I am required, in my first semester of grad school, to take the unremarkably titled “DMA Topics 1.” This is, in essence, a music theory class meant to prepare us for our first doctoral exam. At its most basic, it’s a survey of largely tonal analysis to review those facets we may have expunged from our post-teen brains, homogenize methodology and fill in the gaps in our various backgrounds. In short, to encourage our fluency and critical thinking in analysis so that we can more properly use theory in our future dissertations.
Love your writing, Sophie!