Music Theory Department

The Graduate Theory Association

What the GTA is:

The Graduate Theory Association at the IU Jacobs School of Music is comprised of graduate students interested in music theory. With the ultimate purpose of promoting collegiality within the music theory community at IU, the group functions both as an academic/professional-development and a social organization. The GTA brings together students with many varied interests and specialties into a relaxed setting where ideas may be exchanged more freely than perhaps a classroom would allow. Closely associated with the GTA is the Indiana Theory Review (ITR), a music theory journal published semi-annually, and the only such journal entirely run by students. Members are elected each year to represent the GTA to the dean of the School of Music via the Student Representative Committee (SRC), and to the rest of the IU community via the Graduate and Professional Student Organization (GPSO).

 

Who we are:

The GTA is open to any graduate student at IU with an interest in music theory. There are no fees or dues charged; members are, however, encouraged to show their support of music theory at IU by subscribing to Indiana Theory Review. All theory majors and theory AI's are automatically members of the GTA. Officers are elected annually.

Specific information about each of the students majoring in music theory at Indiana University can be found here.

For the 2006-2007 academic year the GTA officers are:

• Kyle Fyr, President
• Sarah Bakker, Vice-President
• Mitch Ohriner , Secretary
• Garrett Michaelsen, Treasurer
• Jeffrey Vollmer, Publicity Liaison
• SRC Representative, Timothy Best

Activities and Events:

Symposium of Research in Music Theory
The GTA hosts a research symposium at IU every other year which typically attracts scholars from across the U.S. and Canada. A Special Symposium on "Music and the Written Word" will be held on 23-24 February, 2007.

Click here for travel information and directions.

Abstracts and schedules from previous Symposia are available online:

2006-2007 Symposium

2005-2006 Symposium

2003-2004 Symposium

2001-2002 Symposium

1999-2000 Symposium

1997-98 Symposium

Music Theory Colloquium Series
The GTA co-sponsors a series of lectures, presentations, and discussions by IU faculty, students, and visiting scholars. The colloquium takes place about every two weeks, usually on Wednesdays at 3:30 in M267. Last semester's schedule and abstracts are available here.

Biennial Recital
Every other year, the GTA performs a recital with the aim of demonstrating the unique and multiple abilities of our membership. If you are interested in performing on this year's recital, please contact once of elected officers.

Mock Styles Exam
We provide this practice exam, with follow-up discussion, as a service to doctoral students in the IU School of Music preparing for the real doctoral styles exam. It is typically offered during the week the real exam is administered.

Fall and Spring Picnics
On the lighter side, the GTA sponsors an annual picnic held each fall to welcome new theory associate instructors to IU, and has other parties and social activities throughout the year.

 

Some Other Music Theory Resources at IU:

• Indiana Theory Review, our semi-annually published music theory journal

• IU Theory Department Home Page

• Thesaurus Musicarum Latinarum (TML), the online database of Latin-language music theory treatises from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

• IU Music Library Home Page, including links to many important music research tools

• IU School of Music Home Page

Feedback:

If you would like more information about the Graduate Theory Association, send an e-mail to our president, Kyle Fyr (kfyr@indiana.edu) or directly to the Graduate Theory Association (gta@indiana.edu).