‘I was inspired to change my approach to teaching meter and tonality when I studied Cohn’s (2019) (Yale) music theory during my Master of Music (2018). I realized that music theory needed to develop for my own students and that Cohn’s work could be adapted to suit all ages of students including very young students.
After introducing the new theory, I observed positive results for so many aspects of learning, such as reading notation, problem-solving, rhythmic stability, and more confident performances. I began teaching students to visualize and sonify (sound) the mathematics (beat-class) they experience through ski-hill and cyclic graphs and annotating scores. I then saw the potential for developing applications for students to assist the pedagogy of mathematical music theory.
Thus, recent research informs my music teaching and the data is contributing to music (interdisciplinary) research to show how students learn music theory through the world’s first comprehensive theory of meter and one which is based on the psychoacoustic experience of ‘sound rather than on notation.’
I demonstrate how modern meter theory can convert into a coherent and practically implementable pedagogical curriculum with various advantages for music students of all ages. As discussed in my thesis (2018) meter, as taught in schools, tertiary institutions and music studios, at some point defers to notational understandings rather than to focus on sound. Notation-based understandings of meter propagates two problems which I aim to address in my research: the disconnect between music theory, pedagogy and learning, and the absence of the scholarly discussion of the world’s music because most music is not notated.
To do this, my research also explores other important musical concepts such as rhythm, pitch, tonality, texture and timbre to demonstrate how Cohn’s (Yale) mathematical music theory and Andrew Milne’s (WSU) specially designed applications provide a viable solution
What Can I Do for You?
- I am a Ph.D. candidate with academic publications at University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium of Music, Faculty of Arts and available for consultation and mentoring students of all ages and levels.
- I’m a mathematical music theory teacher
- I teach mathematical music theory through visualisations and sonifications of beat-class theory through ski-hill and cyclic graphs and annotated scores. “
- I prepare students of all ages and levels for AMEB, Trinity and ABRSM exams, the HSC and for leisure.
- Adult beginners welcome. Vacancies available for diploma students”
- I can help you to become a piano, saxophone and music theory expert
- I’ve worked as a music theory expert and a consultant
- We offer personalized tailored piano saxophone and music theory lessons for students of all edges and level. we are ready to help you learn the life-long music you love.
- I promote the visualization and sonification of beat-class theory to teach musical structure through tonality, meter, rhythm, pitch, expression, voice-leading, reading notation and more through the ski-hill graph, cyclic graph, hexatonic cycles, tonnetz and annotated scores. Through a psychoacoustic approach to music theory so that students can learn to understand the mathematics they experience when learning music. Students learn about cycles such as C8 and C12 and new ways to understand music theory such as representing 12/8 as 12/12 and mixed meter.
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Choose from our personalized piano, saxophone, and music theory lessons tailored for Individualised learning. A mathematical music theory approach taught through visualizations and sonifications of beat-class theory through ski-hill and cyclic graphs and annotated scores.