Dr. Robert Gross, Professor J. Daniel Jenkins

Hello Everyone,

If you have not already, I encourage you to use the following link to listen to the most recent episode of the TCC Podcast, featuring Dr. Robert Gross and his piece Penumbra.

https://www.tccollaboration.com/tcc-42-penumbra-dr-robert-gross/

It was a great time having Dr. Gross on the podcast and being able to engage on a number of topics music theoretical topics that he specializes in. One concept that we discussed that I have continued to think about was the compositional “style wars” and, extensively, the concept of online discourses within music academic spaces.

Possibly opposite of the assumption, I am personally not a big fan of online academic music discourse in a number of ways. A better distinction of this would perhaps be social media academic discourse. I am in no way delegitimizing the presence of such discussions, it is just not for me. I understand this is ironic, obviously, as links to this blog post, and all other content, are shared on social media, therefore the TCC is contributing to academic discourse on social media. While this is true, I would distinct my own work in that it is the sharing of another medium in which discourse is taking place, not deepening such discussion on the platform of social media itself. I admit that this might be a distinction without a difference, but it at least feels different to me. I mentioned this in the episode with Dr. Gross, but I would point anyone mildly interested in this topic to a recent colloquy response by Professor Megan Lavengood (link below). Discussing public music theory in the context of public harassment on social media, it is a retelling and analysis of Lavengood’s own experiences on music theory reddit, and if you are familiar with the pitfalls of online life, it is an awful tale-as-old-as-time situation. While no one should ever assume fear or harassment for posting their opinions or analysis online, as Lavengood points out in her response, this is too-often the reality, especially for women and marginalized individuals. The engagement of music discourse and debate is something that I enjoy, just more on a personal level where I can understand someone else on a more holistic basis. This is not something obtainable in a comment section or a sub-thread. This form of public music theory is just not my choosing, primarily for mental health reasons, but I applaud those who are able to make it a positive experience for themselves and other budding scholars, such as Dr. Gross and Dr. Lavengood.

Thank you again to Dr. Gross for coming onto the podcast.

 Lavengood article: https://academic.oup.com/mts/article-abstract/47/1/67/7917491

Speaking of public music theory, I am excited to preview that the next episode of the TCC Podcast is going to feature Professor of Music Theory J. Daniel Jenkins! It was an absolute delight to formally interview Professor Jenkins after meeting him a handful of times over the past year. As both the editor for SMT-V and the current President of Music Theory Southeast, he has a wide array of experiences that I knew would be essential to share here on the TCC. In this upcoming episode, Professor Jenkins and I discuss a number of issues in and around his expertise. This includes the history and forms of public music theory, its relationship with existing institutional entities, the structure and role of regional conferences, the platform of SMT-V, and much more! I would love to share more about the episode but it will have to wait until this coming Monday!

Again, don’t forget to listen to the most previous episode if you missed it, featuring Dr. Robert Gross and his piece Penumbra. Make sure to follow our social media links below and the podcast streaming platform of your choice to keep up-to-date on new episodes and blog posts from the TCC. Additionally, set your calendar and or streaming subscriptions to this coming Monday, September 1st, for the episode featuring Professor Jenkins. You won’t want to miss it, and we’ll see you there!

- Aaron D’Zurilla

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