Lee Hosts Music Theory Educators Conference

  • Thursday, June 22, 2017
  • Charity Parris, Lee University
Gary Karpinski, professor of music and coordinator of the Music Theory program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, presenting a workshop on melodic dictation
Gary Karpinski, professor of music and coordinator of the Music Theory program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, presenting a workshop on melodic dictation

More than 130 educators from across North America gathered at Lee University for “Pedagogy into Practice: Teaching Music Theory in the Twenty-First Century,” a conference hosted by Lee’s Department of Musicianship Studies. 

The mission of the conference was to help teachers of music theory and aural skills share ideas and become more effective in their professions. College teachers, high school teachers, and graduate students enjoyed interactive discussion with others who share a passion for helping students grow in musical understanding and skill. 

“There was a sense of comradery among the participants who commented on how enjoyable it was to be among others who were enthusiastic about teaching and about sharing ideas about teaching music theory,” said Dr. Austin Patty, an associate professor of music theory at Lee and co-coordinator of the conference.  

The three-day event featured lectures, workshops, lunchtime presentations by publishers of music theory resources, and a poster session with a discussion period afterward. Additionally, there were two keynote addresses: one by Ken Bain, author of “What the Best College Teachers Do,” and another by Anna Gawboy, an assistant professor of music theory at Ohio State University and a developer of technology resources for Norton. 

“Participants left inspired and equipped with a host of great ideas to implement in their teaching,” said Dr. Patty.  “The conference met a real need felt by many music theory teachers. I hope this conference, the first of its kind, is just the start of a long series of such conferences.” 

“Pedagogy into Practice” was sponsored the Gail Boyd de Stwolinski Center for Music Theory Pedagogy, directed by Steve Laitz, and the publisher of the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy.

Conference attendees having group discussions following the poster session
Conference attendees having group discussions following the poster session
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