The Online Program of events for the 2025 AMS-SMT Joint Annual Meeting appears below. This program is subject to change. The final program will be published in early November.
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Editing Musicology and Theory Journals: How Can We Improve the System Together?
Time:
Friday, 07/Nov/2025:
4:00pm - 5:30pm
Location: Lakeshore B
Session Topics:
AMS, SMT
Presentations
Editing Musicology and Theory Journals: How Can We Improve the System Together?
Chair(s): Trudi Ann Wright (Regis University)
Discussant(s): Ryan Bañagale (Colorado College) , Nicole Biamonte (McGill University) , Melanie Lowe (Vanderbilt University)
Presenter(s): Daniel Barolsky (Beloit College) , Johanna Devaney (Brooklyn College, CUNY) , Jake Johnson (University of Oklahoma) , Jessica Sternfeld (Chapman University) , Elizabeth Wollman (Baruch College, CUNY)
In reaction to reviewer scarcity in academic journals, this roundtable of past and present editors will evaluate the current system of academic editing and peer review within the disciplines of musicology and music theory. A majority of editors and reviewers provide free labor for their efforts. Yet in their roles within a high-pressure academic ecosystem of “publish or perish,” editors and reviewers have extraordinary power to curate and gatekeep the directions of our respective fields. It is the contention by many on this panel that some elements of the current system are both exploitative and broken. At the same time, participation in these journals, while necessary for tenure/promotion, also provides scholars and teachers with necessary, soul-affirming communities and networks in which to thrive, support each other, and find meaning in our work. Moreover it provides scholars with the opportunity to disseminate ideas and participate within a broader scholarly dialogue. It is the purpose of this roundtable to examine the challenges we face, as well as to provide potential solutions moving forward.
This discussion will bring together a diversity of presenters with experience in musicology and theory journal editing, including editors from Journal of the American Musicological Society , Music Theory Online , Open Access Musicology , Studies in Musical Theatre , Journal of Music History Pedagogy , and the Journal of New Music Research . The first half of the roundtable will be dedicated to the merits and challenges of editing scholarly journals, including work with writers, reviewers, board members, and presses. The second half will focus on reimagining the purposes and goals of our journals in the current academic landscape, and will feature existing innovations that we believe can lead to positive change. Roundtable members will share their expertise and encourage audience participation in the form of questions and knowledge-sharing throughout the 90-minute roundtable session.
