John Michael McCluskey serves as both the Dean, School of Fine and Performing Arts and as Tenured Associate Professor of Music at Shorter University, where he teaches courses on western music history, world musics, and other music topics. Prior to joining the faculty at Shorter, Dr. McCluskey taught at Transylvania University and the University of Kentucky.
Dr. McCluskey’s research focuses on music and sport, but his interests cover a broad base, including music and religious experience, commercial music, and music and videogames. He has presented his work at a number of international, national, and regional (ethno)musicological conferences, and he is published in the journals American Music and the Journal of the Society for American Music.
Dr. McCluskey is a member of the Society for American Music (SAM), the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), and the American Musicological Society (AMS). He is past-President of AMS’s South-Central chapter, and he has previously served as this organization as Vice-President and Program Committee Chair. He also serves on SAM’s Website Committee and previously served as the Layout Editor for SAM’s Bulletin.
Dr. McCluskey holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Musicology and Ethnomusicology from the University of Kentucky, where he completed his dissertation on music in American college football. Dr. McCluskey also holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Lee University in Cleveland, TN.
Away from Shorter, Dr. McCluskey spends time with his wife, Julie. Together, they enjoy traveling, hiking, and occasionally spending quality time away from screens.