Visiting Music Faculty Member Brings Sitar Music to TAMIU

Musicians and music lovers alike with a passion for the Beatles and 60s music may find a likeminded mentor in Dr. Emily Vanchella, visiting music faculty in member at Texas A&M International University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

For Vanchella, the opportunity to impart knowledge and appreciation of American music from the 1960s has been a source of great joy. This Spring 2022, students can sign up to take her American Popular Music course and learn more about the various styles of popular music in America, ranging from pop, rock, jazz, folk, ragtime and more.

“I am so excited to be teaching here at TAMIU and just getting to share music and how much I love it, particularly American popular music and even more, in particular, the music of the 60s… that is the music that is closest to my own heart,” said Vanchella.

The American Popular Music course is designed primarily for non-music majors and also satisfies the Visual and Performing Arts requirement found within the University’s core curriculum. 

Vanchella, an active performer on the sitar, first heard the instrument on the popular Beatles song, Norwegian Wood. Since then, her appreciation and interest in the instrument has only flourished.

“Once I started actually started learning to play the sitar, the music theory and the instrument’s significance in Hinduism and Indian spirituality also added this whole other level of appreciation to me,” said Dr. Vanchella. 

For avid American music aficionados who may be unfamiliar with non-Western music, Vanchella has some words of advice.

“Take what your ears know about Western music and just set it aside for a second, and see if you can approach the music on its own terms,” said Vanchella.

Vanchella earned a Ph.D. and a Master of Arts degree in Music Theory from the University of California – Santa Barbara, along with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Agnes Scott College. Her research interests include the application of topic theory to classic British and American rock in the 1960s and early 70s.

She is also interested in narrative and music in animated media, with projects presented on Disney’s Fantasia and Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Enjoy a recent conversation with Dr. Vanchella at go.tamiu.edu/vanchella or listen to a recent sitar performance at go.tamiu.edu/sitar.