Conference Information

Twenty-Seventh Annual Conference

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, May 6–7, 2016

General Information

Music Theory Midwest will hold its twenty-seventh conference on May 6 and 7, 2016 at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The conference will feature a keynote address by Professor Elizabeth West Marvin (Eastman School of Music) titled, "What I Know Now: Reflections on Music Theory Pedagogy." MTMW's sixth annual pre-conference workshop, titled "Cognitive Science and Music Theory: A Practical Guide," will be led by Elizabeth Margulis (University of Arkansas).

Keynote Abstract

Ellyn Spragin’s 2008 book, What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self, provides a starting point for this talk that reflects on my personal experiences in 30 years of music theory teaching. For roughly 20 of those years, I have taught a music theory pedagogy course—a fertile field for my own learning as I observe young teachers hone their craft. I present some “punchlines” of that course, and demonstrate how what I learned through trial-and-error, experimentation, and observation of others has a body of pedagogical and cognitive literature behind it. I conclude with a letter to my younger self.

Conference Events

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which is a 30-minute drive from campus and is a local treasure, is open until 9 p.m. Admission is free, although the special exhibit “Open Road” is $10. Visit http://crystalbridges.org for more information. There is also an excellent restaurant at the museum called “Eleven.” Reservations can be made at (479) 418-5700 (Option 2).

The National Theatre of Scotland will present The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart at 8:00 p.m. in the newly renovated Starr Theater (part of the Walton Arts Center) at 495 W. Dickson St. in downtown Fayetteville (about a half mile from both the music building and the graduate student pizza dinner location). There are only about 150 seats in the theater, so it is recommended to buy tickets early. Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased at

http://tickets.waltonartscenter.org/single/EventDetail.aspx?p=12207.

More information on the play can be found at

https://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/content/default.asp?page=home_PrudenciaHart.

On Saturday evening, the conference will conclude with a buffet dinner in the University of Arkansas Union, Room 507 (athttp://campusmaps.uark.edu, search for ARKU). The union is next door to the Music and Fine Arts buildings. Cost for the dinner is $25 (discounted to $20 for our student members). PLEASE NOTE: to ensure accurate head counts for the restaurant, the cut-off date for banquet registrations will be April 30 (one week before the banquet).

Travel

The closest airport is the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, about 30 minutes from campus. The airport code is XNA. Almost all shuttles and taxis to Fayetteville cost $45 to $50. Two options are the Green Cab Company (479-966-4111) and Jim’s Express Shuttle (479-205-0011). Other options and rental car companies can be found at www.flyxna.com.
In addition, those people staying at Candlewood Suites may arrange airport transportation through the hotel (479-856-6262). The hotel requests 48 hours notice. The cost will vary depending on how many people they can group together for each trip, but will not be more than $40 and could be considerably less. However, they probably won’t be able to tell you the exact price until soon before the trip.

Another possible airport is the Tulsa International Airport, a little less than two hours from campus. The airport code is TUL. More information can be found at www.tulsaairports.com.

There are two methods of obtaining parking on campus:

  1. $6.87 a day. Visitor permits may be purchased to park in Lot 44, just north of the football stadium at the corner of N. Razorback Rd. and W. Maple St. (see this map).Permits can be purchased at https://parking.uark.edu:
      • Select “My Parking Account”(top middle of the webpage).
      • Click “Get Permits” button (towards the bottom of the webpage).
      • Click “Guest Login” button (towards the bottom of the webpage).
      • Select “Create one” to register for an account.
      • When your guest account set-up is complete, you can log in and purchasean online printable visitor permit.You will need to enter your vehicle make and model, license plate number and state.
  2. $1.80 an hour. The closest parking is in the Stadium Drive Garage (SDPG on the map). Visitors will need to park in numbered parking spaces and pay at the booths near the elevators. Parking is $1.80 per hour and can be paid by cash (the machines do not give change) or you can use your cell phone to pay for parking (a small transaction fee is added). Go to http://us.parkmobile.com/for more information about the cell phone option.

Accommodations

Candlewood Suites

2270 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Fayetteville AR 72701, (479)856-6262
The Hotel is a 1.6 miles from the music department.

We have reserved a combination of room types:

    • Single Queen Bed rooms, $76.99 + tax ($10.58)
    • Two Double Bed Studio rooms, $79.99 + tax ($11)
    • One Bedroom Queen Suite (also includes a pull-out sofa), $99.99 + tax ($13.74)


All rooms include free high-speed internet, a kitchen with refrigerator, two-burner stove, microwave, dishwasher and cookware. Free guest laundry is available in the hotel. Hotel shuttle is available with 24 hours notice. For these prices you must mention that you are part of the Music Theory Midwest Block.

The Chancellor Hotel

70 North East Avenue, Fayetteville AR 72701, (479) 442-5555

The hotel is 1 mile from the music building.

Rooms with two queen beds, $109 + tax ($14.99)

All rooms include free high-speed internet. Hotel shuttle runs from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. around town (not airport). For these prices, mention that you are part of the Music Theory Midwest Conference.

Local Information

Local Arrangements Chair: Alan Gosman (University of Arkansas)

For a detailed campus map of the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, please visit http://campusmaps.uark.edu. The code for the music building is MUSC and the code for the Fine Arts Building is FNAR. Both buildings are connected on the second floor by a bridge (not shown on the map). The pre-conference workshop will be held in Gearhart Hall, Room 217 (code GEAR at http://campusmaps.uark.edu/). Meter parking will probably be available on Arkansas Ave., and costs $1.60 an hour (change only) until 8 p.m.

Call for Papers

Music Theory Midwest invites scholars from all geographic regions to submit proposals on any area of music theory and analysis. As is traditional at MTMW, we encourage proposals on composers, musicians, and events with significant anniversaries in 2016, and we welcome proposals for special sessions devoted to these or any other particular topic.

Click here for complete details.

Program Committee

Jennifer Iverson (University of Iowa), Chair

Vasili Byros (Northwestern University)
Nathaniel Condit-Schultz (The Ohio State University)
Sumanth Gopinath (University of Minnesota)
Aine Heneghan (University of Michigan)
Stan Kleppinger (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Lawrence Zbikowski (University of Chicago) ex-officio as MTMW President

Pre-Conference Workshop

Music Theory Midwest is pleased to announce its sixth annual Pre-Conference Workshop, "Cognitive Science and Music Theory: A Practical Guide," led by Professor Elizabeth Margulis, University of Arkansas. Unlike workshops at many other conferences, MTMW's workshops are not restricted to students but are open to faculty participation as well.

Click here for complete details.

Online Program

The online program can be found here once it is available.