Musicologist Alison Maggart joins UT Austin faculty
Alison Maggart (PhD ’17), a graduate of the USC Thornton Musicology program, has been named assistant professor of instruction at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music. Maggart has previously taught at California State University, Northridge, the Colburn Conservatory, and the KM Music Conservatory in India, among others. Maggart’s research is focused […]
Nate Sloan featured in “All Things Considered” piece
Nate Sloan, a new member of the USC Thornton Musicology faculty, was recently featured by NPR’s All Things Considered as part of their “American Anthem” series, exploring the roots of international soccer’s favorite sports anthem, “Seven Nation Army.” The 2003 song, by The White Stripes, features a catchy electric guitar riff that has become a […]
Dana Gioia wins Poets’ Prize
Dana Gioia, USC Thornton Arts Leadership and Musicology faculty member and Poet Laureate of California, recently won the Poets’ Prize for his retrospective, 99 Poems, which was published in 2016. The Poets’ Prize recognizes a book published by a living American poet each year. Gioia, who served as the chairman of the National Endowment for […]
Scott Spencer marks St. Patrick’s Day with a chat about historical Irish music
Scott Spencer, USC Libraries Music Library Supervisor and a member of the USC Thornton Musicology faculty, was recently featured on the Virginia Humanities’ BackStory podcast. Spencer spoke with host Brian Balogh about early 20th century recordings made by Irish Americans for the podcast’s St. Patrick’s Day episode, exploring historical perspectives of Irish-American life. Spencer is […]
College Magazine surveys “10 Music Courses at USC to Jump Start Your Music Career”
College Magazine recently put USC Thornton at the center of an article exploring college courses to “Jump Start Your Music Career.” From classes in jazz performance and music theory to Music and Science Fiction and Thornton’s legendary Beatles class, the piece surveys the many innovative learning opportunities available to Thornton music students. The article puts […]
Tim Page quoted by NPR and the Daily Beast
Tim Page, professor at both USC Thornton and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, was recently quoted in a Daily Beast article, “Bob Guccione Jr.: Where ‘Rolling Stone’ Went Wrong, and How I Would Save It.” Page described Rolling Stone as a “lifeline for music-crazy kids all over the country,” and as a […]
Musicology student Eric Davis contributes to award-winning Cole Porter journal
USC Thornton Musicology doctoral candidate Eric Davis published an essay, “‘I Hate Parading My Serenading’: The Historical Record of Porter as a Performer” in A Cole Porter Companion, released by the University of Illinois Press in 2016. The volume, which the University of Illinois Press describes as “an invaluable guide for the fans and scholars […]
Joanna Demers publishes new book of musicological fiction
Joanna Demers, chair of the USC Thornton Musicology department, recently published her fourth book, entitled Anatomy of Thought-Fiction: CHS Report, April 2214. Much like her previous novel, Anatomy of Thought-Fiction explores popular music through the fictional framework of an unpublished musicological manuscript that “interrogates the music of artists ranging from David Bowie and Scott Walker […]
Alumnus Richard Brown joins Warner/Chappell Music as forensic musicologist
USC Thornton alumnus Richard Brown (MA ’07, music history & literature, PhD ’12, musicology) has recently accepted a position with Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. as manager and in-house forensic musicologist of the Infringement Compliance Unit. Warner/Chappell Music will utilize Brown’s expertise to assist the label’s legal team in fielding copyright infringement claims, playing an essential role […]
Joanna Demers quoted on the copyright lawsuit against Bruno Mars
Joanna Demers, chair of the USC Thornton Musicology program, was quoted in a Pitchfork article about a recently filed lawsuit against Bruno Mars for his song “Uptown Funk.” Demers argues that “intention really does matter” when it comes to whether or not Mars plagiarized Collage’s song, “Young Girls”. Demers, whose research and teaching interests include […]