M. Jerome Bell is a first year Ph.D. student and Provost’s Fellow in music theory. He holds a B.Mus in music composition from Houghton College (2015), and a M.Mus with a double concentration in composition and conducting (choral and instrumental) from the same institution, where he graduated with honors and was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda musical honors society (2018). Jerome’s research interests include melodic analysis and expectation within popular and folk music (in addition to art music), as well as establishing and codifying the study of gospel theory—the study of Black American Gospel music—inside the music theory classroom.

In his spare time, you will find Jerome going on and on about the Myers-Briggs Personality Type theory, and rooting for the Buffalo Bills! Jerome lives with his lovely wife, Hannah, and two beautiful cats (f.), Tim-Tam and Panini.