Stephen Loy

Dr Stephen Loy

Lecturer School of Music

Teaching Profile

As a musicologist at the School of Music, I have taught courses in music theory and analysis, music history, and cultural studies in music. I am currently Honours convenor, and in this capacity taught the Honours-level Creative Practice as Research (MUSI4404) and the Honours Exegesis course (MUSI4410). In recent past semesters I have also taught Writing About Music 1 (MUSI2211) and A Critical History of Rock (MUSI2215).

Teaching Thoughts

While I find the subject matter of my discipline inherently interesting and motivating, it is really the engagement of students with the material, and particularly the concepts and ideas, that I find the most inspiring aspect of teaching in the tertiary sector. Being able to introduce ideas and perspectives to students, who respond themselves with new and innovative approaches to the material, makes for an endlessly stimulating academic investigation. This is not education by instruction, but collegial exploration.

Perhaps the most important thing I have learnt from my teaching experience is the most mundane, and that is the importance of clear, logical planning, and the communication of this to students. While inspirational, engaging, relevant content is important, it is vital that students see the significance of what they are investigating in a broader context, and similarly understand the relevance of specific assessment tasks. Clearly structuring and planning a course with this in mind assists students in understanding the relevance of particular topics and tasks to the broader purpose of the course, and thus their own academic and professional development.

Contact Details:

Name: Dr Stephen Loy
School: School of Music
College: College of Arts and Social Sciences
Email: stephen.loy@anu.edu.au
Phone: (02) 612 5763