University of Rochester Institute for Popular Music

The SMA is pleased to announce its Fifth Popular Music Theory and Analysis Summer School. Jointly organised by the University of Rochester Institute for Popular Music and the Institute of Popular Music at Liverpool, the event will run on July 17-19 2026 at the University of Liverpool.

Leading experts include Michael Buchler, Jocelyn Neal, and Justin Williams, with plenary speakers Ben Baker, Chelsea Burns, and Ralf von Appen.

The deadline for applications is April 3. Course fees are covered but spaces are limited.

Full application details: https://www.sma.ac.uk/2026/01/the-fifth-popular-music-theory-and-analysis-summer-school/

This year’s summer workshop in the analysis of popular music at the University of Liverpool, jointly sponsored by the UR IPM, U Liverpool IPM and the Society for Music Analysis.

From UR IPM Director, John Covach:

I’m delighted to be performing a piece on this new album of Lance Hulme’s music. Lance and I were Fulbrighters together in Vienna in 1987-88. Back then I performed a wonderful solo classical guitar piece of his in Vienna and in a beautiful church just out of town. On this album I play electric guitar on “Jethro Zen” in duet with Erica Boysen on flute, a technically demanding but extremely rewarding piece. Congratulations Lance on this fantastic collection of your work!

Out Now! Leaps & Bounds: The Music of Lance Hulme presents a compelling survey of Dr. Lance Hulme’s oeuvre, showcasing his intellectual rigor, inventive compositional techniques, and engagement with diverse cultural and historical contexts. An essential addition to the repertoire of contemporary classical music, inviting scholars, performers, and listeners to explore the intersections of tradition, innovation, and cultural dialogue in Hulme’s work. Leaps & Bounds offers a vivid portrait of a composer who traverses disciplinary boundaries with intellectual acuity and artistic finesse. Available now at divineartrecords.com and all major retailers via listn.fm/leapsandbounds

Free and open to the public.

Join us for YouTube celebs Rick Beato and Anthony Fantano - April 24 at 7pm in Strong .rpm .oboc

Applications are now open for….

🎙️Popular Music Theory & Analysis Summer School 4
📆 17– 19 July 2025
📍University of Liverpool, IPM-IPM-SMA
⏳Application deadline: 24 April 2025

The Institutes of Popular Music of both Rochester and Liverpool, together with the Society for Music Analysis, are pleased to announce their fourth Summer School dedicated to popular music theory and analysis.

The teaching of the course features intensive workshops with leading experts in the field: Christopher Doll (Rutgers), Jocelyn Neal (UNC at Chapel Hill) and Brad Osborn (Kansas). Plenary speakers will include Sarah Hill (Oxford), Richard Desinord (Georgetown), and Justin Williams (Bristol), as well as University of Liverpool Staff.

During the course, we will share and explore some of the latest research in popular music theory, making the course ideal for graduate students or early career researchers.

While the course fee is covered by sponsorship, spaces are limited, and we invite applications to be submitted online using the form below. The deadline for applications is April 25th. Applicants will be notified on April 28th. Please note that travel, accommodation and subsidence must be covered by delegates.

For informal enquiries please email: [email protected]
Apply here:

Our UR students rocking Lower Strong Auditorium.

Pictures from tonight’s concert of the UR Rock Repertory Ensemble in Lower Strong. The UR RRE will be on the big stage in Upper Strong Auditorium on Sunday, December 8 at 7 pm.

Greetings from the third Analysis of Popular Music Workshop sponsored by the UR IPM in conjunction with the University of Liverpool School of Music and IPM.

Applications now being accepted for the third annual summer workshop in the analysis of popular music, co-sponsored again by UR IPM, the Institute for Popular Music in Liverpool, and the Society for Music Analysis.

Popular Music Theory & Analysis Summer School 3 8th – 10th July 2024, University of Liverpool, IPM-IPM-SMA The Institutes of Popular Music of both Rochester and Liverpool, together with the Society for Music Analysis, are pleased to announce the…

Thank you very much to all of you who came out to the Friday show in spite of snowy weather! It is truly a pleasure to share the evening with such supportive and enthusiastic folks. What a wonderful crowd!