About this Journal
Engaging Students: Essays in Music Pedagogy serves as an open-access, web-based resource for those teaching college-level classes in music. The journal was founded in 2013 by Phil Duker, Anna Gawboy, Bryn Hughes, and Kris Shafer in order to provide music instructors with a platform for sharing timely ideas on their pedagogical practice. The short "blessay" format, collaborative peer editing, and summer editorial schedule is intended to be accessible to authors and readers who teach a range of instructional loads and student populations in diverse institutional settings. Volume 8 (2020) won an Outstanding Multi-Author Publication Award from the Society for Music Theory in 2023.
Call for submissions
We are currently accepting submissions on any topic that addresses student-centered learning and engagement in music theory and related fields. We encourage authors to submit essays on their individual pedagogical practices and situate them within ongoing scholarly conversations. Please refer to the "About" tab for journal policies and the "Submission" tab for additional instructions and a style guide.
Authors who wish to be included in Volume 10 (2026) should submit their essay by June 15.
Volume 10 (2026) schedule
June 15: Submission deadline
June 30: Initial decision
July 1–August 15: open peer review and revision
August 16: Final publication decision
Fall: Production
December: Publication
Past issues
Archives of previously published articles from this journal can be found in the following places:
Volumes 1-6: http://flipcamp.org/engagingstudents/
Volumes 7-8: Knowledge Bank, Ohio State's institutional repository.
Volume 9 • Issue 1 • 2025
Front Matter
Articles
Teaching Critical Thinking Using Public Music Theory
Jeremy Robins
2025-12-20 Volume 9 • Issue 1 • 2025
Coding Sound, Crafting Circuits: Synthesizer Design as Critical Making
William E O'Hara
2025-12-20 Volume 9 • Issue 1 • 2025
Inclusive, Student-Centered Keyboard Pedagogy
Stephen S. Hudson
2025-12-20 Volume 9 • Issue 1 • 2025
Practice, Practice, Practice: Placing Pedagogical Value on the Act of “just doing the thing”
Jennifer Shafer England
2025-12-20 Volume 9 • Issue 1 • 2025
Leveraging a Large Internet Repository of Scores to Diversify Music-Theory Repertoire Lists
Mitchell Ohriner
2025-12-20 Volume 9 • Issue 1 • 2025
Deceptive Gestures: Lies Our “Diverse” Curriculum Is Telling
Toby W. Rush and Stefanie Acevedo
2025-12-20 Volume 9 • Issue 1 • 2025