He holds a Ph.D. in music theory from the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, an M.M. in music theory and composition from the University of Louisville, and a B.M. in music education from the University of Kentucky. His research focuses on the music and theoretical thought of Arnold Schoenberg, the music of Elliott Carter, tonality after atonality and music theory pedagogy. His research has been funded through support of the Avenir Foundation, the Presser Foundation, the Austrian-American Education Commission and the University of South Carolina Office of the Provost. He was a fellow at the Mannes Institute for Advanced Studies in Music Theory that focused on Arnold Schoenberg and his musical legacy in 2007, and a Fulbright Scholar in Vienna 2005-2006.