About Dr. Malia
Welcome, Musicians!😍
My name is Dr. Malia, and I'm the creator of Music Theory Shop. I'm a music theorist, pianist, and author, and I'm so happy you stopped by. Be sure to grab some FREE theory resources (for learning or teaching) before you leave. Sometimes I send out FREE learning materials, so consider joining my email subscriber list!
I help people like you: ambitious, multi-faceted, diverse musicians of all genres go from feeling overwhelmed or intimidated by music theory and musicianship, to loving the learning process and connecting how all of these pieces work together.
Do you have goals as music director, creator (composing and producing), performer, songwriter, music business and law, or educator? Studying the materials of music is the starting point.
I want you to step on that stage, into that recording studio, and enter the rehearsal room with confidence. "Music theory," which often is an umbrella term for "music literacy" encompassing music-language knowledge, is the foundation to begin teaching, creating, and performing.
Training the Next Generation of Music Educators
My goal is to help musicians transition from student-musician to artist, and student-musician to artist to music educator.
Find me on SUPERPROF!
Support My Work
I have lots of free learning and teaching resources relevant to music education and will continue to create and make free tools available.
I am also doing research on music educator marketing and working to publish more scholarship in the discipline. My field of music theory is taking action to include more voices, and although I am no stranger to criticism, it's important to include my perspective.
Would you like to support my work? You can buy me a coffee!!
Thank you so much 🙏☺️ and thank you for supporting music education.
Short Bio - Press Kit
Dr. Malia Jade Roberson is a Music Theorist and AI Trainer specializing in music analysis, structured reasoning, and model evaluation for language and symbolic systems. She works at the intersection of music cognition, pedagogy, and machine learning, translating complex musical structures into training and evaluation frameworks for AI systems.
Alongside her industry-facing work in AI, she is a piano recording artist and Lecturer in the Department of Dance, Music, and Theater at CSU Channel Islands, where she teaches music theory, piano, and music marketing. Her research explores the intersection of music educator marketing, public music theory, and music theory pedagogy. Dr. Roberson was the November 2024 featured artist on Pandora’s Solo Piano station following the release of her debut album, “90s songs for like, piano.” She published the article, "Music Theory Influencing: The Content Creator Musicpreneur" in Music Theory Spectrum, Jan 2025, as part of the public music theory edition.
Dr. Malia's current projects include a new music theory method book, “Music Theory for Visual Learners," an upcoming article on how music theory is represented in music educator ad campaigns, and her sophomore album. She is the designer of Music Theory Staff Paper (Hal Leonard) and is the founder of the brand, Music Theory Shop.
Instagram: @musictheoryshop
Learn more: www.musictheoryshop.com
90s songs for like, piano (2024)
Featured Artist: Pandora's Solo Piano Station (Nov 2024)
Music Education Blog
If you are a music educator or aspiring music educator, I invite you to read my blog, When Music Called, We Answered. Please leave your comments and pedagogical insights!
Work with Me
Musicians are lifelong learners. I train rockstar musicians 🤘🏼, but I especially enjoy working with musicians that are "coming back" to music; professional musicians that want to refresh their skills, or add an income stream teaching music.
I have worked with pop, rock, punk, folk, jazz, mariachi, and classical musicians. All are welcome.🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
Find me on SUPERPROF!
See my theory session with Kyle Beats:
Publications with Hal Leonard
Music Theory Staff Paper (Hal Leonard 2019), the original hybrid music manuscript notebook. It is the Cornell note-taking method, but for music! The cover design is inspired by vintage 19th and 20th-century European and American sheet music.
Visualize Keyboard Scales & Modes (Hal Leonard 2020) is not like any other scale method book on the market. This is for both readers and non-readers. It includes theory lessons and scales and modes are organized by tonic to understand multiple methods of building modes, which is truer to how musicians think about mode and scale construction.
Areas of research: music entrepreneurship, music education marketing, music theory pedagogy, public music theory, music theory trauma
Article in Music Theory Spectrum, "Music Theory Influencing: The Content Creator Musicpreneur."
Membership: Society for Music Theory (SMT), ASCAP, Music Managers Forum, ReverbNation, Music Ally
Faculty Development and Service to the Field
Dr. Malia has participated as a Reader, Early Reader, and Table Leader for the AP Music Theory Reading (College Board) since 2019.
Dr. Malia has participated in four Workshops in Music Theory Pedagogy, at UMASS, Amherst and the Eastman School of Music and conference organizer for the West Coast Conference for Music Theory and Analysis (Eugene, OR, 2023).
- Ph.D. in Music Theory, University of California, Santa Barbara
- M.A. in Music Theory, University of California, Santa Barbara
- M.A. in Piano Performance, University of California, Santa Cruz
- B.A. in Music, University of California, Santa Cruz
How can I support your music learning journey?
Personal History
Malia's hometown is San Clemente, Ca. She was the webmaster for the Hobie Memorial Foundation and helped realize the memorial statue of Hobie Alter in Dana Point, Ca. The HMF built the most beautiful statue in the world that honors the boating~surfing culture and heritage in Southern California!!! Go see it!
Malia lives in Pasadena, CA
All items at Music Theory Shop are made or printed in the U.S.A.