Garth Alper is the Director of the School of Music & Performing Arts at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, where he holds the Ruth Stodghill Girard Professorship. His articles, "How the Flexibility of the Twelve Bar Blues Has Helped Shape the Jazz Language" and "Towards the Acceptance of a Bachelor of Music degree in Popular Music Studies," have been published in College Music Symposium. Several other articles and reviews authored by Dr. Alper have been published in Popular Music and Society. Dr. Alper guest edited a special jazz issue of Popular Music and Society and is a member of the journal's Editorial Board.