ABSTRACT
Public music theory actually has a long history that includes Helmholtz, Tovey, Schoenberg, and others. Reclaiming that history leads to assignments where students learn to communicate with the general public about music through a variety of media. Another strain of public music theory focuses on using music theory to engage with the community to solve problems. A pedagogy informed by public music theory will be most successful not when it centers on the “music theory,” but rather when it focuses on the “public,” what their needs are, and how we can change to meet their needs.
