About
Biography
Jason Yust is an Associate Professor of Music Theory at Boston University. He earned his BA in Music at Brown University and his PhD in Music Theory at the University of Washington in 2006 under the direction of John Rahn. He was co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Mathematics and Music from 2018–2023 and is currently an associate editor of Perspectives of New Music. He has served on the editorial board of Music Theory Online and in various capacities for the Society for Music Theory, the Society for Mathematics and Computation in Music, the New England Conference of Music Theorists, and the Northeast Music Cognition Group, and is founder and former chair of the Society for Music Theory‘s Mathematics of Music interest group. He was also the Assistant Editor for Perspectives of New Music in 2007 and 2008. His work addresses a range of topics, from mathematical theories of rhythm and harmonic spaces to Schenkerian theory and eighteenth-century form to music perception and scale theory. His 2018 book, Organized Time: Rhythm, Tonality, and Form, was the winner of the Society for Music Theory’s 2019 Wallace Berry Award.
Faculty positions held
- 2018–… : Associate Professor of Music Theory, Boston University.
- 2011–2018: Assistant Professor of Music Theory, Boston University.
- 2008–2011: Instructor of Music Theory, University of Alabama.
Professional positions
Current
- 2018–… : Co-editor-in-chief, Journal of Mathematics and Music.
- 2018–… : Assistant Editor Perspectives of New Music.
- 2022: Awards Committee Society for Music Theory
Past
- 2021: Program Committee Member Society for Music Theory
- 2017–2018: Assistant Editor Journal of Mathematics and Music
- 2016–2019: Editorial Board Member Music Theory Online.
- 2015–… : Scientific Committee Member International Society for Mathematics and Computation in Music.
- 2018–2019: Guest Editor for Perspectives of New Music special issue, Festschrift for John Rahn
- 2013–2017: Editorial Board Member Journal of Mathematics and Music
- 2015: Local Arrangements New England Conference of Music Theorists
- 2014: Guest Editor Journal of Mathematics and Music Special Issue on Mathematics in Music Theory Pedagogy
- 2007–2014: Founder and Chair Society for Music Theory Mathematics of Music Analysis Interest Group
- 2013: Editor Mathematics and Computation in Music, Fourth International Conference, MCM2013 (Springer)
- 2013: Program Chair Fourth International Conference for Mathematics and Computation in Music
- 2013: Program Chair New England Conference of Music Theorists
Courses taught at BU
- Seminar in Tonal Theory, MT 861.
- Music Perception and Cognition, MT 772/472.
- Advanced Contemporary Analysis, MT 762.
- Advanced Tonal Analysis, MT 761.
- Composers as Theorists in the 20th Century, MT 751.
- Theories of Rhythm and Time, MT 751.
- Music Theories of the World, MT 711/411.
- Analytical Techniques 2: Post-Tonal, MT 602
- Analytical Techniques 1: Tonal, MT 601
- Music and Text, MT 302
- Theory 5: Post-Tonal Theory, MT 301
- Theory 4: Chromaticism, MT 202
- Theory 1: Elements of Theory, MT 101
Administrative Positions at BU
Current
- General Education Committee, Boston University, 2021–…
- Undergraduate Assessment Working Group, Boston University, 2021–…
- Curriculum Committee, College of Fine Arts, 2021–…
- Chair of Undergraduate Studies, School of Music, 2021–…
- Director’s Advisory Council, School of Music, 2021–…
Past
- Co-Chair of Undergraduate Studies, School of Music, 2018–2019
- Advisor, Minor in Music, 2013–2017
- Satellite Committee for Quantitative Reasoning Learning Outcomes, Boston University, 2016
- Faculty Council, Boston University, 2014–2016
- University Council, Boston University, 2014–2016
- Executive Committee, College of Fine Arts, 2013–2014
- Graduate Studies Committee Member, School of Music, 2011–2013