Laura Moore

Pruett

Academic Title

Associate Professor, Music

Research Interests
  • 19th Century American Music
  • John Sullivan Dwight
  • Louis Moreau Gottschalk
  • Music and Interdisciplinarity
  • The Pedagogy of Care
Research Summary

My research and scholarship has for two decades focused on the intersections of music, society and culture in the mid-19th century United States. I am particularly interested in the initial shaping of current perspectives on the classical/popular divide and, more specifically, the value we as American listeners assign to the music we love even today. In addition, I am deeply invested in the scholarship of teaching and learning, especially as it relates to the pedagogies of care and decolonizing and decanonizing the music classroom. My current projects include a critical edition of Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s two symphonies for the series Music of the United States of America and an edited volume on Teaching and Learning Difficult Topics in the Music Classroom. Future plans include a biography of Bostonian music critic John Sullivan Dwight.

Education
  • Ph.D., Historical Musicology, Florida State University
  • M.M., Historical Musicology, Florida State University
  • B.A., Music, Millsaps College
Areas of Expertise
  • American Popular and Classical Music
  • Historically Authentic Performance Practice
  • Intersection of Music and Culture
  • Music Criticism
  • Music and Politics
Recent Publications

Pruett, L.M. and Flaherty, A. (2017). ”Trax on the Trail in the Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Classroom.” American Music 35(4), 530-35.

Pruett, L. M. (2017). “Porch and Playhouse, Parlor and Performance Hall: Traversing Boundaries in Gottschalk’s ‘The Banjo.’” Journal of the Society for American Music, 11(2), 155-183.

Pruett, L. M. (2012). “Mon triste voyage”: Sentimentality and Autobiography in Gottschalk’s ‘The Dying Poet.’” 19th Century Music, 36(2), 146-158.

Pruett, L. M. (2012). “A Christmas Eve to Remember: William Henry Fry’s ‘Santa Claus’ Symphony.” “Hands-On” Musicology: Essays in Honor of Jeffery Kite-Powell, 344-357.

Honors and Awards
  • Interdisciplinary Institute Presidential Fellowship, Merrimack College, 2019-20.
  • Richard Crawford Fellowship (inaugural recipient), Society for American Music, 2018.
  • Mobile Learning Grant, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Merrimack College, 2016.
  • Faculty Development Grants, Merrimack College, 2018, 2016, 2014, and 2012.
  • John and Roberta Graziano Fellowship, Society for American Music, 2015.
  • Provost’s Innovation Fund for Faculty-Led Initiative , Merrimack College, 2013.
  • Presser Award, Florida State University, 2004.