Digital Commons Network^™

Reading The Cultural Landscape In Suburban Boorloo/Perth: A Visual Inquiry, Sharon B. Callow

Theses : Honours

In suburban spaces, front yards are meaningful sites to examine settler understandings of, and responsibilities toward place. This exegesis and accompanying visual inquiry forms a creative critique of settler practices that have impacted Noongar people, their culture and Country. Using decolonising and alter-political perspectives alongside a practice-led methodology, the current state of domestic land practices, as evidenced by front yards in Boorloo/Perth, have been interrogated through site- specific research.

Settler-Australians, the non-Indigenous descendants of colonial arrivals and subsequent migrants, have benefitted from colonisation and the commodification of Indigenous land. Urban sprawl and the development of suburban housing estates has involved …

Playing Music: Reconsidering Game Pieces Through Tabletop Roleplaying Game Design, Izabelle French

Theses : Honours

Musical compositions that utilise game-like qualities and mechanics are commonly often referred to as “game pieces”. The history of the game piece spans across a long history, including “parlour games” of the Classical era, children’s games, and experimental Surrealist games of the early twentieth century. Ever since the emergence of Postmodernism, the boundaries of what a game piece can artistically achieve have greatly expanded, thanks to the work of composers such as Iannis Xenakis, Pauline Oliveros, John Zorn, Jennifer Walshe, and James Saunders. Following in their stead, this thesis offers a new and novel framework for considering and creating game …

Exploring Nate Smith’S Approach To Improvising On The Two-Piece Drum-Kit Through Analysis Of Selected Performances With The Fearless Flyers, Zachary S. Wise

Theses : Honours

Nate Smith is a highly acclaimed contemporary drummer, songwriter, and composer who displays virtuosic facility and pushes the boundaries of creativity within the contemporary funk and jazz- fusion drumming landscape. In performances with dynamic funk band The Fearless Flyers, Smith uses an uncommon, simplified drum set-up comprising just the kick, snare, and hi-hat (termed the ‘two-piece drum kit’), which introduces a range of challenges around maintaining creativity and the listener’s interest through just three distinct voices. This study investigates Smith’s approach to improvising on this restricted kit through transcription and analysis of six improvisations from selected studio and live performances …

Chopin’S Polonaise In Ab Major, Op.53: Constructing An Informed Interpretation, Arielle X. Lu

Theses : Honours

This dissertation centers around Chopin’s Polonaise in Ab Major and charts the various steps undertaken in forming an interpretation of the work. Four approaches inform the interpretation: 1) early prints and manuscripts, 2) later 19th-century performer editions, 3) analysis of historic recordings, and 4) interacting with relevant secondary literature. The results offer both new findings in relation to the broader field of Chopin studies and also offer scholar-performers new possibilities and paradigms in the performance of Chopin’s piano music.

The Space Between Writing And Dancing: Dancingwords/Wordsthatdance, Lara Dorling

Theses : Honours

This practice-led research investigates the figurative space between writing and dancing through a looped feedback cycle. The project explores the ‘conversation’ between writing and improvisational dance and how it forms a responsive process named dancingwords/wordsthatdance. Conducted in sessions lasting 30 minutes at a time, this project asks: how can writing and dancing intersect to create a broader and clearer understanding of embodied knowledge, improvisation, creative research process and personal practice? This research project involved solo studio investigation and an hour-long interview with dancer, writer, researcher, and choreographer Dr Jo Pollitt, who is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the ECU School …

A Musical Analysis Of Tosin Abasi's Contemporary Guitar Techniques, Thumping And Selective Picking, On The Madness Of Many (2016), Ashton Weaver

Theses : Honours

The progressive metal genre has gained popularity over the past fifteen years, attracting virtuosic musicians navigating complex meter, harmony, and technically demanding melodies. Guitarists within this genre often use extended techniques to generate innovative sounds and create unique compositions.

Award-winning, modern guitar hero Tosin Abasi embodies this individualistic virtuosity within the band Animals As Leaders, releasing five albums with the group. The extended techniques “Thumping” and “Selective Picking” have been pioneered by Abasi, with contemporary guitarists adopting these techniques following the release of Abasi’s educational DVD Thump! (Guitar Messenger, 2016). Despite the growing popularity of “Thumping” and “Selective Picking,” their …

Comparing Classical And Jazz Vocal Techniques, Styles, And Pedagogies: The Inquisitions And Experiences Of A Classically Trained Soprano Venturing Into The Realm Of Jazz Vocal Study, Charis O. Postmus

Theses : Honours

The music industry is always evolving, finding fresh ways of combining and presenting artforms, and adapting to meet the changing demands of audiences. Within this landscape, classical singers must actively work to maintain relevancy and expand their skillset. Cross-over and cross-genre singing is a tempting option for many, as it grants versatility and enables singers to move between two community networks. For singers who have only ever trained classically, ‘crossing over’ into the jazz genre can be intimidating. This is not helped by the lack of literature discussing cross-training or jazz vocal technique.

Through literature review and qualitative research methodology, …

Awaken The Dreamer: An Ontology Of Dreams In The Raven Cycle, Dreamstrider, And The Dreamwalker Trilogy, Clinton J. Visser

Theses : Honours

Existing scholarship on dreams in Young Adult (YA) Literature tends to revolve around the analysis and understanding of dreams using a psychanalytic approach. Using theorists like Freud and Jung, scholars analyse dreams to predict the future development of the self. My thesis, however, veers away from such psychoanalytic studies and focus more on the ontological and liminal powers of dreams. Within The Raven Cycle, Dreamstrider, and The Dreamwalker Trilogy dreams are used by dreamer protagonists as tools to access a constant state of becoming— the liminal space where the recognition and transformation of the self occurs. The use of dreams, …

Evaluating Ideasthesia As A Creative Tool In Compositional Practice: A Personal Reflection On Coloured Hearing Synesthesia, Suzanne Kosowitz

Theses : Honours

This research presents an evaluation of my compositional process with regard to synesthesia as a creative tool. Traditionally, the phenomenon of synesthesia has been discussed in perceptual terms, such as something that is seen visually elicits an additional experience in another sensory domain, such as sound. However, recent research has identified that there is an additional process involved in creating the secondary sensory experience, which is a semantic representation of concepts (ideasthesia). Specifically, my research considers ideasthesia in combination with a personal reflection on coloured hearing to provide a retrospective analysis of one of my compositions, Dance in Defiance (2012) …

Moments In Performance: Developing An Aid For Articulation And Reflection, Shelby R. Mckenzie

Theses : Honours

Embodiment is an innately human experience. Why then, is it so difficult for society to come to a shared understanding of what it is to be embodied? This problem is particularly relevant in a theatrical context. Critical thinking across the disciplines of Philosophy, Science and History have impacted an actor's theoretical understanding of embodiment. However, this has not affected their corporeal understanding. As an actor I realised that this gap led to my inability to articulate the embodied experience in my practice. This inability to explain the experience meant I was unable to experience it consistently. This thesis examines how …

Perspectives On The Relationship Between Theatre And Education: A West Australian Case Study, Ceri Anne Nordling

Theses : Honours

Many professional theatre companies incorporate education departments within their organisational structure to develop education offerings for schools. Education within the context of professional theatre companies offers multiple capacity building benefits. Consequently, education departments clearly have a role in strategically shaping contemporary Australian theatre companies. (Edwards & Upton, 2014). Likewise, the well documented positive impacts of arts learning is recognised by the sector. This has prompted widespread drama-education advocacy from education and theatre industries respectively, as well as through the combined efforts of education and industry partnerships. However, this project argues that for partnerships to sustain relevancy and cross-sector support, researchers …

Design, Sound And Compositional Aesthetic: The Grand Piano In Late Eighteenth-Century London And Vienna, Izaac Masters

Theses : Honours

During the late eighteenth century, the piano was the dominant musical instrument for musical composition, performance and instrument making. There were many innovations in the design, sound and touch of the piano, fuelling the emergence of a large body of idiomatic repertoire. Two distinct traditions of piano design emerged at the same time during the late eighteenth century, one in England and the other in Austria. The focal points of these traditions were, respectively, London and Vienna where resident composers in each of these locations wrote for the instruments made in these cities. Traditions of grand piano design in London …

Poverty And Social Security Experiences In Australia: Experiences Of Wellbeing For Recipients Of The 2020 Jobseeker Payment, Kira Huntley

Theses : Honours

The relationship between poverty caused by social security payments below the poverty line and poor wellbeing among recipients has long been established in academic research. In April 2020, recipients of Australia’s main unemployment benefit, Newstart, were temporarily lifted out of poverty due to their transition onto JobSeeker, a payment implemented to support Australian workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns in the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. This study sought to understand the experiences of wellbeing that receiving this increased payment and being embedded within a change policy framework engendered for participants who transitioned from Newstart to JobSeeker. …

Multimodal Learning For Dyslexic Musicians: Practical Applications For Adults, Melissa Mikucki

Theses : Honours

Dyslexia affects 15 to 20% of the population according to the International Dyslexia Association. Multimodal media, such as smartphones and tablets, which are capable of presenting varied modes of information (for example, visual, aural, and kinetic), have been shown to aid learning in dyslexic children. Music has been identified as a useful multisensory tool to help educators improve literacy skills in children. However, little research has been done on the impact of dyslexia on a child or adult’s ability to learn and perform music. Few studies have been undertaken that focus solely on dyslexia’s effect on musical ability in children; …

Exploring A Compositional Practice Through The Lens Of The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, Jie Hong Yang

Theses : Honours

Asian music was an important influence upon some Western composers such as Claude Debussy, Giacomo Puccini, Maurice Ravel, Henry Cowell, Oliver Messiaen, John Cage and Lou Harrison. Since the 1960s, Australian composers such as Peter Sculthorpe, Anne Boyd, Richard Meale, and Julian Yu have similarly been influenced by music of Asia. In 2007, Chou Wen-chung wrote about today’s commercially oriented ‘world music’ environment, and addressed the need for Chinese composers to provide more meaningful contribution to the musical culture by writing music informed by knowledge drawn from their cultural heritage. As an Australian born Chinese composer, this exegesis was an …

Adapting Barbershop Harmony For The Saxophone Quartet, Jonathon Astbury

Theses : Honours

Barbershop harmony refers to a unique style of arrangement and performance for voice that is strictly in four parts and acapella. There is much untapped potential in this close harmonic genre that could be explored in instruments other than the human voice. This paper set out to explore and establish a method of arranging and performing music of the barbershop style for the saxophone quartet. To achieve this transference of the style from voices to saxophones, the harmonic conventions and arranging rules of barbershop from the existing literature were established, along with a review of the literature pertaining to effective …

The Matusiflute: A Bi-Timbral Flute Modification And The Cultural Influences That Inform Its Performance Practice And Repertoire, Joshua Gabriel Mcmahon

Theses : Honours

A product of flute modification and experimentation, the Matusiflute is a headjoint that allows the performer to alter the timbre of the western concert flute. This thesis examines this bi-timbral instrument, invented by Swiss flautist Professor Matthias Ziegler, and explores its capabilities to shift to a buzzing timbral colour which is similar to that of the dizi (Chinese end-blown flute). Composers may use the instrument for its unique textural timbral colour or to imitate the culturally-informed performance style of the dízi. Though reflective performance practice, music analysis and an interview with the inventor, the thesis examines the Matusiflute to …

Supervisors’ Experience Of Emotion Work In Higher Degree By Research Supervision, Natalia Hazell

Theses : Honours

This research explored academic supervisors’ experiences with emotion work specifically related to their role of supervision in higher degree by research (HDR) candidates and how supervisors managed the complexities inherent in the role of student supervision. This study utilised 45 to 90 minute semi-structured interviews with seven HDR supervisors and explored their lived experiences with emotion work, in the context of four Australian universities. A qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach was adopted to elicit a deep and rich understanding of this phenomenon. A comprehensive literature review informed the theoretical discussions and analysis of the data revealed four superordinate themes: …

Making Space For Themselves: Lesbian Separatism In Western Australia, Amber-Lia Van Aurich

Theses : Honours

This study documented and reconstructed the stories of lesbians who experienced separatism during the 1970s and 1980s in Western Australia. This era of history has received little attention, particularly the Western Australian context, therefore sharing these marginalised women’s stories addresses the knowledge gap and provides a sense of place and identity in the past. I aimed to explore Western Australian examples of lesbian separatism in addition to aspects of identity, connection, community, and culture. The research involved a narrative study of stories by six informants who self-identify as lesbian, collected in multiple one-hour interviews in situ and reconstructed into a …

A Father At 1.5 Metres: Poems Of Pandemic And Fatherhood, Edward J. Leeming

Theses : Honours

'A Father at 1.5 Metres: Poems of Pandemic and Fatherhood' is a 36 poem collection with a connecting theme of uncertainty informed by John Keats‟ concept of negative capability. Negative capability, a term introduced by Keats in 1817, suggests that a writer is benefitted by a refusal of the formation of concrete ideas, that being in uncertainty without needlessly chasing after truth allows for a better understanding of the world, and of more perspectives in their writing. The negatively capable writer is more open to possibilities and of exploring new ideas; this allows them to pursue what Keats calls “beauty”, …

The Improvisational Art Of Shenzo Gregorio: Exploring His Transition From Classical Violinist To Cross-Genre Improviser, Judith A. Iddison

Theses : Honours

This dissertation examines the musical craft and artistry of innovative Australian violinist/violist Shenzo Gregorio (Shenton Gregory) and his transition from classical violinist to cross-genre improvisor. My research explores mental and practice strategies employed by Gregorio in making this transition, and how he has developed his authentic improvising style. This style draws on an eclectic range of musical genres and incorporates a variety of idiosyncratic extended techniques. Semi-structured interviews and demonstrations were conducted to gain insight into unique aspects of Gregorio’s improvisatory practice. In addition, transcription analyses of five of his recorded performances highlight his improvisational diversity and musical idiolect. Furthermore, …

An Examination Of Graham Fitkin’S Saxophone Music And Implications For The Modern Saxophonist, Sean Hayes

Theses : Honours

There is a significant body of academic writing on long-entrenched traditional chamber repertoire for the saxophone, both in the form of creative outputs (saxophone repertoire and études) and traditional academic writing (practical methods, journal articles, and dissertations). In contrast, the aggregate research output existing on “contemporary-classical” music for the saxophone is comparatively small. This research endeavours to contribute to the lesser-studied field, by providing an exposition on saxophone usage in the works of Graham Fitkin (1963-), an internationally recognised composer known for his music which demonstrates a variety of more recent styles, including post-minimalism, jazz and heavy influence from popular …

Developing A Music Composition Practice: Exploring The Choreography Of Cymatics, Joshua Jervis

Theses : Honours

Cymatics is an area of physics popularised by Hans Jenny that observes the influence of sound but more simply vibration on physical matter. When sound is directly applied to a substance, for example, water, the vibrations create kaleidoscopic movement within the medium. Specific variables primarily of pitch, container size, and water volume contribute to creating a variety of geometric shapes. Without sound cymatics does not exist and is, therefore, a visual characteristic of sound itself.

With an investigation into the behaviour and application of cymatics, this research uses the findings of an investigation to develop a ‘choreographical’ language that can …

Exploring And Reapplying Wayne Krantz’S Method Of Constructing The Album Greenwich Mean, Christian A. Meares

Theses : Honours

Praised for his non-traditional approach to improvised music, his idiosyncratic chordal voicings and strong sense of time, Wayne Krantz has become a touchstone in modern jazz and a unique voice on the guitar. In 1999, Krantz self-released Greenwich Mean, an album comprising of small vignettes spliced together from a year’s worth of recorded live improvisation from his weekly residency gig at the esteemed 55 Bar in New York’s Greenwich Village. This album marks a fundamental shift in Krantz’s approach to composition from through-composed works to smaller, novel arrangements with a strong emphasis on group improvisation.

Using a practice-led research …

Representations Of Chronic Migraine And Therapy Through New Electronic Music Composition, Peter Mcavan

Theses : Honours

This thesis explores compositional techniques in electronic music that depict and explore chronic migraine and the therapies that manage the condition. Migraines are typically described as a destructive, violent force or a hopeless ailment, but research shows that this perception is damaging for new patients learning to manage migraine. Furthermore, evidence suggests that better understanding of how pain works can be instrumental in reducing pain (a process called Therapeutic Neuroscience Education). Drawing from this literature and my experience as an electronic musician suffering from chronic migraine, I utilise a practice-led research methodology to explore current scientific understandings of migraine and …

The Impact Of Singing On Pulmonary Function And Quality Of Life In Patients With Muscular Dystrophy, Mia Simonette

Theses : Honours

Muscular dystrophy is a congenital disorder that results in progressive deterioration of muscle strength and function. The genetic disorder is caused by the absence of dystrophin protein which helps to keep muscle cells together, the absence of this protein causes muscles to become weak and fragile. Despite impairment of motor function and muscle strength, a major issue is the progressive impact on the respiratory muscles. Weak pulmonary function can lead to secondary issues such as atelectasis, decreased lung compliance, repeated infections, ineffective cough and ventilation-perfusion during sleep1. Respiratory failure is said to be the most common cause of death in …

Johann Melchior Gletle’S Expeditionis Musicæ Classis Ii, Op. 2: An Edition And Commentary, Michael James Clifton Lukin

Theses : Honours

This dissertation aims to bring to light the music of Johann Melchior Gletle (1626-1683); a Swiss-German composer who lived the majority of his life working as the organist and Kapellmeister of Augsburg Cathedral. The primary focus of this dissertation is a single volume of music composed by Gletle in 1668: the Expeditionis Musicae Classis II, Op. 2. Consisting of thirty-six vesper psalms, it is conjectured that this publication was a form of ‘functional music’ intended for liturgical performance at Augsburg Cathedral. The first part of the dissertation (Chapters 1 to 3), is devoted to contextualising and analysing this volume of …

Aletheia: The Orphic Ouroboros, Glen Mcknight

Theses : Honours

This thesis shows how The Orphic Hymns function as a katábasis, a descent to the underworld, representing a process of becoming and psychological rebirth. I begin with the Greek concept of sparagmόs, a dismemberment or deconstruction, as a necessary precursor in that it emphasises at once both primordial unity and yet also the incipient tensions within the Orphic initiates on this path to katabasis. The argument herein extends beyond literary explication to consider how the Orphics sought to enact this process in Greek society itself.

The thesis then establishes the connections between the Hymns and the thinking of …

“You Crossed My Mind … Before?”: An Intertextual Analysis Of Songs From 'To Pimp A Butterfly', Colin Outhwaite

Theses : Honours

Popular music often refers to, evokes and includes elements of other music from the past. This kind of intertextuality in popular music provides artists and audiences with short-cuts to making and interpreting meaning. It draws on nostalgia, past listening experiences and idealised perceptions of the past. Artists engaging in this practice risk criticism for being too derivative. Conversely, artists who are too innovative and forward-looking run the risk of not connecting to listeners. Kendrick Lamar’s hip-hop album of 2015 To Pimp A Butterfly is lauded as being simultaneously innovative and steeped in the recent history of African American music. Lamar …

Julien Wilson: Improvisation And Timbral Manipulation On Selected Recordings With The Julien Wilson Trio, Maximillian Wickham

Theses : Honours

This dissertation analyses the playing style of Australian jazz saxophonist Julien Wilson. More specifically, the investigation focuses on his recordings with the Julien Wilson Trio – arguably Wilson’s best known and most original group – featuring Wilson on tenor saxophone, Stephen Grant on piano accordion, and Stephen Magnusson on nylon-string and electric guitars. Although Wilson has received many accolades throughout his career and has been highly lauded by critics, fans and fellow musicians, there is very little academic research investigating his playing style. This dissertation seeks to address this imbalance through an analysis of Wilson’s recordings with his most distinctive …