Pedagogical Approach
My ideal classroom is a laboratory for creative exploration, where students can develop and synthesize ideas through hands-on activities. Making room in the syllabus for moments of self-directed discovery is central to my pedagogical philosophy. I have led workshops in which students learn to operate the playback of 78 rpm gramophone recordings and wax phonograph cylinders, design their own LP record jackets, and participate in a class-wide Wikipedia “edit-a-thon.” My ultimate goal in the classroom is to help students become agents of their own intellectual curiosity and empower them to feel welcome in institutions that have historically excluded or marginalized certain voices.
I have taught a wide variety of courses for majors and non-majors in historical musicology and ethnomusicology at the undergraduate level. My undergraduate writing seminar “Music and State Socialism” received the Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. Course Development Grant at UC Berkeley. I was named Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor by the Department of Music at UC Berkeley in 2022. In the following year, I received the Teaching Effectiveness Award from the Graduate Student Instructor Teaching and Resource Center at UC Berkeley.
Record jacket designed by Casey Simpson for “Music and State Socialism.” Displayed here with permission.
Music and State Socialism
This seminar was awarded the Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. Course Development Grant
This course explores the diverse musical practices that evolved alongside the rise and eventual decline of state socialism in Eastern Europe. Through weekly writing assignments and workshops, students develop a nuanced vocabulary to describe a wide range of musical styles and genres from socialist realist opera to Azerbaijani mugham jazz. Centered at the intersection of aesthetics and politics, students critically engage with theoretical debates through an immersive study of primary source materials in translation.
Music in American Cultures
This course was approved by the American Cultures Subcommittee at UC Berkeley
This course delves into the diverse musical practices of people in the United States and the historical, economic, and cultural forces that shape them. We explore how various racial and ethnic groups have used music to build communities, adopt identities, challenge stereotypes, and forge bonds across cultural boundaries. Through active listening assignments and creative projects, students build a toolkit for musical analysis that can be applied to a wide range of genres and styles.
Mentorship & Public Musicology
Remote Research Internship Program (Summer 2021)
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, I served as the primary supervisor summer internship program, which I designed in partnership with the Museum-Archive of Russian Culture in San Francisco (MRCSF). Two undergraduate students from Brown University (one music major and one Slavic studies major) participated in the program, funded by Brown Connect Sprint Grant. As a born-digital program, the interns gained familiarity with several platforms used by cultural heritage institutions, including audio restoration using Adobe Audition and online content management with Omeka. At the end of the summer, the interns presented their own research projects based on the archival materials that they discovered.
Berkeley Connect (2023-24 Academic Year)
Students can often feel isolated in college, or show up without the meta-skills to thrive in a college classroom; this is especially true for first-generation, undocumented, low-income, transfer, and international students. By recognizing the spectrum of backgrounds and identities in the undergraduate population, we are able to help address inequities that might otherwise go unnoticed on campus. As a mentor in the Berkeley Conenct program, I have worked closely with a wide range of students to help them get the most out of their undergraduate education.
“An Overview of Recordings at the Museum of Russian Culture” Public Lecture in San Francisco, January 29, 2022.
“Musical Treasures of Manchuria’s Russian Gramophone Industry” Public Lecture in San Francisco, August 20, 2022.