Stan Kleppinger joined the UNL School of Music in 2007. He holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree in music theory from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree in music education from Drake University. Prior to his appointment to the University of Nebraska faculty, he was an assistant professor at Butler University and a visiting assistant professor at Indiana University.
Dr. Kleppinger's research interests focus on pitch-centric music of the twentieth century. 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." The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University presented him the 2006 Dean's Dissertation Prize for
his work on Aaron Copland's music of the 1940s. More recently, a grant from the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts allowed him to spend a week at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., studying Copland's compositional sketches housed there.
Dr. Kleppinger's work has appeared in
Theory and Practice,
Music Theory Online,
twentieth-century music, the
Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy,
Indiana Theory Review, and
American Music. His research was featured at the 2009 conference of the Society for Music Theory in Montreal, the 2008 conference of the Society for Music Analysis in Cardiff, Wales, and at the 2006 meeting of the Society for Music Theory in Los Angeles. In September 2008 he joined forces with the UNL Moran Woodwind Quintet at the national conference of the College Music Society in Atlanta to present analysis and performance of music by Elliott Carter. Dr. Kleppinger has also spoken about his research at events sponsored by Music Theory Midwest, the Rocky Mountain Society for Music Theory, Indiana University, the University of Iowa, Florida State University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, DePauw University, and the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Kleppinger oversees the second year of UNL's undergraduate sequence in music theory and aural skills, and also teaches or has taught courses in musical form, Schenkerian analysis, analysis of tonal music, analysis for performance, theories of rhythm and meter, and music research techniques. He has advised master's theses dealing with topics ranging from Schoenberg to Jolivet to Sondheim to tonal induction. Dr. Kleppinger has been recognized with several college teaching awards, including the Hixson-Lied College's Junior Faculty Achievement Award in Teaching in 2010 and the college's Leadership Award in Currlculum or Programmatic Development in 2013. At Butler University, he was named teacher of the year for the Jordan College of Fine Arts in 2005 and again in 2007 by the school's chapter of the Mortar Board Society.
Dr. Kleppinger was elected secretary of the
Society for Music Theory in 2012. Prior to that, he was elected to consecutive terms as secretary for
Music Theory Midwest, and hosted that organization's annual conference at UNL in 2011.
He has been a reader for the College Board's Advanced Placement exam in music theory since 2006. He has been designated a "Friend of the Arts" by Sigma Alpha Iota, and serves as the faculty advisor to UNL's chapter of this professional music fraternity. He has also served as reviews editor for
Indiana Theory Review and editorial assistant for
Music Theory Online. He is a member of the Society for Music Theory, the Society for American Music, the College Music Society, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Pi Kappa Lambda. In addition to his primary focus on music theory, he has a diverse musical and professional background as a trumpeter, composer, public-school instrumental music teacher, and conductor.
