores, a Portuguese autonomous region in the North Atlantic Ocean, use their musical play on the viola da terra (a native Azorean chordophone) as a resource for postcolonial feminine performance. This episode was produced by David Thurmaier along with Team Lead Shannon McAlister. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. For s...

This episode, introducing a new podcast by Joe Straus, is a deep dive into the opening measures of Stravinsky's ballet,  Petrushka : a close analysis to hear what makes this music tick.  Listen to the rest of Joe Straus's podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kLhnp4GA2qJ5YX9lgMYcL This episode was produced by Katrina Roush along with Team Lead Lydia Bangura. SMT-Pod Theme mus...

Season 3 of SMT-Pod launches on January 25, 2024. This preview highlights the variety of topics our authors will present this season. All episodes were chosen through an open collaborative peer review process. Be sure to subscribe and stay tuned for the Season 3 launch! For more information, visit smt-pod.org.

Consider submitting your work for Season 3! More information is available on our website: smt-pod.org

In this week’s episode, the Theorizing African American Music series comes to a close with a poignant conversation between Phil Ewell, Louise Toppin, Teresa Reed, and Jewel Thompson, and a sneak peak at what the future holds for this conference. NY Times article referenced in this episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/opinion/warnock-walker-runoff-georgia.html This episode was produced by Me...

In this week’s episode, Phil Ewell sits down with Marvin McNeil, Steph Doktor, Alan Reese, and Maya Cunningham to talk about their experiences at the conference and the fantastic papers they presented and heard. This episode was produced by Megan Lyons. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. Undine Smith Moore's "Before I'd Be A Slave" is performed by Geoffrey Bu...

In this week’s episode, Phil Ewell sits down with Dwight Andrews to talk about his keynote at the Theorizing African American Music conference and their experiences in the field of music theory. This episode was produced by Megan Lyons. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. Undine Smith Moore's "Before I'd Be A Slave" is performed by Geoffrey Burleson. For suppl...

In this week’s episode, Christopher Jenkins, with a guest appearance by Phil Ewell, interviews the talented musicians who performed in the Theorizing African American Music conference opening concert. **A note from this episode's author: It should be noted that while some of the conversation invokes the term "Afro-diasporic, it should be noted that this concert emphasized just one facet of the Afr...

In this week’s episode, Phil Ewell, Christopher Jenkins, Lydia Bangura, and Susan McClary discuss how the Theorizing African American Music conference came to fruition in the first episode of a series on this monumental conference. This episode was produced by Megan Lyons. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. Undine Smith Moore's "Before I'd Be A Slave" is perf...

In this week's episode, we'll hear from Rami Stucky as he dives into problematic representation of Black music in the 2018 Oscar winning film Green Book. This episode was produced by Jennifer Beavers. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. For supplementary materials on this episode and more information on our authors and composers, check out our website:  h...

In this week's episode, Jenine Brown investigates the emotional impact of meaningful differences she identifies between Ellie Goulding’s cover of “Your Song," and Elton John's original version. Ultimately, Brown's analysis focuses on the feeling of the double upbeat that initiates the bridge that Goulding's includes in her interpretation of "Your Song." This episode was produced by David Thurmaier...

In this week's episode, Melissa Hoag proposes a method for expanding the repertoire taught in 18th-Century counterpoint courses. This episode was produced by Katrina Roush. Special thanks to Olivia Friedenstab, Corrin Kliewer, Iyla Miller, Mahki Murray, and Kaleigh Schott for their interviews and testimonies. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. For supplementa...

In this week's episode, Kim Soby examines a poem, written by a man, about love, from a woman’s perspective, and questions in what ways might a composer’s gender play out musically?. This episode was produced by Jennifer Beavers. SMT-Pod Theme music by Zhangcheng Lu; Closing music "hnna" by David Voss. For supplementary materials on this episode and more information on our authors and composers, ch...