I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Music at Princeton University. I recently finished a Ph.D. at CUNY Graduate Center, with a double concentration in ethnomusicology and music theory. My interests include popular music, the interaction of music with language and semantics, Japanese popular culture, Latin American music, and opera.  My projects, publications, and conference papers include Japanese rap; ringtones; Cuban trova, zarzuela, and art music; and opera.  Previously, I taught at Brooklyn College, John Jay College, and Marymount Manhattan College.

My dissertation discusses the process by which Western musical styles take root and evolve in Japan, considering how notions of authenticity are redefined, how the Japanese language and aesthetic preferences affect musical style, and how Japanese artists engage with artists and audiences overseas. Case studies on children's songs and hip-hop are presented, with commentary on rock, rap, and reggae/dancehall given in the first chapter and conclusion. A related publication is my 2006 article on Japanese rap. My research in Japan was conducted with support from the SSRC/JSPS fellowship, with the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken) in Kyoto, Japan, as sponsor.