Jason Yust: Antiblackness in Foundational Music Theory Concepts - College of Arts, Media and Design (CAMD)

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Events

Tonality, Meter, Rock Music

Date and Time

Thursday, Mar 26, 2026

3:00 — 4:30 pm

Location

Ryder 354

Admission

Free

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A primary function of music theory is to establish and maintain the concepts that shape how we think about music, concepts that shape composition, performance, analysis, criticism, and scientific research. One of the bedrock concepts of music theory, tonality, is historically steeped in white supremacy, and continues to marginalize non-European music in the way it influences music pedagogy and research, along with another core concept, meter, and a central genre category in popular music, rock.

Jason Yust is a Professor of Music Theory at Boston University. He is a former co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Mathematics and Music and the author of Organized Time: Rhythm, Tonality, and Form (Oxford University Press, 2018) and numerous articles including “Tonality and Racism” in the Journal of Music Theory (2023).