Music Practice Commons^™

A Quiet Mind: The Key To Musical Performance, Rebecca Ann Percy

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

In this day and age, many people believe they can multitask. From texting and driving to watching television while studying for a test, we always want to accomplish many things at once. Musicians often try to multitask while practicing their instruments. They think about breathing, articulation, jaw movement, finger technique, and more. However, research has proven that multitasking is impossible. According to Christine Rosen in “The Myth of Multitasking,” time and efficiency are actually lost while the brain decides which task to perform. Practicing with a “quiet mind” will lead to peak performance and avoid the detrimental effects of trying ...

Resources And Exercises For Expanding Your Approaches In Teaching The Bach Cello Suites To The High School Violist, Dragana Loncar

Strings Graduate Theses & Dissertations

This paper is a useful resource for teaching Bach’s cello suites to young violists age 13-18. The first part contains background information on the six suites and suggested uses of the four manuscripts in teaching. Seven excerpts, four copies and three published editions of the first eight measures of the Sarabande from Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 are included as an example of the different edition markings that the teacher/student can refer to. The second part explores key affekts and Karen Tuttle’s Emotion list as possible teaching tools for expression. At the end of ...

Cowboy Art Song: A Contextual And Musical Analysis Of Libby Larsen's "Cowboy Songs", Ann Gabrielle Richardson

Dissertations

This dissertation sprang from a combination of two personal interests: cowboy culture and classical art song. The union of my cowgirl heritage with my career as a classical vocalist has long fueled an interest in a particular niche of repertoire: soprano art song with thematic connections to the North American cowboy. A conducted state of research reveals no scholarly literature exploring this specific topic. Libby Larsen’s collection, Cowboy Songs, fulfills the aforementioned niche, successfully capturing the spirit, musical idioms, and cultural themes of the North American cowboy.

Chapter I lays a contextual foundation for cowboy song, providing a catalogue ...

An Analysis Of The Life And Work Of Alice Fletcher And Frances Densmore, Lauren Hoak

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This work is an analysis of the life and work of Alice Fletcher and Frances Densmore. Through the examination of The Study of Omaha Indian Music and Chippewa Music, the influences of settler-colonialism, music, gender, and religion are taken into account. It also summarizes contemporary opinions of Fletcher and Densmore and discusses the lasting effect that their research had.

Score Study Procedures And Processes Among Instrumental Music Teachers And Students Of Varying Experience., Jacob Mark Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Score study is agreed to be an essential part of musical preparation by professional conductors. However, no single method for score study has been established. This thesis examines the score study habits of undergraduate music majors, graduate students with a minimum of five years of instrumental teaching experience, and highly-qualified instrumental music teachers with a minimum of ten years of experience. Qualitative methods are employed, and interview transcriptions are the primary sources of data. Findings showed that instrumental music teachers and those with instrumental teaching experience base many of their score study decisions on the abilities and needs of students ...

Ministry Through Musical Performance: Establishing Biblical, Historical, And Pedagogical (Educational) Precedent For The Christian Performing Artist, Lindsey Graham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As a performing artist, the author suggests in an “American Idol” culture, Christian artists have largely lost their identity as worshipers with a ministry of the Gospel through music. The Christian performing artist has the responsibility to commit to spiritual maturity and personal growth. This thesis project proposes the artist is a communicator of the Gospel through music and seeks to substantiate the Christian performing artist through biblical, historical, and educational rationale and precedent. Biblical rationale of the Christian performing artist is considered in Old Testament and New Testament principle and precedent. Historical rationale and precedent is established through the ...

A Pedagogical Study Of The "Four Lauds For Solo Violin" By Elliott Carter, Heesun Shin

All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Elliott Carter was one of the most influential composers of the past century, leaving a diverse and prolific body of over 150 works to posterity. Along with the Violin Concerto and “Mnemosyné,” the Four Lauds are the only works written for solo violin. Literature on these pieces is not extensive thus far, and this dissertation will provide an introduction to any student who is interested in learning about Carter’s violin music. In the first chapter, I will discuss relevant aspects of Carter’s musical language such as his use of all-trichord hexachord, all-interval trichord, complement union property, and his ...

Mindfulness And Musicians: An Overview, Stephen Dubetz

Honors Projects

This overview of mindfulness begins with a basic history of the practice and filters chronologically to the application of mindfulness in the lives of modern musicians. From its origins in ancient India to its acceptance into Western culture and its eventual use in clinical, professional, and educational settings, this paper touches briefly on the story of mindfulness as it developed through time. The main questions addressed within are: What is mindfulness? Where does it come from? What use does it have? What fields of Western professional culture have adopted it so far and to what extent? and How can it ...

Music & Media: A Senior Recital & Honors Project, Kayla Luteran

Honors Projects

Music & Media: A Senior Recital & Honors Project is a cross-media marketing strategy. The main purpose of this project was to develop visually appealing, informative graphic elements and branding to effectively promote a musical performance. This is interdisciplinary in nature and includes written and oral communication.

While many music students post about their senior recital on social media or place flyers, they do not develop a thorough methodology for generating buzz about their event. Although musical preparation is of utmost importance for a performance, I believe that time should be spent on all aspects of planning the recital. With this project ...

Incorporating Sight-Reading Into The Private Violin Lesson, Karen Van Acker

Strings Graduate Theses & Dissertations

Sight-reading is a necessary skill for violin students of all ages. Whether a student is in a school orchestra, preparing for an audition, interested in playing chamber music at a wedding or special event, or aspiring to be a professional orchestral musician, the ability to sight-read well and comfortably is invaluable. Many students tend to cringe at the thought of sight-reading, especially in an audition or in a public setting, and the initial reading of a new solo piece can be daunting. Therefore, it is necessary to teach sight-reading in the private lesson environment. More specifically, it is important to ...

The Doctrine Of Affections: Emotion And Music, Kristen E. Jarboe

The Research and Scholarship Symposium

The Doctrine of Affections originated in and is interpreted into the musical realm of the Baroque Era in the music of Bach, Handel, and others. The Doctrine of Affections is a theory created in the Baroque era that seeks to explain the effect that music has on the body. It seeks to personify music, and prove that music itself has the ability to produce a particular feeling, independent of the listener. This theory assumes that music has the ability to be an emotion, and that the particular emotion is located in the properties of the music itself. Johann Mattheson, the ...

From Italian Opera To Estill: An Overview Of Bel Canto Style Singing Techniques From The Eighteenth Century To Modern Day, Phoebe R. Schoeneweis

The Research and Scholarship Symposium

This paper aims to communicate the ways in which the definition of Bel Canto style singing has changed and developed since the eighteenth century, as well as how the techniques of Bel Canto are still being used today and the way that they impact new and modern vocal techniques such as the Alexander Technique and Estill Voice Training. Solo vocal material has come a long way since the eighteenth century and vocal music has made huge strides in its difficulty and material. Old Italian School voice teachers used to teach the importance and proper use of such vocal features as ...

From Swing King To Swing Kids: The Jazz Era Of ‘Big Band Orchestras’ In World War Ii, Katie Victoria Burnopp

Student Scholar Showcase

Known as the ‘King of Swing’, clarinetist and band leader Benny Goodman (1909-1986) threatened the Nazi cause during WWII. With intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to investigate swing music during World War II. The particular problems of this study were to: (1) identify how the swing music of Benny Goodman (1909-1986) influenced adolescents in the United States of America, United Kingdom, and Germany; (2) explore the Nazi party view on ‘swing’ music of the era; (3) examine how the music of Charlie and his Orchestra became used as a tool for Nazi propaganda; and ...

Sounding The Congregational Voice, Marissa Glynias Moore

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Congregational singing is a participatory vocal practice undertaken by Christians across a wide range of denominations, yet the specific qualities and active capacities of the congregational voice have yet to be investigated. Drawing on recent musicological and philosophical perspectives on voice, I theorize the congregational voice as an active practice, illuminating its abilities to do something in worship through sound.

Taking Brian Kane’s model of the voice as a circulation of content (logos), sound (echos), and source (topos), I explore how these categories are redefined through an active-based theorization of congregational singing. I argue that topos must be expanded ...

Natural Singing: A Guide For Using The Alexander Technique To Teach Voice, Paige Sentianin

Voice and Opera Graduate Theses & Dissertations

This thesis discusses various ways in which voice teachers can use principles of the Alexander Technique to help students sing with more freedom and efficiency. I first define these principles, and then explain their applications to singing. By examining several published sources and conducting interviews with teachers of both the Alexander Technique and voice, I have compiled practical advice and exercises together into a guide for those who study the art of singing. This research not only helps with efficient singing, but also dispels misconceptions of kinesthetic awareness and body use in relation to vocal pedagogy. The goal of this ...

The Flutists Of The John Philip Sousa’S Band: A Study Of The Flute Section And Soloists, Ramon Da Silva Moraes

Dissertations

THE FLUTISTS OF THE JOHN PHILIP SOUSA’S BAND: A STUDY OF THE FLUTE SECTION AND SOLOISTS

by Ramon da Silva Moraes

May 2018

The Sousa Band is widely known because of its leader and his compositions. Although it was one of the most successful ensembles in history, most of the instrumentalists and individuals who contributed to its success have had their legacies forgotten. The flute section of the Sousa Band is an example of a group of musicians who were recognized as some of the best in the United States during their time, but are neglected by the present ...

Transcribing And Editing The Selected Works Of Robert Fleming Through Sibelius Music Software, Annaleise A. Lee

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Transcribing and Editing the Selected Works of Robert Fleming Through Sibelius Music Software

"The Cambridge Companion To Percussion," Edited By Russell Hartenberger, John Michael Cooper

Performance Practice Review

Book Review: Hartenberger, Russell, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Percussion. Cambridge Companions to Music. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016. ISBN 978-1-107-09345-4.

John Michael Cooper discusses this 2016 work published by Cambridge University Press and edited by Russell Hartenberger.

Not Set In Stone: Mikhail Pletnev's Rewrite Of Scriabin's Piano Concerto, Anatole Leikin

Performance Practice Review

Not Set in Stone: Mikhail Pletnev’s Rewrite of Scriabin’s Piano Concerto

Scriabin’s Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor, Op. 20 (1897), was initially met with harsh criticisms. Then, in 1899, the critics’ and the public’s reaction suddenly changed from disparaging to admiring. Subsequently, Scriabin’s performances of the Concerto continued to consistently gather highest accolades throughout Russia, Western Europe, and the U.S.

The only credible explanation for such a remarkable metamorphosis is that Scriabin somehow modified (and improved) the piano part in his performances. No written corrections of the piano score exist, which is not at ...

Score Review: Rameau, Jean-Philippe. "Les Indes Galantes" And "Daphnis Et Eglé.", Geoffrey Burgess

Performance Practice Review

Score review: Rameau, Jean-Philippe. Les Indes galantes: Symphonies, RCT 44 ed. Sylvie Bouissou, ed. no. BA 7568. Paris: Société Jean-Philippe Rameau; international distributor: Bärenreiter, 2017; Rameau, Jean-Philippe. Daphnis et Eglé, RCT 34, ed. Érik Kocevar, piano reduction François Saint-Yves. Paris: Société Jean-Philippe Rameau; international distributor: Bärenreiter, 2017.

Geoffrey Burgess discusses this 2017 edition of Jean-Philippe Rameau's works.