Music Theory is the study of musical structure. We learn how music in historic and contemporary styles is constructed; how to deconstruct it through analysis and analytical modeling; and how to understand it through hermeneutic and historically informed interpretation. The Music Theory faculty at the University of Toronto—Ellie Hisama, Ryan McClelland, Mark Sallmen, Daphne Tan, Steven Vande Moortele, and Anton Vishio—features internationally renowned scholars and pedagogues with a variety of backgrounds and specializations, with a focus on music from the early nineteenth century until today.
All undergraduate students build musical fluency through two years of core courses in music theory, musicianship, and other skills. At the advanced undergraduate level, Music Theory features a variety of specialized courses, offering students the possibility to graduate with a major in Music History, Culture, and Theory within the BMus program.
At the graduate level, the combination of scholarly excellence, the intimate scale of the program, and the close ties to Musicology and Ethnomusicology make for a vibrant, friendly, and intellectually engaging environment that attracts top-level students pursuing the course-intensive MA or the research-oriented PhD in music theory. Graduate students receive ample opportunity to gain professional experience through teaching and research assistantships. They also benefit from the presence of the Institute for Music in Canada (IMC), the Centre for the Study of Nineteenth-Century Music (CSNCM) and the Music and Health Research Collaboratory (MaHRC) as well as from the regular presentations by guest speakers in the colloquium series, the graduate student roundtables, and special events such as the Form Forum.
News
- This fall, Emma Soldaat started a full-time position as Lecturer in Music Theory at the Fountain School of Performing Arts at Dalhousie University (Halifax). Congratulations to Emma!
- Eric Yang and Evan Tanovich (MA 2024) are presenting papers at the Society for Music Theory annual meeting in Jacksonville. At this same conference, Prof. Daphne Tan is leading a workshop for graduate students on Music Psychology and the Ideas of Ernst Kurth.
- Emma Soldaat, Elwyn Rowlands, Daniella Kistemaker, and Prof. Steven Vande Moortele all presented papers at the annual conference of the Society for Music Analysis in Edinburgh.
- This spring, Michelle Grosser (PhD 2024) graduated from our PhD program with a dissertation titled Experiencing Avatar/Player Virtual Subjectivity: The Role of the Soundtrack in Open-World Video Games. Moreover, Michelle also started a new position as Instructor of Music Theory at Arkansas State University. Many congratulations to Michelle!
- Claire Heinrichs (MA 2024) and Evan Tanovich (MA 2024) are the most recent graduates of our MA program in music theory. Congratulations to both!
