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I studied composition at Queen’s University, sound recording at Recording Arts Canada, and music theory at the University of Toronto, where I received my PhD. I wrote my dissertation, “Unpopular Meters,” on how drummers handle irregular meters. I published research from that project in Music Theory Spectrum and the Cambridge Companion to the Drum Kit.
Before coming to Laurier, I taught music theory classes at Virginia Tech, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Penn State. One of my favourite things about these positions was the opportunity to update curriculum to include more popular music, so I’m especially excited that my role at Laurier is focused on that music.
I’m excited about mentoring students in popular music research projects, including preparing conference talks. If you’re considering grad school for an academic discipline, I can help answer your questions.
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- 2026 “Tori Amos’s Stretched Compound Grooves,” Society for Music Theory – Video.
- 2020 “Using Drumbeats to Theorize Meter in Quintuple and Septuple Grooves,” Music Theory Spectrum 42, no. 2.
- 2016 “Rock Modulation and Narrative,” Music Theory Online 22, no. 2.
Book Chapters
- 2023 “Drumbeats,” in Open Music Theory, Version 2, edited by Mark Gotham, Kyle Gullings, Chelsey Hamm, Bryn Hughes, Brian Jarvis, Megan Lavengood, and John Peterson.
- 2021 “Theorizing Complex Meters and Irregular Grooves,” in The Cambridge Companion to the Drum Kit, edited by Matthew Brennan, Joseph Michael Pignato, and Daniel Akira Stadnicki.
I'm excited about the growing presence of popular music in the program and proud to be part of teaching it on its own terms. I see this as an important step forward for the university and for music education.
In my class, students should expect me to do everything that I can to meet them where they are, to take their interests seriously, and to support them in their studies. I want the classroom to be a space for exploration and curiosity, and I think the best way to achieve that is to stay open to whatever questions come up.
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