ABSTRACT
What does it mean to include music cognition in the theory classroom? How might one include research from auditory science, psychology, and empirical musicology in an introductory music theory class? Most importantly, how does one do so in a way that is also inclusive of diverse repertoires, cultures, and groups, avoiding the unintended consequences of privileging certain music by ascribing scientific causes to the artistic traditions of specific cultures? In this chapter, I discuss how one might include music cognition research into the theory curriculum in a way that discusses the nature of both cognitive and communicative constraints, and how the music theory pedagogue can employ scientific discussion without an overreliance on scientism. I argue for a top-down model that begins with larger musical structures, followed by cadences and phrases, and then moving to stylistic constraints, suggesting that by asking students to focus on aspects of closure in music of many cultures early on, such an approach is also one of the best ways to introduce a diverse theory curriculum.
