Following a temporary lectureship at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in 1967–69, Maconie emigrated to England to study for a Ph.D in the Psychology of Music at Southampton University. In 1974 Maconie was appointed lecturer in music and technology at the University of Surrey, where he continued until 1985. In 1997 he was appointed Professor of Performing Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia (U.S.). In 2002 he returned to New Zealand, where he lives in Dannevirke.