ABSTRACT
Teaching music theory at the community college presents several challenges, including inexperienced music students, a heavy teaching load, and potential isolation as the sole music theorist on the faculty. Challenges can be reframed as opportunities; by dealing with challenges, we find ourselves better off than we would have been without them. This chapter examines challenges facing the community college music theorist and discusses how dealing with these challenges can lead to unexpected opportunities. It also notes how the provided strategies for dealing with these challenges can be applied to improving music theory pedagogy at any type of institution.
