Note Doctor‪s‬ Paul Thomas

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Akira Sato, the full time AP Music Theory teacher at Plano West Senior High School in Plano, Texas. A member of the AP Music Theory Test Development Committee who regularly leads AP Summer Institutes and One Day Workshops throughout the country, Mr. Sato shares with us the experiences that led him to his current position and the approaches he uses to create an engaging and relevant classroom environment.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Gary Karpinski, Professor of Music at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The author of numerous ear training texts, Dr. Karpinski shares his wealth of knowledge on the study of aural skills, aural perception, and pedagogy.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk Elizabeth West Marvin, the Minehan Family Professor and Professor of Music Theory at the Eastman School of Music. The co-author of numerous theory textbooks, Dr. Marvin shares her passion for teaching theory and aural skills and how textbooks have the power to shape and guide the musical understanding of today's music students.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with J. Daniel Jenkins, associate professor of music theory at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Jenkins discusses his work in the area of public music theory and shares his experience teaching music theory at Lee Correctional Institution.

In a spirit of gratitude and festive good will, Paul, Jenn, and Ben list their favorite things about the past semester of teaching theory and aural skills.

Paul, Jenn, and Ben talk with Dr. John Mortensen, Professor of Piano at Cedarville University and an internationally recognized leader in the revival of classical improvisation. Dr. Mortensen shares why he began performing entire concerts of improvised music and how he teaches historic improvisation to his students both in the United States and abroad.