By SHYLEE GRAF
Cullyn Murphy walked into his second floor office in Hendricks with an armful of personal belongings: backpack slung over his shoulder, jacket over his forearm, and an open can of Waterloo sparkling water, orange flavored, in his hand. Running a few minutes late, he joked about his tardiness making it into this piece.
His office is comfortable, if not a bit cluttered. Housing two desks, an upright piano and bench, at least one music stand, and two bookshelves, the space feels used, but not quite lived in. His doctorate diploma from the University of Pittsburgh sits in a frame on the floor, propped up against the wall. Filled with manuals, books, and bits and bobs, the room holds everything one might need as a visiting assistant professor of music and the director of the School of Media and the Arts.
Murphy’s space is a testament to his teaching methods and his hands-on approach in the classroom. It seems that he doesn’t spend a lot of time holed up in his office, but rather in a classroom teaching students about microphones, project organization, or performance. Students appreciate Murphy’s approach to teaching, and if you were to ask around Beloit College, you’d find nothing but glowing reviews.
“He’s very creative and has a refreshing approach to teaching,” Jasmine Kingsbury’28 said. “Cullyn’s very in touch with his field and the state of music and what not, and that influences a lot of how he teaches.”
Liam Peterson’27 sung Murphy’s praises, pointing out that he listens to the concerns of the student body, not just for class-related subjects, but for the whole department. His dedication to students shines through in every interaction he has with them.
“He heard me complaining about his class, and he asked me if I wanted to sit down and talk about it,” Peterson said. “He might be my favorite, I think he takes the cake.”
Murphy’s unique personality comes through with his witty and sarcastic sense of humor and his passion for teaching and connecting with students. His background gives him a special perspective on education and music, and it’s not what you might expect.
“I really hated music for a very long time as a kid. This is not a joke that the first CD I ever owned was the “Shrek” soundtrack and the first three concerts I went to in my life were Weird Al Yankovic concerts,” Murphy said.
Despite his disdain for the art form, he begrudgingly participated in musical theater and eventually choir. He joined a rock band in his teen years, which introduced him to writing music.
“I think the missing piece for me was when I joined the rock band because music finally became a social thing at that point,” Murphy explained.
So how did Murphy become a professor of music at Beloit College with a master’s and doctorate in music composition? His own educational experience and his lack of interest in music as a child would usually offer up a much different career path, yet here he is.
Murphy found his way into the music education program at Illinois State University with the help of a professor with a unique approach to music theory.
“I didn’t know how to read music at the time,” Murphy admitted. “He really saved me. I didn’t realize how atypical this was at the time, but he was a music theory teacher that incorporated a lot of different music into the class.”
Murphy went on to get his master’s in music composition at the University of Louisville after graduating ISU. He encountered what he called “misery olympics” thriving within his cohort.
“If you were not suffering enough to really entrench yourself in composing constantly and ingesting new music constantly, you weren’t doing your job and you should feel ashamed,” Murphy said.
After receiving his master’s, Murphy went on to pursue his doctorate in music composition at the University of Pittsburgh. The position for assistant professor of music at Beloit College opened up during his fourth year in the doctorate program, and he applied with little hope of getting it.
“My wife and I knew that we wanted to get back to the Midwest as soon as we could,” Murphy said. “I applied to this being like ‘there’s no shot,’ and it worked out. I finished my last year at Pittsburgh while I was teaching my first year at Beloit.”
Now three years later, Murphy enjoys his job and finds the creative freedom that his position affords him to be rewarding. He teaches a handful of courses each semester, and among his favorites is MULTI Ensemble. Murphy focuses on tailoring his courses to the student experience, offering subjects that students are excited about at Beloit.
“MULTI fits into so many things that I love to do and I love teaching about, like producing art, creating art. I love teaching performance, but I don’t necessarily love performing myself,” Murphy said.
Although teaching is Murphy’s passion, he tries his best to disconnect after work. Between raising his 10-month-old daughter and spending quality time with his wife, Murphy enjoys playing basketball. He plays regularly with a rec league group, practicing throughout the week with pickup games at the YMCA.
“I have a few hobbies and I just get so fixated and find billions of ways to love them,” Murphy explained.
His own complex relationship with music and education empowers him to shape student experience, and while his path here isn’t conventional, it makes him a better professor. Looking back on his life to this point, Murphy is grateful for the experiences along the way that led him to this moment.
“I am so so fortunate to get to spend every day thinking about and doing and making music.”
Featured image: Vivian Kopka’27
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