Leslie A. Tilley

Leslie A. Tilley serves as Associate Professor of Music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she bridges analytical and ethnographic approaches to non-canonical musical traditions globally. Her work centers on developing cross-cultural frameworks for understanding musical creation and transformation.

Education:

• Bachelor of Music (2000), Acadia University
• Master of Arts (2003), University of British Columbia
• Doctor of Philosophy (2013), University of British Columbia

Tilley's research pioneers methodologies for analyzing collective improvisation, particularly in Balinese contexts like reyong norot and kendang arja drumming. Her acclaimed monograph Making It Up Together (University of Chicago Press, 2019) established new models for studying improvised processes across cultures. Current projects investigate popular music cover songs and decolonizing strategies in music theory pedagogy, reflecting her commitment to inclusive analytical frameworks.

Awards:

• Emerging Scholar Award, Society for Music Theory (2022)

At MIT, Tilley teaches foundational courses including Rhythms of the World (21M.053) and Introduction to World Music (21M.030), while directing the MIT Balinese gamelan ensemble (21M.450). Her pedagogical innovations focus on cross-cultural music literacy and dismantling Eurocentric biases in music education, evidenced by collaborative work on diversifying theory curricula.