Jason Mullen

Dr. Jason Mullen is a guitarist and musicologist. As a guitarist Dr. Mullen performs in both classical and popular styles. His performing experience ranges from classical guitar repertoire and commercial music to experimental media art, where he draws upon these broad skills to inform his research and teaching. Dr. Mullen has performed throughout the United States and Europe and has played in master classes for leading guitarists in the field. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree with an emphasis in German Studies from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, a Master of Music degree in Guitar Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and pursued DMA studies at Shenandoah University where he was a teaching assistant to Julian Gray. He performs on guitars made by Robert Ruck and Michael Thames.
 
As a musicologist Dr. Mullen’s work investigates ‘gear cultures’ that emerge around the production and consumption of musical instruments. His research takes a participant-observer approach where he investigates leading corporate and e-commerce retailers of musical instruments and pro audio gear. Through grant supported visits to the headquarters and warehouses of America’s largest online retailers of musical equipment, his work articulates the relations between music, materiality, and labor within a global supply chain.
 
Dr. Mullen has presented his academic work through the Society for Ethnomusicology and the American Musicological Society. He holds a PhD in Music History and Literature from the University of Florida where he was the recipient of the Calvin A. VanderWerf Graduate Student Teaching Award. Before coming to Texas Tech, Dr. Mullen was an instructor at Alfred University where he was the co-founding director of the Alfred University Popular Music Ensemble.