Bruce Benward has been widely regarded as one of the most gifted music theory pedagogues since his textbooks first appeared in the 1960s, and has exerted a wide influence on the teaching of music theory both through his writings and through the generation of teachers that he taught. His teaching career spanned 50 years and included appointments at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Marilyn Saker, Professor of Music Theory at Eastern Michigan University, earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison where Bruce Benward served as her dissertation advisor and mentor. She is a board member for the Macro Analysis Creative Research Organization (MACRO), and is the editor and publisher for the organization's scholarly journal, Musical Insights.