She was the founder and the first Chairwoman of the Department of Music History and Literature (musicology) at the University of Southern California, between 1952 and 1960.

[1][2] Alderman was born in Lafayette, Oregon and received training in piano and organ, as well as in English and German literature in her youth.

[3] Her first teaching career started at the McMinnville junior high school in 1916 where she taught English literature.

In 1930 she was appointed to the faculty of USC's "College of Music," where she taught primarily theory and composition.

Following the war she completed her dissertation, "Anthoine Boësset and the Air de Cour", for which she was awarded in 1946 the first Ph.D. degree in music at this university.

From then until her death in 1983, Pauline Alderman remained an inspiring presence in the lives of students and faculty at USC, and as guest lecturer at colleges and universities across the country.