Welcome to Music Theory Practice

I'm Ramsey Castaneda, the creator of this site. I'm a Los Angeles based music educator, performer, researcher, and composer (and amateur coder).

I've been teaching at the Los Angeles College of Music since 2015, where I teach music theory, aural skills, multiple ensembles, and private lessons. I also perform around LA, from gigs at the Blue Whale to soundtracks for cartoons and movies—most recently recording on Michael Bublé's album Love.

I earned my Bachelor of Music from University of North Texas, Master of Music from Bob Cole Conservatory (CSULB), and in 2018, a Doctorate of Musical Arts from University of Southern California—with a field in web technologies and application development.

Why I Built This

Two realizations inspired me to create this site:

Speed matters. Most of my beginning jazz students would be more effective improvisors if they had faster music theory recall. What's the V7 in Ab? What's the third of that chord? If you can't answer instantly, you're thinking instead of playing.

Sound like fun? Try the Scale Degree Flashcards.
I could actually build it. I had just enough coding knowledge to make programs to help my students get better, faster: endless randomized flashcards, plus a home for articles, PDFs, and resources.

But honestly? I'm mostly just having fun learning and experimenting with JavaScript.

"Slow Theory is No Theory"

— Professor Mike Steinel

I've loved music theory since high school, but I grew even more passionate during my undergraduate studies at UNT. Much of this was due to my jazz fundamentals professor, Professor Mike Steinel, who had this mantra printed across the inside cover of our course-reader.

The wisdom in that phrase has been reaffirmed year after year in my own experience as a teacher and performer. This website began in the spirit of "Slow Theory is No Theory."

I built my first music theory game in 2014. To my surprise, it found an audience around the world, with people visiting daily as part of their practice routine. After graduating in 2018, I dedicated time to building what you see today.

Hope you enjoy and thanks for visiting! — Ramsey

Support This Project

Music-Theory-Practice.com is a free, teacher-built collection of interactive tools to help students learn music theory faster. Your support helps cover hosting costs and keeps development going.

Thank you for your support!