Ph.D., Music Theory, Indiana University
M.A., Music Theory Pedagogy, Eastman School of Music
B.M., Music Composition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
David Thurmaier is Professor of Music Theory and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory. He teaches graduate courses in music theory and oversees the undergraduate core musicianship sequence. From 2017 to 2023, he chaired the Division of Music Studies, and in 2021–22 he served as Interim Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.
He has held previous faculty positions at Lawrence University, the University of Central Missouri, and Florida Gulf Coast University, where he received the Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award. At UMKC, his teaching and service have been recognized with the Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers, Scholars, and Artists, the Muriel McBride Kauffman Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Muriel McBride Kauffman Excellence in Faculty Service Award.
In 2018, Dr. Thurmaier was a Fulbright Scholar at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, where his research centered on Czech music theory pedagogy, Leoš Janáček’s music, and the reception of the Beatles’ music under communism.
His scholarly interests include the music of Charles Ives, music theory pedagogy, the history of music theory in the United States, and the Beatles. He has presented research on these topics at major national and international conferences, including the Society for Music Theory, the Society for American Music, and the College Music Society. His recent publications appear in the Journal of Beatles Studies, Theoria, American Music, Journal of the Society for American Music, Interdisciplinary Literary Studies, and in edited volumes published by Bloomsbury. He currently serves as Vice President of the Charles Ives Society and co-editor of the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy.
In addition to his scholarly work, Dr. Thurmaier has a performance background on horn and guitar. He also co-hosts two podcasts: I’ve Got a Beatles Podcast, dedicated to the music and history of the Beatles, and Hearing the Pulitzers, which explores each winner of the Pulitzer Prize in music.
