Fundamentals of Music: Rudiments, Musicianship, and Composition (6th Edition)

Mastering Fundamentals in a Musical Context

Susan Piagentini, Ph.D.

Northwestern University

Susan Piagentini, Charles Deering McCormick University Distinguished Lecturer, is Coordinator of the first-year core curriculum at Northwestern University where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in music theory, aural skills and music theory pedagogy. In her role as coordinator, she mentors the teaching assistants and instructors that provide instruction in the core courses.   Dr. Piagentini received her B.M. in Instrumental Music Education from Augustana College and her M.M. and Ph.D. in Music Theory from the Northwestern University.  Her Ph.D. research was the first dissertation in Music Cognition at Northwestern, and blended her interests in pedagogy, music cognition, technology, and music theory.   The study documented student-learning strategies in music analysis and resulted in a production system model of consistent strategies exhibited across the participants in the study.   The results continue to inform her teaching, focusing on the varied problem solving paths learners use to unfold the analysis of a musical score.  Her more current research on web-based music theory assessment can be found in TI:ME (Technology Institute for Music Educators) and the Journal of Technology in Music Learning.

Dr. Piagentini received numerous grants and awards to develop online tools to accompany the core courses at Northwestern. Funding from the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, the Undergraduate Research Grants Committee, and the Alumni Foundation has paved the way to providing an extension of the classroom in the form of online, interactive skill building practice and assessment tools.  She has also received awards in relation to excellence in undergraduate education, including the Northwestern University Faculty Honor Roll, and the Charles Deering McCormick University Distinguished Lecturer Award.

Piagentini is the President of the Great Lakes regional chapter of the College Music Society.  In 2011, she was appointed conference chair for ATMI (Association for Technology in Music Instruction) and as a member of the National Programming Committee for the College Music Society.  Recently Piagentini was appointed to the CMS Advisory Committee for Music Theory.  She is a frequent presenter on the use of technology to enhance learning at national and regional conferences, including the Society for Music Theory, Association for Technology in Music Instruction, Technological Directions in Music Learning, TI:ME, and the College Music Society.  

Jennifer Sterling Snodgrass is currently an associate professor of music theory and director of graduate studies in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University, teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in music theory, aural skills, and music theory pedagogy. Dr. Snodgrass received her B.M. in vocal performance from Meredith College and her M.M. in music theory from the University of Tennessee. In 2002, Snodgrass earned a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland where her research focused on computer-assisted instruction and pedagogy.

She has received numerous grants and awards in relation to technology and music instruction. In 2006, Snodgrass was awarded the Tablet PC Higher Education Award from the Microsoft Corporation for her integration of the Tablet PC into undergraduate theory courses.  Her research has been published in several journals including the Journal of Technology in Music Learning, The TI:MEs, Music Theory Online, Sacred Music, and the Music Educators Journal. She has also received numerous awards in relation to excellence in undergraduate education, including the National DyKnow Educator of the Month, the Plemmons Leadership Medallion, and the Hayes School of Music Outstanding Teaching Award.

Snodgrass is currently an officer in the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the College Music Society and is a member of research board for TI:ME.  In 2007, she was appointed as the National Conference Chair for ATMI (Association for Technology in Music Instruction) and a member of the National Programming Committee for the College Music Society.  She most recently was appointed to the editorial board for the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy and is the co-chair of the Web Editorial Board for the JMTP.   

Besides her primary interest in music theory and technology, Dr. Snodgrass maintains an active vocal performance agenda.  She is active in solfege workshops and has served as a guest clinician for music educators across the southeast. 

Jennifer Snodgrass lives in western North Carolina with her husband, Greg and daughter, Katherine.