Evan A. Jones
- Professor of Music Theory
- Coordinator of Theory and Composition
Training musicians through outstanding instruction and mentorship.
We offer outstanding instruction and mentorship for music theory students and composition students at doctoral, masters, and undergraduate levels. Our program is one of the most successful in the country in terms of professional placement of doctoral graduates. Our masters and undergraduate alumni also find great success in further studies and professional directions.
Our students encounter new ideas, gain professional experience, and benefit from supportive, collaborative interaction with faculty and each other. Graduate teaching assistants meet regularly with faculty supervisors and gain valuable pedagogical experience from instructional opportunities and guidance from faculty, who observe their teaching and provide syllabi and other content.
Our music library offers one of the largest collections of musical scores and books in the southeast, including the Allen Forte Treatise Collection (67 original volumes dating from 1715 to 1894) and electronic access to many online resources. Our two electroacoustic studios—a smaller space focused on individual student exploration and a larger space for more sizable recording applications—house all necessary equipment to facilitate student learning, experimentation, and creativity.
Funding is available from several sources so students can travel to conferences and festivals, which we strongly encourage.
Faculty members actively mentor students toward successfully participating in conferences and festivals and in other areas such as job applications and interviews. We welcome many guest composers and guest music theorists every year, who work directly with our students during their visits. Our biennial Festival of New Music introduces students to a special guest composer as well as over twenty other composers selected for the Festival through a highly competitive process.
Both the FSU Music Theory Society and the FSU Society of Composers meet on a near-weekly basis and are student-run, with assistance and oversight from faculty. Theory students elect two student co-chairs to organize all aspects of the annual FSU Music Theory Forum (a one-day peer-reviewed conference held every spring). The Society of Composers organizes multiple concerts for student compositions each semester.
Several of our masters and doctoral students have continued with studio lessons and performance opportunities, including in the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and in over forty high-level ensembles on campus. Our area sponsors two ensembles, Polymorphia (our shape-shifting new music ensemble) and EChO (our Electric Chamber Orchestra).
Florida State University offers the unique combination of a large comprehensive music program with caring personal support from faculty. Our faculty are full-time residential teachers who are extremely active and well-recognized in their profession and who also have extensive experience in instruction and student advising. Our students thrive in a supportive, tight-knit community of peers during their studies and join a sizable network of active and well-placed alumni upon graduation.
For more information about the Theory & Composition program, contact Evan Jones.
Program of Study – Non-Thesis Track