Dr. Holly Riley joined the Middle Tennessee State University College of Media and Entertainment in the Fall of 2024 as Assistant Professor of Music Business in the Department of Recording Industry. Prior to this position, she was the 2021-24 Postdoctoral Teaching, Research, and Mentoring Fellow in the Davidson Honors College (DHC) at the University of Montana (UM), where she designed and taught interdisciplinary honors courses, founded the UM American Roots Music Ensemble, and received the DHC’s Teacher of the Year Award in 2024. She received her Ph.D. in Musicology (Ethnomusicology) from Florida State University in 2020 and has maintained a professional career as a fiddle player, songwriter, and performing artist alongside her work in higher education.   

 

 Dr. Riley’s research and musicianship spans many popular and traditional American genres. Much of her current work involves sociopolitical crisis, conflict, and the 21st century country music industry, including a study on lyric content in the top country music charts and a forthcoming manuscript on the politicized identity symbols of contemporary country music. Her recent publications include a chapter contribution to edited volume Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in the College Music Class (Routledge, expected Winter 2025), an article on intergenerational and contemporary negotiations in teaching and learning Irish music (IASPM Journal), and two articles in the 2023 issue of Honors in Practice on multidisciplinary honors pedagogy and career paths. Originally from Durham, North Carolina, she has played major shows and festivals across the Southeast, directed multiple college traditional music ensembles, and managed bands in a variety of genres.

 

Curriculum Vitae