My name is Bryn Hughes, and I teach music theory at the University of Lethbridge.
My research interests include music cognition, music theory pedagogy, and popular music analysis. My dissertation involved an investigation of harmonic expectation in twelve-bar blues progressions. For more information, please feel free to peruse my CV.
I once aspired to be a jazz trumpeter. Right now I mostly play bad piano reductions for my students. I enjoy playing hockey. I root for the Toronto teams, which means I’m disappointed with professional sports most of the time. I have a beautiful wife Jillian, a daughter Trudy, and a son James.
PhD in Music Theory, 2011
Florida State University
MA in Music Theory, 2005
The University of Western Ontario
BMus in Music Theory and Composition, 2003
The University of Western Ontario
Teaching is central to my interests. Every semester I meet students with vast, disparate musical interests and aspirations. My students bring with them a variety of experiences and learning styles that require a multi-faceted, student-centered pedagogy. As a teacher and mentor, I aim to provide students with the tools to become better musicians, to think critically about music, and most importantly, to become curious and independent learners.
Before starting my current position, I taught at Florida State University, The University of Western Ontario, Ithaca College, and The University of Miami. I have taught the full-range of core undergraduate music theory and aural skills courses, as well as graduate courses in music theory pedagogy, readings in contemporary music theory, and the analysis of popular music.