Digital Commons Network^™

Community Outreach: A Piano Concert Designed For Children, Hsin Shih Liu

Dissertations

Evidence exists that music community outreach has been practiced for at least around a century in Western countries. However, in Taiwan, the idea of music community outreach is relatively new and not as commonly seen as in the United States. This research provides mention of community outreach organizations and individuals in Taiwan and the United States. Additionally, it is aimed to assist in designing more successful programs in the future. Included in this dissertation are a methodology of designing an effective concert program for children and the concert feedback form provided to the participants. This project featured three piano concerts …

Exploring The Collegiate Choir Participant's Values Within Ensemble Performances, Kaelyn Hunter

Honors Theses

This study examined how collegiate choral ensemble participants viewed their highest quality performance and their favorite performance. Examining characteristics of performances may encourage conversations about performance values between directors and students. Limited research has been done about musicians’ views, as getting accurate and in-the-moment documentation of how musicians feel about their performances is challenging. To provide more insight into this previously understudied topic, this study aimed to explore the musicians’ perspectives on their performances and how their emotions and repertoire are intertwined.

The Primary Investigator (PI) conducted an anonymous study among the 2022–2023 choral ensemble participants at The University of …

Eliciting A Syncopated Response From An Ensemble, Thomas Trautman

Dissertations

This dissertation began the process of aggregating available knowledge on the subject of eliciting a syncopated response from a musical ensemble from professors of conducting and conducting textbooks, searching for commonalities, and distilling them into several independent variables which can then be quantitatively tested in an experimental or quasi-experimental setting in future research.

Participants (n = 11) were Directors of Choral Activities, or any other job title with similar responsibilities, at universities which confer doctoral degrees in Choral Conducting. Each participant was required to have a different educational background than every other participant. Participants were given 15 examples of …

Transgender And Nonbinary Attitudes Toward The Choral Music Education Major Experience, Bailee Green

Honors Theses

Transgender and nonbinary individuals face unique challenges in the choral community because of their gender identity. The foundation of the choral ensemble and its methods are rooted in the gender binary, making it hard for gender-expansive singers to feel a sense of belonging.

The purpose of this thesis project was to gauge the experiences and opinions of transgender and nonbinary choral music education majors who participate in at least one choral ensemble. Data was obtained through a voluntary survey that asked participants how their gender affected aspects of their experience as a choral music education major. Survey results led to …

What Have Mississippi Band Directors Found Successful When Teaching The Horn?: A Qualitative Survey, Madeleine Case

Honors Theses

This study surveyed band directors in the state of Mississippi, asking them what methods they use to teach the horn. The purpose of this research was to find some solid methods and concepts that participants found successful in their horn teaching, as well as open the discussion on what makes horn teaching unique to that of other instruments. Participants were selected for an online survey on two criteria: they had to have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Music or Music Education, and they had to have at least one year of teaching experience in Mississippi.

After participants were surveyed, …

A Performer’S Guide To Barbara York’S Four Paintings By Grant Wood, Allen Parrish

Dissertations

In 2012, Barbara York was commissioned by John Manning to write Four Paintings by Grant Wood for solo tuba. The work is based on four paintings by native Iowan painter, Grant Wood. The four paintings are Stone City, Iowa; Young Corn; American Gothic; and Parson Weems’ Fable. York included details from these paintings in each movement. This dissertation includes information about Barbara York, Grant Wood, the programmatic details of Four Paintings by Grant Wood, and technical considerations for the work. The performer should be better prepared to create a well-informed performance after reading this dissertation.

Nadia Boulanger’S Fantaisie Variée Pour Piano Et Orchestre A Study Of A Significant Unpublished Piece, Sarah Elias

Dissertations

The research consists of a brief historical and biographical overview of Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979), a main focus of a thematic and motivic analysis of her work Fantaisie variée pour piano et orchestre, along with touching upon the influences of Fauré, Debussy, Widor, Reger, and Franck on its composition, and a mention of the process of obtaining the Fantaisie from the Centre international Nadia et Lili Boulanger. Boulanger produced works in a variety of genres, including: a fugue; more than thirty songs for voice and piano; two completed works for solo piano; three works for organ; several chamber works; three works …

Johann Strauss Ii's Die Fledermaus: Historical Background And Conductor's Guide, Jennifer Bruton

Dissertations

Students pursuing graduate degrees in conducting often have aspirations of being high school or college choir or band directors. Others want to lead orchestra programs in educational or professional settings. Sadly, many colleges and universities do not have systems in place that provide avenues for those choosing this career path. The curriculum should go beyond teaching the rudiments of baton technique. Students should receive instruction and practical experience, applying what they have learned. Lab bands and choirs are a helpful tool, but I believe opera programs provide an ideal and essential venue where conductors can not only improve and hone …

A Content Analysis Of Flow And Music: Teaching, Performance, And Consumption, Lindsey Keay

Dissertations

Positive psychologist Csikszentmihalyi (2008) describes flow as a state of heightened concentration and arousal where a balance of skill and challenge cause someone to be so absorbed in a task that everything else seems to disappear. The result of the experience can be one of immense enjoyment and satisfaction. Musical activities lend themselves well to the flow experience due to the multifaceted tasks of listening, practicing, performing, or teaching music. With flow being an ideal creator of intrinsic motivation, music teachers and performers should consider flow and its implications for music making and music instruction.

The purpose of this study …

Male Belting: An Exploration Of Technique And Style From 1967 To Current, Bruce Earnest

Dissertations

Male belting is found in many different stylistic forms of musical theatre repertoire. Its evolution began in the late 1960s with the emergence of the rock musical phenomenon and the early musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Belting is a musical theatre singing technique that achieves specific vocal tone qualities derived from speechlike tones. These tone qualities can resonate through a performance space without the use of amplification.

Belting technique has also evolved to support the singing of musical theatre repertoire that requires an extended male vocal tessitura and honest communication of text. The advance of belting as a legitimate vocal …

Finding Euridice: A Singers Introduction To Jonathan Dove's L'Altra Euridice, Cody Laun

Dissertations

Orphean mythology continues to fascinate musical and literary scholars to this day. The thematic elements originally presented in the Greek myth of Orpheus and Euridice continue to be written about and studied, and this interest in antiquity plays a critical role in solidifying the myth’s importance and value to today’s musical and literary scenes. Dove’s L’altra Euridice presents the traditional Orphean mythology, but in a radically altered account of the transpiring events, reversing Orpheus’ and Plutone’s roles as hero and villain. Dove wrote two seemingly divergent ethea, which causes elements of the emotional content within the narrative are lost …

Barfield, Kazik, Nazaykinskaya, And Beyond: A Discussion Of The Commission Process Regarding Trombone Literature, S. Kyle Moore

Honors Theses

There has historically been limited repertoire for trombonists to perform outside of orchestral writing—so limited that the first trombone solo recital was performed by Davis Shuman in 1947. The trombone has been present in the musical community since the mid-fifteenth century, yet it has only recently emerged as a unique, virtuosic instrument. Due to its delayed emergence and limited repertoire, the need to advance the instrument and its musical literature has led to the commission process between artists and composers: Interested parties approach composers with the prospect of writing music for compensation. In this manner, the composer is compensated for …

An Analysis Of Dvořák’S Symphony No. 6, Ii, Using Neo-Riemannian Transformation Techniques, Mary Hannah Mallett

Honors Theses

Music theory is often used to analyze compositions and provide insight into the inner workings of the literature. Any new type of analysis provides a different view of the work and they can all be used to better understand the work, composer, and performance practice. This analysis uses Neo-Riemannian Transformation Theory to highlight some of the voice leading within Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony. The Sixth Symphony currently has never been analyzed using Neo-Riemannian Transformation Theory. The entire second movement was analyzed using a traditional harmonic analysis and then the author selected three excerpts, containing voice leading that could be classified using …

Bridging The Gap: Making Modern Dance Accessible To The General Public Through Elements Of Art And Entertainment, Samantha S. Russell

Honors Theses

My senior choreographic project, DoRaMiFaSoDoSiDo, was inspired by and dedicated to the relationships I share with my six siblings. It was set to the song "Attaboy" off of the collaborative album The Goat Rodeo Sessions by Chris Thile, Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, and Edgar Meyer. Influenced by the bright and fun atmosphere of barn dances, this seven-person concert dance was performed in the Repertory Dance Company Fall Dance Concert at the Mannoni Performing Arts Center in Hattiesburg, MS in the fall of 2015. This paper investigates different choreographic methods that I discovered through the process of creating my senior project …

An Annotated Bibliography And Performance Commentary Of The Works For Concert Band And Wind Orchestra By Composers Awarded The Pulitzer Prize In Music 1993-2015, And A List Of Their Works For Chamber Wind Ensemble, Stephen Andrew Hunter

Dissertations

The purpose of this document is to assemble into one resource the concert band, wind orchestra, and chamber wind ensemble compositions of the 23 composers who were awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music between 1993 and 2015. The Pulitzer Prize in Music is given annually to an American composer in recognition of distinguished achievement in composition of a work that received its premiere during the previous year. Timothy Mahr completed this study on composers who received the Prize from 1943 to 1992. This is a continuation and replication of that study, following Mahr’s procedures.

A brief biographical sketch will be …

A Quantitative Analysis Of The Relationship Between K–12 Music Educators And Collegiate Music Education Researchers And Instructors: Is There A Disconnect?, Meghan Kilpatrick Sheehy

Dissertations

Many researchers in a variety of fields have reported on disconnect between researcher and practitioner (Barry, Taylor, & Hair, 2001; Buysse, Sparkman, & Wesley, 2003; Fox, 1992; Fuchs et. al., 1996; Graham et. al., 2006; Hattie & Marsh, 1996; Lang, Wyer, & Haynes, 2007; Rynes, Bartunek, & Daft, 2001). In music education, this topic is frequently discussed (Brand, 1984, 2006; Byo, 1991; Flowers, Gallant, & Single, 1995; Hedden, 1979; Nelson, 2011; Paney, 2004; Radocy, 1983) but evidence is still primarily anecdotal (Nelson, 2011). The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure the relationship between K–12 music educators and collegiate …

The Effect Music Has In Speech Therapy, Emily K. Nester

Honors Theses

The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the use of music in speech therapy. A survey was sent via email to Mississippi Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) certified speech-language pathologists to acquire knowledge on the use of music in their therapy sessions. The author used the source, SurveyMonkey, to collect and analyze the data. The data was used to determine the prevalence of music in speech therapy. In addition, when music was used, the data portrayed how music was incorporated into therapy and the particular gender, genre, and/or disorder preferred.

Inside The Score In The 21st Century: Techniques For Contemporary Large Jazz Ensemble Composition, Tyler Dennis

Honors Theses

This study will attempt to de-mystify some of the techniques utilized in contemporary large ensemble jazz arranging. Large ensemble writing has morphed drastically from its earlier, more well-known inceptions, and yet there is no academic literature out there to explain exactly what this change entails. Through this study, I will attempt to break down the components of this music in order to provide insight for the non-musician and inspiration for the aspiring jazz composer. There is a wealth of knowledge to be found in the large ensemble music of the past decade, and I will attempt to systematically break this …

Preparation And Performance Of William Bolcom’S Cabaret Songs, Sara Linger

Honors Theses

The Cabaret Songs Complete by William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein are true gems amongst the vast genre of twentieth century American art song. These songs are particularly unique because they meld the world of classical singing with modern styles, such as jazz, pop, and blues, as only William Bolcom can do. The songs are musically and dramatically challenging, making them less common in the traditional college student repertoire. Studying and performing these pieces has been a challenging and rewarding experience for me.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a resource for the preparation of a cabaret show, specifically …

A Stylistic Analysis Of Six Pieces For Solo Piano By Rodion Shchedrin And A Stylistic Analysis Of Trespreludiosa Modo De Toccata, Dos Danzas Cubanas, And Estudio De Contrastes By Harold Gramatges, Amanda Virelles Del Valle

Dissertations

This document compiles stylistic analysis for performance of selected works by the Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin and the Cuban composer Harold Gramatges. The piano music of these composers has been gaining international acclaim since the 1950's. The unique harmonic language, the elements of folklore, and the virtuosity found in these pieces make them very attractive for performance and research.

The document unites two papers, each supplementing lecture recitals offered on April 16 and 28, 2008. In each paper, after a brief biographical summary and an account of the piano repertoire of the respective composer, the pieces are examined, and matters …