Greg McCandless

Dr. Greg McCandless is Assistant Professor of Music Theory at Appalachian State University. A native of Brockport, NY, Greg graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2005) with a Bachelor of Music degree with Honors in Bass Performance. He later received Master of Music (2007) and Doctor of Philosophy (2010) degrees in Music Theory from Florida State University.

Dr. McCandless's research interests include theories of rhythm and meter, music theory pedagogy, music technology, and the analysis of popular music. His dissertation and related article in Music Theory Online (2013) focus on the music of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, and he has also published essays on music technology in the e-book Engaging Students: Essays in Music Pedagogy Vol. II (2014) and Music Theory Pedagogy Online (2014, co-authored with Anna Stephan-Robinson). Forthcoming articles will appear in Music Theory Online and the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy in late 2017.

Dr. McCandless (SESAC) is also active as a session musician, and he has composed original music and recorded bass, guitar, and trombone tracks for artist releases, film scores, production library music, and video game soundtracks. He serves as a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy Online, as a technology committee member for the North Carolina Music Educators Association, and as Member-at-Large for Music Theory Southeast.

Prior to his appointment at ASU, Greg served as the Department Chair of Music Composition for the fully-online Music Production Bachelor of Science degree program at Full Sail University from 2010–2015. In this capacity, he authored and taught several online theory and aural skills courses, including Music Theory, Musical Listening and Identification, Music Theory II, and Advanced Music Theory.