Collin Felter
Ph.D. Candidate (ABD), History and Theory of Music | cfelter@uci.edu | (573) 822-4642 |
1812 Verano Rd, Irvine, CA 92617
Education
Ph.D., History and Theory of Music, University of California, Irvine, 2022-Present
Advisor: Amy Bauer
Committee: David Brodbeck, Michael Dessen, Keith Waters, and Marc Hannaford
Certificate of Partnership in Inclusive Course Design, 2024
M.M., Jazz Studies (Trombone Performance), University of Denver, 2022
Certificate of Music Theory Pedagogy, 2022
B.M., Commercial Music (Trombone Performance), Honors, Belmont University, 2020
Publications
“Review of ‘What Did You Hear? The Music of Bob Dylan,’ by Steven Rings (University of Chicago Press, 2025),” Music Theory Online, in final preparation
“An Investigation of Modern Funk’s Tonic Topic,” SMT-V, in final preparation
“A Flat Consideration: Microtonal Affordances of the Trombone Interface as Signification,” Journal of Jazz Studies, accepted
“Baadasssss Songs: Blaxploitation Soundtracks and 1970’s Funk,” Scoring Genre, ed. Amy Bauer (Routledge), under contracted preparation
“Searching for the True Land: A Critical Edition of Lee Morgan’s ‘Search for the New Land’,” Journal of Jazz Studies, in solicited preparation
Presentations
“Jazz Pentatonic History: A Study of Global Pentatonicism and Its Entrance into Jazz Styles,” American Musicological Society Annual Conference, 2026
“Pentatonicism in Jazz: An Analysis of Anhemitonic Pentatonicism’s Affordances for Dissonance throughout Jazz Styles,” Society for Music Theory Annual Conference, 2026; West Coast Conference of Music Theory and Analysis, 2026
“Hargrove’s Horns: An Analysis of Roy Hargrove’s Horn Arrangements for the Soulquarians,” Society for Music Theory Annual Conference, Jazz and Hip-Hop Joint Interest Group, 2025
“Baadasssss Songs (An Analysis): Blaxploitation Soundtracks and 1970’s Funk,” Theorizing African American Music, 2025; Funk Music in Popular Culture, 2025
“Bringing the Outside In: A Theory of Listening Derived from Outsider Music,” Pacific Southwest American Musicological Society, 2025
“A Flat Consideration: Microtonal Affordances of the Trombone Interface as Signification,” West Coast Conference of Music Theory and Analysis, 2025; Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Music Scholars, SMT, 2025; American Musicological Society Annual Conference, Jazz and Improvisation Study Group, 2024
“Intro to Jazz Improv: Achieving Jazz Aesthetic Goals for the Non-Jazz Musician,” Society for Music Theory Annual Conference, Improvisation and Music Theory Pedagogy Joint Interest Group, 2024; UCI Teach Day, 2024
“Searching for the True Land: A Critical Edition of Lee Morgan’s ‘Search for the New Land’,” American Musicological Society Annual Conference, 2024; Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Music Scholars, AMS, 2024
“Drop the Needle: A Corpus Study of the Beatles’ Introductions,” Second Annual International Beatles Symposium: Celebrating A Hard Day’s Night at 60, 2024
“Realigning Jazz Theories: Achieving Aesthetic Goals through Performance in University Jazz Education,” Pedagogy into Practice, 2024; Society for Music Theory, Improvisation and Pedagogy Joint Interest Group, 2024
“Quote-Type Indicator: A Typology of Quoting in Jazz Improvisation,” Music Theory Midwest Conference, 2024; West Coast Conference for Music Theory and Analysis, 2024
“A Big Band on a Small Grid: Rhythmic Techniques in Jacob Mann’s Big Band Compositions,” Society for Music Theory Annual Conference, Jazz Interest Group, 2023
“Tenacious Tonic: A Funky Topic,” Music Theory Midwest Conference, 2023; West Coast Conference for Music Theory and Analysis, 2023
“The Myers-Briggs of Quoting: A Typology of Musical Borrowing in Jazz Improvisation,” Mountain-Plains Music Library Association Conference, 2021 (Selected Best of Chapter); Lamont School of Music Colloquium, 2021
Teaching Experience
Graduate Teaching Associate (University of California, Irvine)
Associate Instructor, MUSIC 191 (Intro to Jazz Improv), Spring 2025-26
Created all materials for this hybrid course with funding from the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation
Collaborative course design with chair of department, Michael Dessen
Associate Instructor, MUSIC 16B (Theory II), Winter 2025-26
Associate Instructor, MUSIC 16A (Theory I), Fall 2025-26
Associate Instructor, MUSIC 132 (Jazz Theory), Spring 2026
Graduate Teaching Assistant (University of California, Irvine)
MUSIC 16D (Theory IV), Fall 2022-24
MUSIC 132 (Jazz Theory), Spring 2024
MUSIC 16C (Theory III), Spring 2024
MUSIC 131 (Post-Tonal Theory), Winter 2024
MUSIC 15B (Musicianship), Winter 2023
ART 8 (Changing Creativity), Winter 2023
MUSIC 40D (20th Century Music History), Spring 2023
Graduate Teaching Assistant (University of Denver)
Director, Lamont Jazz Ensemble, 2020-22
Director, Lamont Small Group II, 2020-21
Guest Lectures
“How Not What: Effectively Using Secondary Parameters in Improvisation,” for the Music Undergraduate Association at the University of California, Irvine, 2026
“Trombone Interface and the Harmonic Series,” for the 16D Theory IV course, at the invitation of Dr. Chris Dobrian, University of California, Irvine, 2024
“Takadimi as Rhythmic Solfège,” for the 15B Musicianship II course, at the invitation of Dr. Eric Lindsay, University of California, Irvine, 2024
“Transcribing Bass Lines in Popular Music,” for the 15B Musicianship II course, at the invitation of Dr. Eric Lindsay, University of California, Irvine, 2024
“Swing as Rhythm, Genre, and Vibe,” for the MUAC 2006 Music Theory II course, at the invitation of Dr. Mitchell Ohriner, University of Denver, 2022
Performing Arts Contributions
As Artist
“Felterman’s Deli,” single, co-written with Jacob Mann, 2025
Phases, album, 2022
CF, album, 2020
Selected from countless professional experiences as a sideman:
Sheryl Crow, Michael W. Smith, Avenue Beat, Cece Winans, Corbin Jones Big Band, Devon Gilfillian, Chris Lake, Fisher, Laura Reed, Mavis Staples, Brothers of Brass, Better Than Ezra, Natalie Layne, etc.
Service
Award for Excellence in Jazz Scholarship, SMT Jazz Interest Group, Committee Member, 2026-28
Journal of Jazz Studies, Peer Review, 2026
Awards
Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellow, 2026
Medici Circle Scholar, 2025
Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation Scholar, 2024
Current Association and Society Membership
Society for Music Theory
American Musicological Society
Music Library Association
Alpha Chi Honor Society