Teaching Philosophy
My classes focus on the interconnectedness of music, politics, and identity from a global perspective. Using the ideas of critical pedagogy, I teach students to uncover the layers of power undergirding musical ecosystems in the past and present, thus fostering an antiracist approach. I empower students to question music’s interactions with society. To achieve this goal, I emphasize multi-modal analysis skills, reflexive practices, and student advocacy. Students leave my courses having mastered skills in conveying the connectedness of music, identity, and politics. Through modeling engaged scholarship and offering continual feedback, I make the insights of musicology relevant and valuable to students’ lives as performers, teachers, scholars, and members of the global citizenry.
Reviewing music, politics, and Beyoncé’s Lemonade
Courses Taught
Wichita State University
Cultural Study of Music
What role do sound and music play in various world cultures? And what can we learn about people and their cultures by analyzing how they use music in their everyday lives? In this introductory course, students will engage with a range of cultures, musical genres, instruments, and performance techniques from across the globe to better understand the diversity of human experiences. Rather than take a survey approach or attempt to be comprehensive, we will use a theme of movement to understand how musical practices have changed through cultural forces like imperialism, diaspora, and mediatization. Class time will be devoted to a mix of lecture, discussion, and in-class activities. Additionally, students will complete a number of listening journals, structured essay assignments, and exams to better understand music as a sonic and social practice.
Introduction to Music Studies and Professional Skills
To be a musician is to be an entrepreneur. This course prepares students for careers in music by introducing them to: 1) a history of the field they are entering, particularly concerning the Western Musical Canon; 2) the fundamentals of music marketing, on which their future coursework as an educator, performer, audio engineer and/or thinker will continue to build; and 3) the skills necessary to begin building a personal website (or “e-portfolio”).
Listening to Empire
European imperialism is perhaps the defining feature of the past millennium, influencing the daily lives of humans across the globe. But what did these Empires sound like, to both the colonizer and the colonized? How was sound used as a tool of both control and resistance? And how do we come to grips with imperialism’s legacy in contemporary listening practices? In this course, we will seek to answer these questions through a study of sound, music, and listening practices across the major European Empires from c. 1500 to the present day. Rather than a comprehensive approach, we will “drop in” on select moments in time in major geographical sites, listening for overarching trends in the history of sound and imperialism. The majority of class time will be dedicated to discussion of readings, guided listening, and analysis of select primary source documents, including music and sound recordings. The seminar will culminate in a collaborative research project on a topic of the group’s choosing, which we will present to the broader School of Music community.
Music History I: Antiquity to 1750
While some might call this course a survey of this history of Western Art music (as we will discuss many of the major trends and figures from Western Europe and the Americas from Antiquity to circa 1750), this course is more acutely designed to give you a set of musicological tools to use in your future careers, regardless of what those might be. Through score study, readings, and discussions, we will study a range of music from Antiquity to circa 1750 to think about how musical moments are reflections of moments in time, contingent upon needs, desires, and social, cultural, and political development. This course—like all survey courses—is far from comprehensive. It would be impossible to cover nearly 1000 years of music in 15 weeks! Instead, we will drop in on particular figures and moments in time to better understand how musical culture developed from the late Middle Ages until the emergence of the Classical era. Ultimately, I hope you will leave this course confident in your ability to analyze music from a range of perspectives, as well as evaluate sources and claims to think critically for yourself about interactions between music, musicians, and society.
Music History II: 1750 to Present
While some might call this course a survey of the history of Western Art Music (as we will discuss many of the major musical trends and figures from Western Europe and North America of the last 280 years), this course is more acutely designed to give students a set of musicological tools to use in their future careers, regardless of what those might be. Through score study, readings, and discussions, we will study a range of music from the 1750s to the present day to think about how musical moments are reflections of moments in time, contingent upon needs, desires, and social, cultural, and political developments. This course—like all courses—is far from comprehensive. Instead, we will drop in on particular figures and moments in time to better understand how musical culture has changed from the late Classical period to the present day. Ultimately, I hope students leave this course confident in their ability to analyze music from a range of perspectives, as well as evaluate sources and claims to think critically for themselves about interactions between music, musicians, and society.
Music, Childhood, and Youth
Few things in music are present in all cultures, but nearly every society has music for or about children. Yet children’s music and history has only recently been taken seriously by scholars. Through readings taken from musicology, ethnomusicology, cultural studies, history, and critical theory, we will ask: what can we learn about music by foregrounding age as an analytic framework? This course examines music by, for, and about young people in Western musical traditions (pop, folk, art), as well as select non-western traditions throughout history. Topics include the politics of music education practices, prodigies, musical games, and the commercialization of childhood, among others. The ability to read music is appreciated, but not required.
Music and Politics
Can music exist beyond the realm of politics? One could argue that Western staff notation was popularized due to Charlemagne’s desire to unite the Holy Roman Empire, and thus the Western tradition is impossible to divorce from its political heritage. This seminar takes the intersection of music and politics as our starting point. As this is an accelerated summer course, it is impossible for this course to be anywhere near comprehensive. Instead, we will drop-in on particular moments in time (from c. 1800 to the present day) to investigate how composers, performers, audiences, and other musical actors navigated the relationship between music and politics. As this is a seminar course, most class time will be dedicated to discussion of readings, guided listening, and group analysis.
Popular Music of the Americas
The rise of the American popular music industry is perhaps the most important musical development of the past two centuries. This course will examine the evolution of popular music in America from the nineteenth century to the present day as a set of interconnected musical systems, as well as an expression of diverse American identities. With the course structured as a chronological survey, we will track stylistic shifts, as well as how music has reflected and influenced the culture consciousness of the United States and other locales across the Western hemisphere. Major course themes include race, gender, sexuality, protest, and technology. Students will leave the class able to identify major stylistic characteristics and general musical elements, as well as be able to place popular music into appropriate historical, social, and regional contexts. The ability to read music is not required.
Eastman School of Music
Borders, Boundaries, & Barriers in 20th-Century Music
Music Since 1900 [Master’s Survey]
Western Music History Review, 1600 to present [Graduate]
Rochester Education Justice Iniitiative
Popular Music in American Life
Michigan State University
MUSIC, GENDER, & SEXUALITY
Music, Gender, & Sexuality in the Modern World [Gen-ed]
Courses Assisted
Eastman School of Music
Music and Society: 1750-1880
Music and Society: 1880-Present
Other People, Other Sounds: Music and Meaning, 800-1750
Performing Politics in the Musical Marketplace
Michigan State University
Global Music Cultures
Great Works of Western Music [Online]
Popular Music in American Life
Popular Music, Media, and Identity in the 1980s
Eastman Writing Center
I have served as a writing consultant at the Eastman School of Music’s writing center since 2018. At the Eastman Writing Center, I work closely with Humanities Department faculty with the First Year Writing Seminar Curriculum. I lead workshops for young writers on topics such as Prewriting Strategies, Crafting Strong Thesis Statements, Organizing Research Materials, and Citation Best Practices. I offer one-on-one consultations with students where we meet to discuss writing projects. In addition to first year students, I work a lot with English language learners at all degree stages. I believe that everyone is a writer and that there is no one set “perfect style”; rather, I use conversation and encouragement to help students find their unique authorial voice while striving for clarity and brevity.
Writing Instruction
2016-17 Eastman School of Music TA Prize Winners
Curtis Award for Excellence in Teaching
This prize is awarded each year by the Office of the Provost at the University of Rochester. I was nominated for my work in the classroom during my tenure at the Eastman School of Music—University of Rochester, particularly based on the success of my “Borders, Boundaries, & Barriers” twentieth-century music survey. Winners were chosen based on student evaluations, faculty letters of support, syllabus evaluation, and teaching philosophy.
Student comments:
“Feedback was very thorough and appropriate for the given assignments. Trevor also established several ways to succeed, in case your learning style was different from the ‘standard way.’ I have never felt a Music History teacher wanted their students to succeed more than Trevor.”
“The instructor was very organized, thoughtful, respectful, and effective. We covered so much in this class, and it is thanks to his curriculum design and structure of the class. We had lots of meaningful discussions and critical thinking assignments, and I really appreciated all the opportunities the instructor provided.”
“Trevor is the best teacher I have ever had at Eastman.”
TA Prize for Classroom Instruction
This prize is awarded every year to the best Teaching Assistants at the Eastman School of Music, as decided by the Undergraduate Curriculum and Teaching Assistant Prize Committees. I was nominated for my work with the music history survey courses. Winners were chosen based on student evaluations, faculty letters of support, and classroom observations.
Student comments:
"Trevor goes above and beyond other section TAs with his ability to answer all of our questions. His excellent weekly study sheets make it easy to study for exams."
"He is a hard worker who wants every student to succeed; very prepared and organized with study guides and music examples. I wish he could be my TA next semester."
"Trevor is very professional, knowledgable, well prepared, and reviews material in a very clear and organized manner."
Somers Award for Excellence in Teaching
This award is given every year to the best Arts & Humanities Teaching Assistants at Michigan State University, as decided by the Center of Integrative Studies in Arts and Humanities Curriculum committee. I was nominated for my work in two general education courses: Popular Music, Media, and Identity in the 1980s and Popular Music in 20th Century American Life. Winners were chosen based on student evaluations, faculty letters of support, teaching philosophy statements, and classroom observations.
Student comments:
"He is receptive of the student’s interests. He was able to keep the classroom’s attention. He cares about our opinions and is very good at relating them to our lives for better understanding."
"Trevor was an EXCELLENT TA. Always willing to help students and had a passion for teaching. Easily one of the best TAs I have had at MSU."
"Trevor was an awesome TA, that really cared and helped out his students. He always had a great attitude and explained everything we did very thoroughly."
"Trevor Nelson is an all around great human being."