Perry Goldstein is professor of music at Stony Brook University, where he is currently chairman of the Department of Music. He is responsible for all aspects of the undergraduate and graduate musicianship programs and also teaches music composition, theory, and analysis. His teaching has been recognized by Stony Brook University's President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and by the State University of New York's Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is the author of Rudiments of Music: A Concise Guide to Music Theory and has written about music for the Library of Congress as well as the New York Times and many other publications. He is an active composer, with nineteen recordings to his credit and performances worldwide.