In the book The Peak Performing Professor: A Practical Guide to Productivity and Happiness, author Susan Robison encourages academics to articulate their Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Goals for professional and personal success. But what does a mission statement look like for the practicing music theorist? Where does one's purpose fit in with the expectations of research, teaching and service? How will one's goals and mission change from graduate student to junior faculty to senior faculty? How would a scholar even begin to articulate a vision in a field that is rapidly changing and ever expanding?

While we will seek to answer some of these questions, the main goal of this keynote is to encourage participants to develop their own purpose and mission statements in regards to their work in the field of music theory, as a scholar and as an instructor in the classroom. Through self-reflection, discussion, and a bit of guidance, we will seek opportunities to articulate what it means to be a music theorist in today's climate and how we can better empower our work to find a meaningful (and productive) place in the field.