The Butler School of Music features a faculty of dynamic and innovative music theorists who are developing theories of musical meaning and interpretation (cognitive, gestural, semiotic, hermeneutic, narrative, psychodynamic and sociological) across a wide range of repertoires, from the Renaissance to the 21stcentury, including film music and popular music. The department has one of the strongest placement records in the country, with nearly all recent graduates securing teaching positions in colleges and universities throughout North America.