Music Theory

While I teach music theory to some extent with all my students, some students express specific interest in understanding the structures and rules that are followed (or broken!) by the artists they listen to. With my theory students I try to generally stay away from academic language and focus on the way that concepts relate to concrete functions in music that students are interested in. Harmony, Melody, Voice Leading, Rhythm, and Counterpoint are frequent topics of discussion. Theory much like music itself is language, it is a way that musicians communicate. For my students I try to focus learning upon the culture they are interested in engaging in. For example if you are interested in pop music it is most likely far more important for you to understand Tonic, Pre-Dominant, and Dominant chord relationships than to know the names and uses of the modes of the Melodic Minor Scale (a skill more useful in classical composition or jazz improvisation). As a theory teacher my goal is to make the language of the music you love one that you can speak!

Evan’s experience with music theory:

Growing up in guitar lessons, I have learned numerous different approaches to music theory from teachers with varying backgrounds. Often the way a rock musician thinks about theory is very different from a classical music approach which is different from the way a jazz musician thinks about it. Through all these lenses I have developed a perspective that takes elements from all these ways of thinking about music. In high school I took a course on classical theory through a U of M youth program and also took 2 semesters of written theory and aural theory as required by my undergraduate music degree. In addition to this I took two semesters of Jazz Theory and 4 semesters of jazz improvisation. Through this training I have learned about the many ways people understand music and how it functions. I think that this knowledge is helpful to any musician.