Edward Latham strives to infuse his classroom with elements that make learning enjoyable.

From “Jeopardy!”-style music theory challenges to welcoming students into class with a melody, Latham works to make his learning environment a comfortable one.

“My approach to teaching revolves around the idea of balancing comfort and engagement in the classroom,” said Latham, professor of music theory and a 2008 winner of the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. “I strive to create an atmosphere in which my students feel confident expressing themselves and taking risks, while at the same time challenging them to achieve at the highest possible level.”

At 35 years old, Latham has been a professor for seven years. He joined the Boyer College of Music and Dance faculty in 2001 after having taught at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities and Yale University.

Frequently called on to serve as a presenter because of his knowledge of music, Latham has traveled around the world to chair conference sessions and deliver papers on the music of Weill, Korngold, Debussy, Britten, Schubert and Gershwin.

While the learning environment he creates is welcoming, he admits that his coursework is anything but easy. He expects the best from his students and challenges them to set lofty goals.

“His teaching is challenging, yet he consistently receives high marks for his work, especially from those students who continue their studies to higher degree,” said Jan Krzywicki, professor of music theory at the Boyer College.

“Students appreciate his enthusiasm, his broad knowledge of the discipline and ongoing research, his willingness to render extra help, and perhaps most of all that he is also a performer that seeks to relate music theory to performance, at all levels of his teaching,” he continued.

A specialist in interdisciplinary analysis, Latham’s published work includes articles in Indiana Theory Review, reviews in Music Theory Online and Theory and Practice, chapters on Schoenberg’s operas (Garland Press), and a forthcoming book on 20th-century American opera (University of North Texas Press, summer 2008).

Currently a tenure-track assistant professor at Temple, Latham received his Ph.D. in 2000 from Yale University. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in music theory and analysis, he is also active as a singer and pianist in the greater Philadelphia area.

He has received several honors from the Boyer College, including a 2003 Dean’s Grant for Research and Creative Achievement and the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2007.