Clifton Boyd

Clifton Boyd is an Assistant Professor of Music at New York University, specializing in music theory, musicology, and critical race studies. His research explores racial identity and social justice in American popular music, particularly through his book project Racial Dissonance examining barbershop harmony's role in Jim Crow-era racial dynamics. He holds a Ph.D. from Yale University (2022) and has held fellowships including the Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship.

Education:

• Ph.D., Music Theory, Yale University (2022)
• M.M., Music Theory, Indiana University (2016)
• B.M., Viola Performance and Music Theory, University of Michigan (2014)

Research Interests: Boyd’s work bridges music analysis with critical race theory, exploring topics like Black contributions to barbershop music, Italian postcolonial studies, and minimalist music. His current projects include studies on Black music in post-fascist Italy and reforming music theory curricula for inclusivity.

Awards & Grants:

• 2023–25 Working Group Grant (Center for the Humanities, NYU)
• 2021 MPower Artist Grant (Sphinx Organization)
• 2020 Dena Epstein Award (Music Library Association)

Service & Advocacy: Boyd co-founded Project Spectrum to advance diversity in music academia and currently chairs the Society for Music Theory’s Council. He co-convenes NYU’s Music Theory for Whom? working group to reimagine curricula.

Labs/Teams: Involved in NYU’s Department of Music initiatives and interdisciplinary collaborations on Black-European cultural intersections.