Thinking, writing, and teaching about lifephilosophy, art, poetry, and music are central to Matthew's work. Exploring the act of creating and performing music, and other works of art, as an essential aspect of the human condition has been at the center of his work. Matthew enjoys teaching older beginner music students, as well serious younger students who have a strong work ethic and an intrinsic desire to learn.
Matthew's education is in media theory, psychology, and music. He earned a doctorate in Philosophy, Art, & Critical Thought from The European Graduate School, a master's degree in psychology from The New School for Social Research, and professional studies in music at The Mannes College of Music & The Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Matthew has been a faculty member of the psychology department at Rutgers University at Newark since 2006.
Matthew began studying guitar at an early age, moving on to piano and classical trombone in adolescence. Matthew was a trombonist in the Lima Philharmonic in Peru in 1996. In the 1990s he toured with orchestras performing in China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Europe. In 1998 he released an album of original songs entitled, Collected Songs. His music was played on local radio stations in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, and he performed at many festivals and concert venues during that period. His primary teachers were Paul Schocker (piano & composition), Timothy Soberick, Per Brevig (trombonist, Metropolitan Opera) and Ivan Meylemans (trombonist, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra). In his youth, Matthew was principal trombonist of Carnegie Hall's New York Youth Symphony, and performed in six Carnegie Hall concerts. Matthew enjoys composing, teaching beginner music students, and exploring improvisational music.
Matthew writes the Mindfulness & Music blog for Psychology Today, and has written five books: A Postcognitive Negation (2010), An "A" Effort: The College Student's Guide to Success (2012), Media Psychology (2014), Inner Harmony: Personal Exploration at the Piano (2016), & Musings: On Buddhist Psychology, Intellectual History, Psychodynamic Theory, media Psychology, & Existential-Phenomenology (2020). Matthew is an author with Atropos Press.
Matthew is an Adjunct member of The American Philosophical Practitioners Association.
Detailed Education
Pre-college:
Paul Schocker, Piano & Theory
Timothy Soberick, Trombone
Undergraduate Studies
Moravian College (Trombone)
Mannes College of Music (Trombone)
East Stroudsburg University (Psychology)
The New School for Social Research (Master of Science. Psychology, 2005)
Clinical psychology: David Shapiro & Bernie Weitzman
Evolutionary Psychology: Nicholas Humphrey
Psycholinguistics: Michael Schober
Cultural Psychology: Joan Miller
Psychoanalysis & Deconstruction: Alan Bass
Research Methods: Arien Mack
History of Psychology: Arthur Blumenthal
Human Development: Nate Kogan
Personality Theory: Bernard Weitzman
Clinical Wisdom of Psychoanalysis: Bernard Weitzman
Cognitive Psychology: William Hirst
European Graduate School (Doctor of Philosophy. Philosophy, Art, & Critical Thought (Media Theory), 2009)
Wolfgang Schirmacher: Schopenhauer, Heidegger
Peter Greenaway: Cinema Theory
Claire Denis: Cinema as Cultural Anthropology
Christopher Fynsk: Heidegger
Judith Butler: Ethics After the Subject
Siegfried Zielinski: History of Technology & Media
Victor Vitanza: Lyotard
Judith Balso: Wallace Stevens & Ferdinand Pessoa on Poetry
Anthony Gormley: Physical Communication
Bracha Ettinger: Art & Psychoanalysis
Helene Cixous: Writing & Difference
Mannes College of Music (Performance Diploma. Orchestral Trombone, 1996)
Music Theory: Leo Edwards
Counterpoint: Christopher Park, Leo Edwards
Analysis: Carl Schacter
Ear Training & Solfeggio: Chris Parks, Mark Ettinger
Trombone: Per Brevig
Trombone coachings with: Dave Taylor, Joe Alessi, & Dave Finlayson
Conducting: Rudolph Palmer
History of Music: Fred Fehleisen
Music of the Avant-Garde: Eliot
Music of Brahms: Miriam Kartch
Interpretation: Julius Levine
Music of Beethoven: Leo Edwards
Piano: Peter Bellino
Alexander Technique: Kathryn Miranda
Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Masterjaar. Orchestral Trombone, 1997)
Trombone: Ivan Meylemans
Prima Vista (sight reading)
Harmonic Analysis
Musicology
Orchestral Studies
Piano
University & College Teaching:
Rutgers University at Newark (2005 to present)
Mercer County College of New Jersey (2005-2010)
Guest Teaching Appointments
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
Mercy College, NYC
DeSales University
Raritan Valley Community College
Borough of Manhattan Community College
Northampton Community College
Centenary University
Totts Gap Arts Institute
