David Easley
Professor of Music
Music
Music - Theory
Biography
Previous Teaching Appointments
Adjunct Instructor, Florida State University (2010)
Teaching Assistant, Florida State University (2007–2010)
Adjunct Instructor, St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley (2006–2007)
Teaching Assistant, Louisiana State University (2003–2005)
Research Interests
Dr. Easley’s research primarily centers on approaches to analyzing and interpreting recorded popular music and his recent work explores these two items in relation to American hardcore punk rock (1978–86). He has written papers on the construction of guitar riffs and form, vocal production, the spatial attributes of recordings, and the cultural aspects of genre and meaning in hardcore. On the other side of the spectrum, Dr. Easley is also interested in musical meaning as well as literary and critical theory and their application in the analysis of music, particularly the operas of Giuseppe Verdi. He has presented paper drawn from both research areas at regional, national, and international conferences.
Teaching Philosophy
“As an instructor, my goals are to provide students with basic musicianship skills while also engaging them to think critically. Most of all, I seek to create lifelong learners. To this end, I encourage the performance, composition, and analysis of a wide range of musical styles and genres, all in an effort to create a dynamic classroom. Whether fostering fluency of materials and concepts, or the ability to transfer concept to practice, I strive to create learning experiences that move beyond the classroom and into a student’s everyday life as a musician.”
