Ronald Newman

ABOUT

Ronald Newman retired as Professor of Music Theory in 2019. He joined the MSU faculty in 1979. He received a bachelor of music degree from North Texas State University and a Master of Music and Ph.D. in Music Composition from MSU. After graduation in 1979, he immediately joined the MSU faculty as the first Director of Jazz Studies, a position he held until 1995 when he joined the Music Theory Area of MSU. He has served as instructor of jazz improvisation, arranging, pedagogy, and history, and is past president of the Michigan Chapter of the National Association of Jazz Educators. Newman is also a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Commissioning Consortium Award. As a pianist, he has been an active performer and composer in jazz and classical music, creating music especially with his wife, jazz vocalist Sunny Wilkinson.