Sean Davis
- Adjunct Professor
- Department: Music Theory, History, & Composition
- Institution: West Chester University of Pennsylvania
- Email: SDavis2@wcupa.edu
Education
- Ph.D., Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Music Theory
- M.M., Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Music Theory
- B.M., Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Composition
Research Interests
hermeneuticsocial analysespopular musicmusic in multimediavideo game musicprogressive music theory pedagogy
Opportunities
Work Study Positions Available: No
Grant Funded Positions Available: No
Course-Credit Research Opportunities Available: No
Volunteer Research Positions Available: No
Biography
Dr. Sean M. Davis received his Ph.D. in Music Theory from Temple University's Esther Boyer College of Music and Dance where he primarily studied with Michael Klein and Noriko Manabe. Dr. Sean's research interests include hermeneutic and social analyses of popular music, music in multimedia, video game music, and progressive music theory pedagogy. He has presented his research at regional and national conferences including the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM), the Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic (MTSMA), and the Ann Arbor Symposium for Popular Music IV. In addition to his research and pedagogical interests, Dr. Sean also maintains music theory focused social media accounts on YouTube and TikTok.
List of Publications
- Topic Theory and Popular Music: Nostalgia and Sentimentality, Music Studies Colloquium (Temple University) – 2014
Topic Theory and Popular Music: Nostalgia and Sentimentality, Ann Arbor Symposium IV – 2015
Making Sense of Non-Coherent Narratives: Hypermetrical Grouping and Anacrusis in "15 Step" by Radiohead, Ann Arbor Symposium IV – 2015
Topic Theory and Popular Music: Nostalgia and Sentimentality, MTSMA 14th Annual Meeting – 2016
Identity and Rock Music: The Permanent Interruption as a Denial of Interpellation, Mannes Graduate Student Conference – 2017
When Identity Fails: Self-Discipline and Form in Radiohead, Music Studies Colloquium (Temple University) – 2017
When Identity Fails: Self-Discipline and Form in Radiohead, CUNY – Graduate Students in Music Conference – 2017
Deconstructing the Masculine: Constructions of Masculine Fragility in Three Songs from Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool, MTSMA 16th Annual Meeting – 2018
Deconstructing the Masculine: Radiohead's Embrace of Fragile Subjectivity, West Chester University Composition Seminar – 2018
The Real Deal: "Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief" as Symptom, West Chester University Composition Seminar – 2019
A Moon Shaped Pool: Subversion and Trauma in Radiohead, AMSMA Fall Meeting – 2019
Topic Theory and Game Music: Water Topics in Super Mario Bros., West Chester University Composition Seminar – 2020
Assuming the Role: Texture, Groove, and Narrative Temporality in Chiptunes, IASPM-US Annual Conference – 2022
