Thomas MacFarlane completed his Ph.D. in Music Composition at NYU Steinhardt. His doctoral dissertation, "The Abbey Road Medley: Extended Forms in Popular Music" focuses on the impact of recording technology on the compositional style of the Beatles. Dr. MacFarlane has transformed his findings into a book to be published by The Scarecrow Press.

Professor MacFarlane teaches courses in Music Theory and Composition and co-teaches The Performing Arts in Western Civilization with Department Chair, Dr. Lawrence Ferrara. In addition, he coordinates Music Theory offerings under the aegis of Dr. Panayotis Mavromatis, Director of Steinhardt Music Theory. He also assists Dr. John Gilbert, Director of Doctoral Studies, in the preparation and administration of Departmental Doctoral Candidacy Examinations.

As a composer, Dr. MacFarlane has had works performed at venues in Italy, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. His original score for the film "The Sweetest Sound," was premiered in May 2001 at Lincoln Center, and his orchestral composition, "Suite For Mingus" was performed and recorded at Merkin Hall on November 5th 2003. In February 2005, he collaborated with Dr. John Gilbert on music and sound design for "Provocative Acts," an original presentation by the NYU Program in Educational Theatre. In April 2005, he was a composer and musician for "Lubricious Transfer," a live Internet II collaboration between artists at New York University and the University of California at Santa Cruz.