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Doctoral Colloquium:ÌýHannah Benoit (Music Theory)Ìý

Title: Music Theory’s Critical (Mis)Alignment: Improving Core Theory Using Critical Pedagogy

Using critical-thinking skills can help students more autonomously and successfully achieve music theory’s learning goals of theorizing, researching, and writing about the construction, performance, and perception of music.ÌýAlthough critical thinking is central to student learning, there is almost no existing research on incorporating critical thinking into music theory pedagogy. Additionally, critical thinking and student autonomy learning outcomes remain either implicit or notÌýpractised,Ìýowing to the traditionally implemented gatekeeper model, in which the instructor controls all knowledge of curricula and course objectives. In this presentation, I investigate critical pedagogy, an educational philosophy where students learn how to critically and autonomously think about, assess, and question the material they are learning, directly empowering them to have the tools and voices to enact social change. I examine prior critical pedagogy applications to higher-education music disciplines and suggest productive avenues for music theorists to incorporate principles of this approach to the undergraduate classroom.

Hannah BenoitÌýis a Ph.D. Candidate in Music Theory and currently serves as an adjunct instructor of music theory at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Massachusetts. Her research interests include music theory pedagogy and popular music, with a particular emphasis on Electronic Dance Music.

The Doctoral Colloquium is open to all.