Inquiry-Based Music Theory is an open-source, interactive, online textbook for college-level music theory courses written and designed by Sean Butterfield and Evan Williamson. It was developed with support of the Think Open Fellowship from the University of Idaho. The project was inspired by and partially adapted from Open Music Theory.
The textbook is designed to maximize flexibility and support an inquiry-based model of instruction. For a simple explanation of this model as well as how to best utilize this textbook’s structure, please view:
If you are already familiar with the inquiry-based model, you can begin exploring the textbook using the side bar navigation or by accessing the table of contents:
If you have questions about this textbook or curriculum, please feel free to contact Sean Butterfield via email: