Music Theory

Studio: Mason Hall 202-A
Phone: (256) 782-5578
Email: dgordon@jsu.edu



Dr. Doug Gordon joined the JSU faculty in August 2008, as associate professor of music theory. He holds the Bachelor of Science in Education and the Master of Arts degrees from Jacksonville State University, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Theory from Florida State University. A native of northwest Georgia, Dr. Gordon is a former band director in the Catoosa County and Whitfield County schools. From 1992 until 2008, he was coordinator of basic musicianship studies at Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, North Carolina.

Dr. Gordon's professional interests lie in the areas of theory pedagogy, the use of technology in the classroom, and in the perception and cognition of music. His dissertation - "Harmonic Progression to the Dominant: An Experiment in Aural Perception" - explored the nature of trained musicians' recognition of and preferences for pre-dominant harmonies. He has been selected by the Educational Testing Service/College Board as a reader for the Advanced Placement Music Theory examination. Dr. Gordon regularly presents clinics and workshops on computer applications in music, and has trained hundreds of professionals in the use of technology in the music classroom. His interest in music software led to his work for Alfred Publications in the development of Essentials of Music Theory, and with Sibelius in the production of Sibelius 4. He often serves as an adjudicator at band events and has conducted honor bands across the southeastern United States. He is active as a freelance trombonist and has performed with the Asheville, NC Symphony Orchestra, the Brevard, NC Chamber Orchestra, the Smoky Mountain Brass Band, the Appalachian Brass Quintet, and the Roman Festival Brass.