Lecturer in Music Theory
ABOUT
Issa Aji received his Ph.D. in music theory from The University of Texas at Austin in 2026. His research explores the intersection of musical experience and the expressively moving body, with a particular focus on how various forms of musical feeling are mediated through gestural expression. His work draws on a number of subjects, including emotion and gesture studies, affect theory, phenomenology, and cultural studies.
His current research explores the Arab concept of ṭarab—understood as both a musical style and a mode of heightened affective engagement—through the words and lived experiences of Arab Americans. Funded previously by the Presser Foundation's Graduate Music Award, this work combines music analysis with ethnographic fieldwork to show how ṭarab shapes narratives of self-making across the Arab diaspora, serving especially as a vehicle for nostalgia and cultural belonging.
He has presented research at various regional, national, and international conferences, including the Music Theory Society of New York State, the Society for Music Theory, and the International Society for Research on Emotion. His research has been recognized by the 2022 Patricia Carpenter Award and the 2022 Irna Priore Prize for Student Research, and his publications appear in Theory and Practice, European Perspectives on Music Education, and on the History of Music Theory Blog.
As a bassist and amateur ʿūd-ist, Issa regularly performs with the Ghandoura Band, an eight-piece Arab music ensemble comprised of musicians from across the Arab world.
COURSES
MUS 605A/B
Tonal Music Theory I/II
MUS 306M
Elements of Music
MUS 388T
Analytical Techniques (graduate)
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
"Rhythmic-Temporal Disruptions and the Feeling of Ṭarab," Theory and Practice 49–50.
“Who’s Listening? The Role of Genre in the Creation of Musical Meaning and Emotion” (co-authored with Tyler Howie) in European Perspectives on Music Education 12 (special collection on “Music & Meaning”), eds. Isolde Malmberg and Milena Petrović (Helbling Publishing): 51–63 (2024).
“A History of Ecstatic Listening: What Arabic Ṭarab Has Taught Me about Musical Emotion," History of Music Theory Blog, December 19 (2023).
Issa Aji received his Ph.D. in music theory from The University of Texas at Austin in 2026. His research explores the intersection of musical experience and the expressively moving body, with a particular focus on how various forms of musical feeling are mediated through gestural expression. His work draws on a number of subjects, including emotion and gesture studies, affect theory, phenomenology, and cultural studies.
His current research explores the Arab concept of ṭarab—understood as both a musical style and a mode of heightened affective engagement—through the words and lived experiences of Arab Americans. Funded previously by the Presser Foundation's Graduate Music Award, this work combines music analysis with ethnographic fieldwork to show how ṭarab shapes narratives of self-making across the Arab diaspora, serving especially as a vehicle for nostalgia and cultural belonging.
He has presented research at various regional, national, and international conferences, including the Music Theory Society of New York State, the Society for Music Theory, and the International Society for Research on Emotion. His research has been recognized by the 2022 Patricia Carpenter Award and the 2022 Irna Priore Prize for Student Research, and his publications appear in Theory and Practice, European Perspectives on Music Education, and on the History of Music Theory Blog.
As a bassist and amateur ʿūd-ist, Issa regularly performs with the Ghandoura Band, an eight-piece Arab music ensemble comprised of musicians from across the Arab world.
MUS 605A/B
Tonal Music Theory I/II
MUS 306M
Elements of Music
MUS 388T
Analytical Techniques (graduate)
"Rhythmic-Temporal Disruptions and the Feeling of Ṭarab," Theory and Practice 49–50.
“Who’s Listening? The Role of Genre in the Creation of Musical Meaning and Emotion” (co-authored with Tyler Howie) in European Perspectives on Music Education 12 (special collection on “Music & Meaning”), eds. Isolde Malmberg and Milena Petrović (Helbling Publishing): 51–63 (2024).
“A History of Ecstatic Listening: What Arabic Ṭarab Has Taught Me about Musical Emotion," History of Music Theory Blog, December 19 (2023).
Contact Information
Email address
issaaji@
Website
issaaji.com
MRH 3.74
Teaching Areas
Theory
Research Areas
Music and Emotion
Affect Theory
Musics of the Arab World
Diaspora Studies
Ethnography
Education
Doctor of Philosophy
The University of Texas at Austin
Master of Music
Temple University
Bachelor of Music
Rowan University