Welcome to Music Theory Practice

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

Since 2020, I have served as Music Department Chair at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, where I teach jazz ensembles and music theory. Before joining Crossroads, I taught at the Los Angeles College of Music from 2015 to 2021, teaching music theory, aural skills, ensembles, and private lessons.

I have also performed and recorded throughout Los Angeles, from gigs at the Blue Whale to soundtrack sessions for television and film, including Michael Bublé's album Love.

I earned my Bachelor of Music (with a minor in music theory) from the University of North Texas, my Master of Music from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSULB, and my Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California, with an academic 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.

"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

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Thank you for your support!