From the Margins: What Music Theory Doesn't Want You To Know

In this episode, we talk about designing a curriculum! Kasey shares her experience with Fundamentals of Music ✨Theory✨ and Kaitlyn shares her hopes and dreams for her upcoming Music ✨History✨ Survey courses. We bounce ideas around, discuss priorities, what to do and what NOT to do, and come up with fun teaching ideas, as always!

This episode features clips of the Epitaph of Seikilos, from the Norton Anthology of Western Music's playlist available on Spotify here, and from "Greece (The Atomic Era)" from the Civilization VI video game soundtrack available here.

Drop by our office hours to send us questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes!

Lastly, don't forget about us - we'll be back next year for Season 3! 👯‍♀️

In this episode, we finally get to talk about 🎼 SATB chorale-style part-writing and related radical reimagining of the undergraduate music theory core! We also celebrate Kaitlyn's successful defense of her Ph.D. dissertation, and reflect on the amazing things we've both done during our four years as doctoral students. 🥳

To view Kaitlyn's dissertation lecture, see it on youtube here.

Don't forget to drop by our office hours to send us questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes!

We mention Megan Lavengood's article about a modular theory curriculum here, Kristen Wallentinsen's presentation about grading and equity (abstract here), and Katherine Pukinskis's article about decentralizing part-writing here.

This episode features clips from J.S. Bach's St. Matthew's Passion, "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden," and Carol Ades's "Turns Out I'm Amazing."

Tune in next time for our last episode of Season 2! 🎉

In this episode, we debrief after a conversation we had with a senior scholar in our field, radically reimagining what the future of our field (and our ✨lives✨) might look like in the future! The big overarching question was, "what can the Society for Music Theory do to make it a better place for women and queer folks?" We also celebrate Kaitlyn's big announcement (you'll have to listen to find out what it is! 🥳) and talk through Kaitlyn's corresponding quarter-life crisis. Moral of the story: she's not a bad feminist! 💅

This is a long, thoughtful, and vulnerable episode - thanks for going on this journey with us! We promise we'll talk about part-writing next time!

Don't forget to drop by our office hours to send us questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes!

We cite this article about gender and college classroom participation, and this article about SMT's demographics.

This episode features clips from Billie Eilish's "bad guy," performed by the Vitamin String Quartet; "Fast" by Demi Lovato;" and "I Want it All" from High School Musical 3!  🎤

In this episode, we answer a few office hour questions, ask "what is music theory anyway?," and talk about what girlhood sounds like. We describe Little Girl Voice, Baby Voice, vocal fry, studio production, and so much more, in the voices of Disney & Pop princesses: Ariel, Rapunzel, Elsa, Hilary Duff, and Ariana Grande.

Don't forget to drop by our office hours to send us questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes!

You can also see Kaitlyn's "Let it Go" energy chart, and Kasey's very scholarly references on our blog here.

This episode features clips from "Part of Your World" (The Little Mermaid, 1989), "When Will My Life Begin" (Tangled, 2010), instrumentals from Tangled by Alan Menken, "Roommates" by Hilary Duff (2026), and "We Don't Talk" by Hilary Duff (2026).

Season 2, Episode 2 is here! 🎉 In this episode, we reflect on power and politics in music as seen through the Grammys and the Epstein files. (See time stamps for CW if you'd like to skip that part.) We also talk about integration within core musicianship curricula, and how to build bridges between music theory and aural skills. K&K have a wealth of experience at multiple different institutions, so tune in to hear our perspective, pros, and cons!

Don't forget to drop by our office hours to send us questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes!

This episode features clips from the "Doctor Who" theme by Delia Derbyshire, "Baile Inolvidable" by Bad Bunny, and "In C" by Terry Riley. 🎶

We're back and we hope you are as excited as we are for season 2! 🎉 In this episode, we catch up on what's been going on for the last 6 months and talk about aural skills pedagogy. K&K are both teaching aural skills this term and (as always) we have LOTS OF THOUGHTS. Tune in to hear what we're up to 🎙️ and catch up with us!

Don't forget to drop by our office hours to send us questions, comments, or ideas for future episodes!

This episode features clips from "All I Ever Asked" by Rachel Chinouriri. 🎶

This week, we focus on grad school and specifically Kaitlyn's 🔥HOT TAKES🔥! We talk about piano lessons and group music-making, better ways to teach grad students, and practical strategies for teaching grad students how to teach. We also get into a speed round of our hottest takes, which was super cathartic, even if we flew a little too close to the sun ☀️ (oops - sorry not sorry!) Happy summer, and drop by our office hours to let us know what you'd like us to talk about next season!

This episode features clips from Lorde's "Royals," Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive," and Chappell Roan's "HOT TO GO!"

THANK YOU to everyone who has been a part of this journey, especially Steve Rodgers and the Cykler Song Scholars Program. We couldn't have done it without you, and we're so lucky to get to do what we do AND put it out there for everyone to hear. Hugs on the airwaves, kisses on the forehead, toodles, and buh bye - for now! ✨

For the last two episodes of this season, we share our 🔥HOT TAKES🔥 about music theory in undergraduate and graduate music school. This week, we focus on the undergrad curriculum and specifically Kasey's 🔥HOT TAKES🔥! We talk about equity, pedagogy, AI, what music theory can and should (and shouldn't) be, and how we both are "fixers." And, of course, we love the shallot 🧅 approach... you'll just have to listen to find out what that means. 😉

This episode features clips from: "Tell me I never knew that" by caroline ft. Caroline Polachek, "Sonder" by Barry Can't Swim, "Cowboy Take Me Away by The Chicks and "cowboy take me away" (cover) by Fire Swimmer.

You can find us on our website, from-the-margins.com, and instagram @fromthemarginspod!

Tune in at the end of June for our last episode of our season, Kaitlyn's 🔥HOT TAKES🔥 about graduate music theory. Plenty more tea will be spilled! 🫖

In this next installment of our Dear K&K series, we talk about the politics and power dynamics of grad school, including the application process, coursework and comps, teaching as a graduate assistant under a faculty supervisor, choosing advisors and dissertation topics, and navigating burnout, stress, and imposter syndrome. 😰

We don't have all the answers, but we certainly have plenty of thoughts as always! ☕️

This episode features excerpts from Marina and The Diamonds' "Power and Control," and Daft Punk's "Doin' it Right." 🎶

You can find us at our website from-the-margins.com and our instagram @fromthemarginspod, and also outside enjoying the ☀️ this June!

In this episode, we interview our close friend and fellow Cykler Scholar Désiree Brissac Pereira ahead of her upcoming recitals! For her Cykler project, Desi has put together a program of songs by Brazilian composers (including herself), which she will be performing with soprano Sheila Minatti on Saturday, May 26th at 6pm in Beall Hall. We also talk the love of piano, composing, and strategies for navigating burnout, as well as dogs 🐶, cake 🍰, and our star signs 💫. Enjoy (or don't! 💅)!

(Not sponsored by Sweet Life Patisserie.)

This episode features clips from "Carta Ao Tom 74" by Vinicius & Toquinho and "Xote Dog" by Sergio Luiz Pereira.

You can find us at our website from-the-margins.com and our instagram @fromthemarginspod, and you can find Desi in her recitals on May 26th (Cykler) and May 18th (solo) and on youtube! ❤️