Steven Kaup, D.M.A.

Steven Kaup is a composer and faculty member at Nebraska Wesleyan University, where he currently teaches courses in music theory, musicianship, composition and, beginning scoring for film and video game. His compositions cover a range of expression and technique, with particular inclination toward folk-based melodies set within a contemporary harmonic environment featuring Western and non-Western modes and asymmetric rhythms. He composes works that are regularly performed at Nebraska Jewish community events and are often featured at other folk music events. He is the Music Director for the South Street Temple where he directs choir, and accompanies regular Shabbat services. He directs and performs on keyboard with the Star City Kochavim, a Jewish klezmer-style band based in Lincoln. His research interests include practical applications from research in music cognition and how it impacts music pedagogy. He has studied and written about pedagogical implications of understanding how musicians and non-musicians infer tonic from context-based musical schemas.