Burggraff makes music theory ‘fun,’ ‘interesting’ at Southwestern

For many students in the School of Church Music and Worship (SCMW), subjects like church music or music history are among the most interesting. However, many students are drawn to a subject that is typically looked at as less interesting, music theory. This is due, in part, to the teaching of Nathan Burggraff, associate professor of music theory at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

During his childhood as a pastor’s kid, Burggraff moved many times while his father was called to different churches in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Texas.

It was while his family lived in Garland, Texas, when his father was pursuing theological education and not serving as a full-time pastor that Burggraff realized his need for a Savior and received God’s gift of salvation.

“I made a profession of faith when I was four years old, but I don’t think I fully understood what that meant at the time,” Burggraff said. “When I was seven and we lived in Garland, I heard a message that our pastor at the time preached and I told my mom after the service that I didn’t think I understood salvation until that day. I asked her to pray with me and that is when I accepted Christ into my heart.”

After his father completed his doctoral work in Texas, the Burggraffs moved to Lansdale, Pennsylvania. While in high school, Burggraff attended a retreat at a camp where he felt the Lord calling him to full-time ministerial service.

Nathan Burggraff, associate professor of music theory at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, began serving at the Fort Worth-based institution in 2015. He seeks to make the discipline of music theory “fun” in the manner he teaches the subject.

“I didn’t know what full-time service would be at the time that I felt called to it because I just assumed I would end up in a rural African town,” Burggraff said. “I knew that I wanted to serve Him, but I didn’t know what that would look like. I was a little scared, but I found comfort in my life verse, Psalm 37:4. I knew that if I followed God’s will, His desires will be made known to me and become my desires as well.”

Feeling called to ministry service, Burggraff felt that he would use his skills in music in his calling to serve the Lord.

“I started playing piano when I was eight years old,” Burggraff recalled. “When I dedicated my life to the Lord, I knew I wanted to do something in music because I had a passion for it. Most people that talked about music in the church did not have theological training, and most people who talked theology did not have musical training. I wanted both.”

Burggraff attended Clearwater Christian College in Clearwater, Florida, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in music degree. Following college, he was accepted into the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, where he earned his Master of Music in piano accompany and chamber music, his Master of Arts in music theory pedagogy, and his Doctor of Philosophy in music theory pedagogy.

“While I was pursuing my master’s degree in music theory, I realized pretty quickly that I loved teaching and being in the classroom,” Burggraff said. “When I finished my Ph.D., I pursued the path of teaching in the academic world, and it’s a little scary in the final year of a degree like that because you’re applying for whatever jobs are open.”

Burggraff said that he applied to “something like 15 different universities” and none of them worked out. He said that while he was waiting at the Department of Motor Vehicles to replace a stolen license plate, he saw the open faculty position in the SCMW at Southwestern Seminary and “immediately went home and filled out the application.”

Students in Burggraff’s music theory classes appreciate that the associate professor of music theory explains complex topics in a way that is applicable to their future ministries in worship leadership.

After hearing back, Burggraff visited the Fort Worth, Texas, institution and interviewed for the job. He was hired as a full-time professor in 2015.

“I loved the idea of teaching in a seminary and using my music theory training in a Christian institution,” Burggraff said. “When this opened up, I just had a sense that this is exactly where I needed to be. I even told my wife when I applied that I was going to get this job because I felt so strongly that the Lord had brought Southwestern and I together.”

When Burggraff and his wife, Diana, moved to Fort Worth, they attended and served at Birchman Baptist Church in Fort Worth for five years before moving to First Baptist Church of Burleson, Texas, where he has served as the part-time traditional worship pastor for three years.

“I’m currently in a transition time with my ministerial service, but I’m looking at the possibility of itinerant piano concert ministry,” Burggraff said. “I actually did piano concerts at churches in the summer months of my graduate years, so I’m looking into possibly doing that again to serve His church through piano concerts.”

As a professor, Burggraff enjoys making music theory fun, rather than difficult to learn.

“Oftentimes, music theory is taught in a more abstract way with a lot of rules and examples that aren’t used from real music,” Burggraff said. “I try to have fun in the classroom and keep away from too much lecture. There is a lot of hands-on work in the class, so I think we have a lot of fun in the classroom rather than just listening to me speak for 50 minutes.”

Burggraff’s style as a professor is one to which students are drawn. While he tries to make music theory fun, Claire Weaver, a Bachelor of Arts in worship studies student at Texas Baptist College from Fort Worth, Texas, said that she learns more from his class because of the way he explains the complex topics.

“I appreciate how interactive he is with us and how he makes theory very applicable to what we’re doing as musicians and worship leaders,” Weaver said. “I actually transferred from a different school and music theory was hard for me to grasp and I was really struggling with it. When I came here, I was shocked at how well Dr. Burggraff explained the different concepts that we were learning within music theory.”

Another student, Matthew Waymack, a Master of Divinity in worship leadership student from Flowery Branch, Georgia, said that Burggraff’s classroom is a “very interesting” experience due to the professor’s knowledge.

“Whenever he teaches, it’s almost as if he has so much stuff to share in the class, but he only gets 50 minutes to share it,” Waymack said. “He wanted to teach as much as he possibly can to the students and he wants them to know, grow, and learn all the things he teaches. He is so passionate about it, he’s not just reading off a paper, he knows his stuff.”

Outside of the classroom, Burggraff enjoys building Lego sets and spending time with his wife and their five adopted children.

Burggraff felt a calling from the Lord to serve His church while he was in high school. Following four additional degrees, he is serving the church by preparing well-equipped musicians and theologians to go out and lead the Lord’s people.