Digital Commons Network^™

Singers’ Experiences Of Community In The Shenandoah Valley Children’S Choir, Heidi B. King

Masters Theses, 2020-current

In the music and education fields, researchers have explored the ways people experience community in classroom and ensemble settings; however, few studies have focused on the ways adolescents experience community in the children’s choir setting. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore singers’ perspectives of their experience of community in the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir. Fifteen singers participated in focus group interviews to generate primary data; rehearsal observations and document analysis served as secondary data sources. Analysis revealed that participants’ goals and motivations aligned with the stated goals of the organization, and that these shared goals gave …

Words, Music, Memory: An Exploration Of Four Soprano Song Cycles By Lori Laitman Based On Poetry By Victims Of The Holocaust, Sheena Ramirez

Dissertations, 2020-current

This Doctor of Musical Arts document is an exploration of the four soprano song cycles by Lori Laitman based on text settings from victims of the Holocaust, with a specific focus on the compositional and performance devices that both underpin the power of words to bear witness to lived experience and ensure the process of musical commemoration as an act of historical preservation. Lori Laitman (b. 1955) has composed ten distinct song cycles commemorating victims of the Holocaust, of which four are included in this study – I Never Saw Another Butterfly, In Sleep the World is Yours, The Ocean …

Five Songs By Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960): From Nostalgia To Christian Hope And The Assurance Of Heaven, James K. Richardson

Dissertations, 2020-current

During the first few decades of the twentieth century, prolific composer, teacher, and conductor, Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960), was well-regarded for his contribution to the landscape of English art song. However, against the backdrop of Modernism and the tumult of the Second World War, his musical style was deemed “out of touch.” In a 1943 chain of correspondence with fellow songwriter Roger Quilter, Gibbs describes feeling “exceedingly sore and discouraged at neglect at the hands of the critics.” He further explains, “Just because we both write music that is intelligible & frankly tries to aim at beauty, we are considered beneath …

Multicultural Music Education: Preparedness, Perceptions, And Practice Among Virginia Elementary Music Educators, Benjamin J. Luna

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Benjamin Joel Luna, M. M.

James Madison University, 2021

Supervisor: Lisa M. Maynard

The purpose of this study was to examine the Multicultural Music Education (MME) practices of established (i.e. more than three years of music teaching experience) Elementary Music Teachers in the state of Virginia by examining their responses to a series of survey questions specific to the topic. Participants (N=18) were all current Elementary Music Teachers in the state of Virginia with more than three years of experience.

Participants were asked to use Likert-scale ratings for the majority of the questions but were also given the …

Exploring Unpredictability In Augusta Read Thomas' Six Piano Etudes And Traces, Gianne Ge Zhu

Dissertations, 2020-current

Augusta Read Thomas (1964-) composes in many genres. Her music is often filled with subtle nuances of articulation and color, and contains many intentional "surprises." Thomas achieves these sound effects by applying three compositional principles: by providing a score with detailed instructions and additional information that result in the feeling of "spontaneity"; by using her "organic" language to transform the connections to the past or to living composers; and by considering all musical elements as one "gestalt" to form her music.

Six Piano Etudes (1996-2005) and Traces (2006) are filled with "surprises," in which the listener can discover elements of …

Rachmaninoff’S Second Piano Sonata, Op. 36: Large Scale Narrative Consequences Of Revision, Robert Brooks Carlson

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

A staple of the solo piano recital, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Sonata, op. 36, stands as one of the final romantic submissions to the art of the piano sonata. Rachmaninoff first published the sonata in 1913, and he returned to the piece in 1931 to revise it substantially, removing about five minutes from its performance time. Despite its compositional, emotional, and physical virtuosity, the work has received little analytic attention regarding the relationship between the two versions. This paper investigates the consequences of Rachmaninoff’s revisions by constructing a musical narrative for the sonata. The process illuminates structures within the piece …

A Pedagogical Approach To The Technical Aspects Of Eugène Ysaÿe’S Solo Violin Sonatas No. 5 And No. 6, Jianda Bai

Dissertations, 2020-current

Since the completion of Ysaÿe’s Six Sonatas for the Solo Violin in 1923, performances of this important work in the violin literature have continually been well received by the public. This collection is frequently compared with J.S. Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas for the Solo Violin, because of the clear connection between these two works. Each of Ysaÿe’s pieces were dedicated to six younger violinist contemporaries and were composed in consideration of the character of the dedicatee, forming a kaleidoscope of musical and technical delights for both the performer and their audience.

While each of Ysaÿe’s six sonatas offer …

Factors Influencing Student Continuance In Instrumental Music Classes: A Quantitative Analysis, Andrew Duncan

Masters Theses, 2020-current

In this quantitative study I investigated relationships between motivation, music aptitude, academic achievement, race, gender, and instrument type and student continuance in their first year of instrumental music study. Beginning instrumental music students (n = 30) completed the EVC Survey (Kosovich et al., 2015) to determine expectancy, value, and cost. I collected data on music aptitude, gender, race, and instrument type from teacher and school records, and conducted binary logistic regression and Chi-Square tests in order to determine predictors of continuance in instrumental music classes. I excluded gender, race, and instrument type from the logistic regression model because they did …

American Euphonium Literature: Trends And Analysis From The Golden Age Of Bands Through The 21st Century, Phillip M. Marion

Dissertations, 2020-current

There is an extensive body of American compositions for euphonium and wind ensemble that developed in the Golden Age of Bands, came to fruition in the late 20th century, and continues to diversify through the 21st century. This document includes historical discussion of the euphonium’s development and analysis of quintessential works to the repertoire. The literature is grouped into three unique historical categories which are used to delineate chapters. Each chapter highlights the history and trends for euphonium development, performance, and literature within the timeframe. An analysis of Eduardo Boccalari’s Fantasia di Concerto, James Curnow’s Symphonic Variants, and Anthony Barfield’s …

Development Of A String Orchestra Method Book And Online Resources With A Hip-Hop Focus, Emily T. Waters

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The main purpose of this master’s Capstone Project was to create a prototype beginning String Orchestra Method Book, “Stringdom”, and a related Website with resources to accompany the book. The link to the website is: https://emilymthomas10.wixsite.com/stringdom. I had three main objectives or purposes for developing this book: (1) to increase engagement in my orchestra class, and potentially orchestra classes around the country, using music that students already know and love; (2) to increase the representation of artists and composers of color in the string community; and (3) to create a method book that is more accessible and reflects …

Notes From The Editor, David A. Stringham

Research & Issues in Music Education

No abstract provided.

Personal And Professional Characteristics Of Music Education Professors: Factors Associated With Expectations And Preferences Of Undergraduate Students, Tiger Robison

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to examine music education undergraduate students’ expectations of and preferences for their music education faculty members’ personal and professional backgrounds and compare them to the actual backgrounds of current music teacher educators. Participants (N = 293) from 55 randomly-selected NASM-accredited institutions completed a researcher-created questionnaire. Participants expected and preferred their music education faculty members to have approximately nine years of PreK–12 teaching experience, which is approximately three times the amount posted in faculty searches and doctoral program entrance requirements. Participants most valued their music education professors’ experiences in assessment and classroom management and …

The Birth Of Rime And The Passing Of The Torch, Bruce P. Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

No abstract provided.

Supply And Demand: Music Teacher Shortage In The United States, Philip M. Hash

Research & Issues in Music Education

Teacher shortage in all subjects, including music, has been an ongoing concern in the United States since the 1980s. The shortage is especially acute in urban and rural schools that serve economically disadvantaged students. This article examines (a) music teacher shortage in relation to P–12 public schools in general, (b) the demand for music teachers in specific states and regions, (c) the declining number of preservice candidates certified in music, and (d) potential strategies for alleviating music teacher shortages and providing equitable instruction for P–12 students. Solutions could involve heightened efforts to recruit music education majors, curricular revision in preservice …

An Examination Of Student And Faculty Perceptions Regarding Music Education Transfer Student Preparedness And Experiences, Natalie Steele Royston, Philip D. Payne, Adrian D. Barnes, Kate Bertelli-Wilinski

Research & Issues in Music Education

Transfer students account for growing numbers in four-year music education programs. To better understand this increasing population of students, researchers employed parallel method design. One strand investigated music education faculty members’ (n = 83) perceptions of transfer student preparedness, procedures, and expectations to understand admissions processes (e.g., curricula, assessments) employed to evaluate incoming transfer students. The other strand examined music education transfer students’ (n = 12) academic, social, and personal preparedness to study music education in a comprehensive four-year music education program. The following research questions served as a guide for data collection and analysis: (a) What themes …

An Exploration Of The Use Of And The Attitudes Toward Technology Among Fourth And Fifth Grade Band And Orchestra Teachers, Students, And Their Parents, Danni Gilbert

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to determine what technologies are used in fourth- and fifth-grade instrumental music and to examine factors that influence the attitudes of teachers, students, and their parents toward the use of those technologies. Two researcher-designed questionnaires, the Technology in Music Usage Questionnaire (TMUQ) and the Technology in Music Attitude Questionnaire (TMAQ), were administered to a sample of teachers, students, and parents associated with first-year elementary instrumental music in a large, American Midwest urban school district. Results indicated that while most teachers use technology in class (87.0%), it is generally only used up to a third …

Video Game Sound As Educational Space, Leonard Grasso

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Synergizing fields such as music theory, computing, musicology, cognition, and psychology, scholars and practitioners have approached game music from many directions. However, research on pedagogical usages of game music is still emerging. While many education scholars have researched game-based-learning (Bourgonjon et al, 2013; Simões, Redondo, & Vilas, 2013; Beavis, Muspratt, & Thompson, 2015; Hamari et al, 2016), music education authors have largely remained distant from ludomusicology (the study of music as it relates to play). I intend to bridge that gap by examining the intersections of game music and sound, player interaction, and learning. My research synthesizes the work of …

An Annotated List And Searchable Database Of Works For Trumpet And Piano By Living American Composers, Shelby R. Carico

Dissertations, 2020-current

One of the hallmarks of a trumpet player’s performing experience is the thrill of playing solo works for trumpet and piano. Many of the works for solo trumpet and piano regularly performed today have long been considered canonical, and given the history of the trumpet, tend to be European in origin, and representative of past compositional trends and pedagogical approaches. Numerous players seek out works written by newer composers to include on solo recitals and juries. However, this is often a difficult endeavor to undertake, as the majority of existing trumpet repertoire databases and search engines contain older works. The …

The Underrepresented French Trombone: A Recording And Written Document Of Rarely Performed 20th Century Trombone Literature Of The Paris Conservatory, Kyle A. Remnant

Dissertations, 2020-current

The purpose of this project was to highlight some of the lesser-known trombone solos within the oeuvre of the Paris Conservatory Solo de Concours (Solo Contest). While the output of solo works through the Paris Conservatory has been well documented for over a century-and-a-half, there are numerous compositions that have not reached the canonical status of the works of Tomasi, Guilmant, Castérède, and others. Several Prix de Rome winners composed for the trombone as a solo instrument; among them are Alfred Bachelet, Henri Büsser, Jules Mazellier, Raymond Loucheur, Yvonne Desportes and Claude Pascal. Regrettably, no reference recordings exist for many …

An Autoethnography Of A Punk Rocker Turned Music Teacher, Jonathan Kladder

Research & Issues in Music Education

The criteria used to admit prospective music teachers in colleges and universities across the United States has remained relatively unchanged since their inception. These criteria disenfranchise a population of potential music teachers who hold musical backgrounds outside the Western European art tradition. This autoethnography illuminates the challenges and barriers experienced by a self-taught musician who attended two traditional music programs in a midwestern region of the United States. Using Berry’s (1980) six dimensions of acculturation as the theoretical framework to interpret these data, the author exposes challenges associated with his journey in achieving music teacher certification. As a qualitative investigation, …

"When I Wore A Younger Man's Clothes": The Nostalgia Topic In The Music Of Billy Joel, Kendall Waters

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

My father and I often listened to Billy Joel together as I grew up, and I eventually formed nostalgic connections to Joel’s music. While music is well known as a conductor of nostalgia, this paper explores the idea that the nostalgia I feel while listening to specific songs in Joel’s catalog is not simply a result of the indexical connections I have built with these tracks. Rather, it is a result of a “nostalgia topic” in Joel’s work. This paper compares the soundtrack and select works from Joel’s catalog to reveal that there is no one gesture, melody, or harmonic …