Assistant Professor of Music Theory, Butler University

Stan Kleppinger joined the Butler faculty as an assistant professor in 2004. A doctoral candidate in music theory at Indiana University, he holds a master's degree in music theory from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree in music education from Drake University. His research interests focus on pitch-centric music of the twentieth century, especially that of Aaron Copland. He is working toward completion of his dissertation exploring tonal structure in Copland's music of the late 1930s and 1940s.

Prof. Kleppinger's research has been published in the journals American Music and Indiana Theory Review. He is a recipient of the Irving Lowens Article Award, which is presented annually by the Society for American Music in recognition of an article that "makes an outstanding contribution to the study of American music." He has also presented his work at conferences sponsored by Music Theory Midwest, the Indiana University Symposium of Research in Music Theory, the Indiana University Colloquium Series, the Florida State University Music Theory Forum, and the Midwest Graduate Music Consortium.

Prof. Kleppinger has a diverse musical and professional background. He has experience as a middle- and high-school instrumental music teacher in rural school districts in Iowa, and additionally has conducted musicals and community bands. He is a former member of the board of directors for the Iowa Composers' Forum, and his compositions have been performed throughout the midwest and in Europe. As a trumpeter he has performed with a wide variety of university, community, and professional bands, orchestras, and chamber ensembles. He has served as reviews editor for Indiana Theory Review, editorial assistant for Music Theory Online, president of the Graduate Theory Association at Indiana University, and currently maintains the Butler Music Department's web site. He is a member of the Society for Music Theory, Music Theory Midwest, the Society for American Music, the College Music Society, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the International Trumpet Guild, and Pi Kappa Lambda.

In his own words:
"To choose a career in music is to enter one of the most competitive fields today. I would encourage anyone considering such a career to find a school that equips its students with a solid curriculum in the grammar and structure of music, as well as opportunities to perform at the highest levels possible. Drake University is one of those institutions."