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Music Theory/Genre Theory

Conference

Center for American Music

February 27-28, 2025
Thompson Conference Center

Room 2.120
The University of Texas at Austin

Recent years have witnessed renewed interest in questions of musical genre, ranging from thinkpieces on whether genre is irrelevant or stubbornly persistent in the 21st century, to critiques directed at the gatekeeping function that genre has historically served within the music industry. While recent research has fostered a deeper understanding of genre’s nature and sociohistoric functions, much of the discussion to date has paid less attention to how genre both mediates and is mediated by the sonic features of musical works, recordings, and performances. The Music Theory/Genre Theory conference seeks to address this gap. The time is ripe for music theory and analysis to be more fully integrated into discussions of genre, and for a reconsideration of genre’s importance for music theory and analysis.

By focusing on questions of genre, this conference hopes to prompt a reimagination of the discipline’s understanding of how different theoretical paradigms relate to different repertoires, as well as how music might or might not work for different audiences and contexts. Further, as a site where the sonic and structural elements of music are articulated in relation to its social, political, and economic dimensions, genre shows promise for opening up new vistas of music theory research.


 Keynote Speakers

A headshot of C. Joti Rockwell

C. Joti Rockwell 
Pomona College

 

A headshot of Liz Pelly

Liz Pelly 
Freelance Journalist/New York University

How To Attend

Attendance is open to the public and free for anyone who wants to attend.  No registration is required. 

 

Schedule

Thursday, February 27

9–9:15         
Welcome

9:15–10:30         
Keynote

Joti Rockwell | Pomona College 
Christmas Music: America’s Exo-genre

10:30–11:00         
Break

11:00–12:00         
Session 1: Genre Histories

Stephen Hudson | Occidental College 
How Metallica Created Extreme Metal: Active Listening, Connoisseurship, and Cover Songs as Genre Work

Stephanie Doktor  | Temple University 
When Jazz Became a Style

12:00–1:15        
Lunch

1:15–2:45        
Session 2: Conceptualizing Categories

Brian Miller | University of Michigan
Old Terms, New Tensions

Amy Coddington | Amherst College 
Constructing and Maintaining Genre on Commercial Radio Stations

Nicholas Shea | University of Arizona 
Fretboard-driven Models of Genre Thinking

2:45–3:00        
Break

3:00–4:30        
Session 3: Electronic Musics

Brad Osborn | University of Kansas 
Verbing with Chillwave

Jennifer Iverson | University of Chicago
The Many Genres of EDM

Victor Szabo | Hampden-Sydney College 
Disentangling Style and Genre via Underground EDM DJing

7:00–9:00   
Dinner

 

 

Friday, FebruAry 28

9:15–10:45        
Session 4: Crossovers and Covers

Stefanie Bilidas | The University of Texas at Austin 
Punk Goes Round in Metaphoric Space: Exploring the Relation Between Generic Conventions and Humorous Covers

Alejandro Cueto | University of Chicago 
S/he Asked Me to Stay and Told Me to Sit Anywhere

Tyler Howie | Oberlin College 
One Schema, Two Genres, Multiple Meanings

10:45–11:00        
Break

11:00–12:00        
Session 5: Bridging the Popular/Classical Divide

Lauren Shepherd | University of Nebraska at Lincoln 
Minimalism, Repetition, and Irreverence in the Music of Julius Eastman

Grace Gollmar | The University of Texas at Austin 
‘Capable of Anything’: Adaptation and Genre Strategies in So There and So There Piano/Vocal

12:00–1:00        
Lunch

1:00–2:30         
Session 6: Genre in the 21st Century

Bruno Alcalde | Richmond University 
The Covert Centrality of Genre in Post-Millenial Popular Music

Claire Terrell | Florida State University
 Playlist Making as Analysis

Florian Walch | University of Chicago 
The Algorithmic Rebalancing of Affect and Analysis

2:30–2:45           
Break

2:45–4:00       
Keynote

Liz Pelly | freelance journalist 
Title to be announced

4:00–4:15        
Close
 

 

Location, Lodging & Food

Location & Parking

The Conference will take place at the Thompson Conference Center on the East side of The University of Texas at Austin campus. 
A limited amount of parking is available in lot 40 (see MRH map.)
The center is located near the Butler School of Music.  See our Parking details for links to Google & Apple maps, and more parking information. 
Parking on the UT campus can be very frustrating.  We recommend considering a rideshare service instead of bringing your own vehicle to campus. 

Lodging

The following is a short list of hotels near The University campus.  Prices listed are taken from the hotel websites.  Guests may find cheaper options available via third-party travel sites.

Food

Walkable & Quick

Big Lunch/Dinner

Evening Hang

* vegetarian & vegan options available
** vegetarian, vegan & gluten free options 
other listed restaurants either do not offer these options, or it is unclear what options may be available.