Digital Commons Network^™

Music As A Tool, Kayla Boone

Capstones

My community is focused on individuals who are currently struggling or have struggled with their mental health and are seeking music as an alternative to psychotherapy.

New York’S Jazz Scene Decimated By Ongoing Shutdown, Alissa L. Mcpherson

Capstones

New York's jazz scene is in shambles. COVID has disrupted virtually all in-person musical performances. Musicians are left with no definite time frame as to when they will be allowed to enter a club again, and club owners are doing all they can to keep the music alive.

Revamping The Guitar Curriculum: Adapting Piano Methods And Theory To Apply To The Guitar, Brian Cummings

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In this paper I will discuss the importance of a well rounded pedagogy for beginning guitar students. The existing piano pedagogy has courses outlining lessons and appropriate pieces correlated with lessons in technique, theory, ear training, sight reading, as well as other disciplines; the guitar has nothing like it to compare. I will also include a creative project including examples of piano lessons adapted for the guitar, including theory ideas using the fretboard, finding intervals on one string using half steps represented by the frets, and example pieces that offer a variety in genres, among other things. I will draw …

Music Therapy: Revitalizing Alzheimer's Disease Patients, Natalie Villalobos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper explains the different benefits that music therapy has on patients with Alzheimer's disease. It will briefly explain what Alzheimer’s disease is: the causes, some of the symptoms, and the effects it may have. Also, the paper will explore the impact music has on the brain in regards to affecting a specific area, its connection to memory, and to emotions. Although Alzheimer’s does not have a cure, research has shown that music therapy does decrease the rate at which it grows. By looking at results from different research studies, a better understanding of what treatment or a specific session …

Mixing Music In Dolby Atmos, Roberto Cabanillas

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper will focus on Dolby Atmos as a surround sound program developed by Dolby Laboratories with the intent to be used to enhance the audio experience. Within this paper, there would be research done to explain a brief history of Dolby Laboratories and a considerable amount on Dolby Atmos. It will also explain how Atmos works and how the production program is used to make immersive mixes. It will go in-depth on the capabilities of how it can be used for mixing music. This paper will include sources ranging from manuals, websites, and books to show how Dolby Atmos …

Language Learning From The Developmental And Neurocognitive Perspective: An Examination Of The Impact Of Music On Second Language Acquisition, Shelby Grimm

Honors College Theses

This literature review aims to analyze the influence of music as a learning tool throughout the process of second language acquisition. Through the compilation and analysis of recent research conducted on the academic, cultural, and linguistic impacts of music on the four modes of language, which include reading, speaking, writing, and listening, this thesis will demonstrate the effects of incorporating music into the second language learning curriculum. Definitions of both music and language, as well as a description of the components of both areas will be included. An examination of the neurocognitive relationship between music and language, as well as …

Exploring The Gospel Fusion Arrangements Of The Recording Collective, Tyler Williams

Composition/Recording Projects

Exploring the Gospel Fusion Arrangements of The Recording Collective

The Importance Of Having Properly Funded Art Programs And The Benefits It Brings To Public Schools, Chelsey Brown

Liberal Arts Capstones

This presentation is to help raise awareness towards art education in schools and how these programs are losing their funding. The main focus is to present information on how the arts benefit people in both the school and in more public settings. Politics affect how much money is given to the arts and if the school is not art-rich, they may suffer and have a poorly funded arts program. The arts provide cognitive, health, and social benefits that can help kids learn and can also help those who participate in community programs. Students who participate in art, music, theater, or …

Hymeno : The Music In Ministry, Jamila Patricie Sylvester

Master of Music Projects

INTRODUCTION

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” — John 3:16 KJV Arguably one of the best-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16. A quick glimpse of those seven little letters and numbers spelling out John 3:16 and, like the first four measures of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, immediately people know what you are talking about. It matters not if they are faithful church-going believers or unbelievers, people know – or do they? In the 2009 live-streamed college championship football game between …

Mindfulness, Flow And Self-Care For Double Bass Musicians, Samuel R. Brown

Music ETDs

In this qualitative multi-case study, three college-age music majors from the local state university were interviewed, observed, and asked to complete reflections in order to answer the following questions: How do mindfulness activities affect collegiate double bass music students’ perceptions of their own playing and practicing? My secondary questions were 1) how do mindfulness activities affect flow experiences among collegiate double bass music students, and 2) how do mindfulness activities affect students’ perception of self-care? The interviews were transcribed, coded using “concept coding” (Miler, Huberman, & Saldaña, 2020), and then grouped into categories, themes, and sub-themes. The themes were time, …

Prescribed Freedom, Proscribed Freedom: Compositional And Improvisational Balances In Jazz, Andrew W. Saliba

Masters Theses

Jazz is a recent and flexible art form, rooted in the twin musical strains of occidental canon and folkloric African-American music. From its genesis, jazz musicians have had the difficult task of reconciling these seemingly opposite musical parents while simultaneously building a new musical canon that respects and upholds its past, even as it celebrates new individual voices. Like any multifaceted challenge this balancing of elements has not always gone smoothly, and attempts to codify the delineation and categorization of jazz remain controversial even now. There is additional challenge in defining the nature of “free” improvised music. While free music …

Analyzing Perceptions Of Music From A Songwriting Perspective, Jackson Stephen Reynosa

Communication Studies

This study seeks to understand listeners’ perceptions of music from a generational and songwriting approach. A total of 123 participants aged 18 and older took part in an open-ended survey design that measured their subjective music preferences. Four different sections tested participants’ music taste, music tied to generations, an original song made by the researcher, and songwriting in a holistic sense. It was found that participants exercised individualism and authenticity in their responses throughout. By using the Uses and Gratifications Theory, it is explainable that people listened and sought out music for their own unique reasons. By applying Mood Management …

Encounters: System For Creative Improvisation, Drake R. Andersen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Encounters is an indeterminate musical composition or, more precisely, a flexible system for creative improvisation. Performers improvise and interact with one another through four possible games whose instructions are laid out in the performance materials. This version of Encounters includes parts for flute, clarinet in B-flat, violin, viola, cello, double bass, percussion and piano, reflecting the performing forces of the premiere. However, the instrumentation is open, and any of the parts can be adapted to other instruments contingent upon the range and transposition of the particular instrument. The duration is indeterminate.

The Metamorphosis Of Marching Band: A Case Study Exploring The Evolution Of Marching Bands From A Specific State In The Southeastern United States, Addison Murphree

Music ETDs

ABSTRACT

How has the evolution of marching band in the Southeastern United states effected bands and their programs? This study investigates the many factors of marching band by gathering data in the form of interviews. The participants within this study are three band directors that are retired from high schools with a consistent record of superior ratings in marching band; the directors represent different levels of teaching from middle school, high school, and community college. After artifacts were compiled, the gathered information was transcribed, documented, and coded for common themes. The common themes explored the evolutionary factors of band between …

A Cajun Tale, Daniel D. Schultz

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Not required for Music Composition

Lived Experience Of Music Therapists As Musician-Therapists, Kotoe Suzuki

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The dissertation research explored the lived experiences of music therapists who are performing musicians. A conceptual foundation of music therapists as musicians, a “musician-therapist” who is deeply versed in the unique properties of music can be identified in the literature (Ansdell & Verney, 2008; Nordoff & Robbins, 1973). The objectives of this study were to explore three topics: 1) deeper understandings of music therapists’ musical improvisation both in clinical and nonclinical settings, 2) the connection between music therapists’ personal and professional musical growth, and 3) identity formation. A qualitative method was chosen for this research including reflexive/embodied/interpretative phenomenology, and arts-based …

Rolling In The Modern: The Mahler-Roller Productions Of The Vienna Court Opera House (Historical Essay And Syllabus), Gregory Eckhardt

Music Theses and Dissertations

This project takes the Mahler-Roller productions at the Vienna Court Opera House as a case study to examine the ways that contemporary artistic trends can influence operatic productions. By analyzing the sketches Roller created for their productions, I argue that Mahler and Roller expanded the Wagnerian Gesamtkunstwerk to both increase the production quality, the metaphorical content, and set a new standard for interpretive operatic productions.

This project is divided into two parts. Part I is a historical essay that provides context for the Mahler-Roller productions. I first outline the history of the Wagnerian Gesamtkunstwerk and discuss the ways that Wagner …

How Dance And Music Stimulate Therapeutic Change In A Personal Movement Ritual, Cassidy Bingham

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis investigates the therapeutic effects of the researcher’s own arts practice or personal movement ritual, which is based in her tacit knowledge and intuition. The researcher is also the participant of this study. Her personal movement ritual, which was formalized as the method, was conducted before the literature review in order to prioritize tacit knowledge before introducing the influence of other scholars. In the literature review, Ellen Dissanayake’s and other scholars’ rationale for the emotional and cognitive changes that take place during rituals through music and dance are explained. These rationales, or the five constructs of entrainment, “ …

Air, The Contents, Ian C. Mcnally

Theses and Dissertations

Air, The Contents is an encapsulation of the environments of four different places in New York State. It is written for Pierrot Ensemble with a run time of around 8 minutes.

Exploring The Relationship Between Music And Art Through Paint And Performance, Anna Eyink

Honors Projects

This project sought to find methods for translating musical compositions into visual compositions. After thorough analysis of each piece's structure, colors, rhythms, tonality, accompaniment, purpose, and extramusical influences, the goal was to conceptualize appropriate color schemes, shapes, mark making, paint application, and arrangements to create a visual representation of the music. As a result, each painting has elements that make sense from a musician's perspective as well as that of an artist.

Nausea, Jacob Dickerson

Music Theses and Dissertations

The popular novel Nausea, by Jean-Paul Sartre, tells the story of a fictional adventurer, Antoine Roquentin, and his struggle to understand the surrounding world. This novel illustrates the basics of Sartre’s existentialism. Sartre introduced the concept of “bad faith,” by which he meant the delusion that things in our lives must always be as they are. “Bad faith” and freedom are the core of Sartre’s message. Sartre shares the deep irony that we are “condemned to freedom” and implores us to understand responsibility in a more meaningful way. His philosophy forces us to own up to what we have …

Producing Thacker Jr. A Guidebook To Production & Reflections Of A Student Director, Ava Street

Honors Theses

This narrative documents a student’s preparation and execution of the children’s music and literature program entitled, Thacker Jr. Radio Hour. The author documents and analyzes experiences over the course of two academic years preparing and producing the program. The author describes the process of production including content creation, marketing, budgeting, fundraising, and casting. The author recounts and reflects upon her experience in the role of Thacker Jr. Executive Director and her desire to create student-centric arts programming. Finally, the author evaluates the immediate impact of the program on the LOU community and predicts how her experience will shape her …

The Making Of When We Say Goodnight, Andrew Newman

Honors Theses

The following thesis documents the writing and recording of When We Say Goodnight, an album by Lo Noom. The author discusses the various influences that led to the development of the album’s concept. The album is meant to explore the feelings the author associates with summer nights in Mississippi. He attempts to create a world in which the songs and feelings live. He discusses the album’s song development and various recording processes. As he brings the album to completion, a struggle emerges between the author’s desire to please his audience and his desire to create for his own personal enjoyment. …

Preparing And Performing A Trumpet Recital, Jesse Gibens

Honors Theses

The pieces are examined based on historical context and explained based on the practice notes that I journaled and reflected upon by comparing and contrasting standard recordings of each work. This thesis is divided into nine sections that explore the pieces that are performed, as well as the instruments used to perform them. The thesis also explores my repertoire choices based on instrumentation, style, composer, and genre, as well as how to deal with the challenges of approaching a diverse program. Historical information has been taken from articles, books, and other scholarly writings produced by experts within their fields of …

Detours In Music - Podcast, Laura F. Ruple

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The podcast, Detours in Music, aims to inspire, spark interest, and educate its audience of all ages and music levels about a life in music. Each episode includes an interview with someone involved in music at the professional level. The interviews focus on the person's story and the paths and detours their lives have taken them on, leading them to where they are today. The project has been well received, with episodes downloaded on four continents, and a consistent following of listeners. The podcast is intended to help its listeners connect with music faculty members at JMU, gain new perspectives …

Inclusive Ensembles: Differentiating For The Singer On The Autism Spectrum, Natalie Wilkins, Natalie A. Wilkins

Honors College Theses

Exceptional children belong in music classrooms. Music ensemble directors need to overcome complex challenges to meet the goal of inclusion, because ensembles often include a mixture of ages, grades, social and intellectual development stages, musical skills, and a wide variety of diverse learning needs. This study focuses on how a choral ensemble director may create an inclusive environment for students on the Autism Spectrum.

This study reviewed the current research on inclusive rehearsal environments. Analysis revealed varied methods for differentiation that allows students with special needs to thrive in a music classroom and also revealed that music can be a …

Graduate Viola Recital, Chelsea Pfeifer

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to provide an understanding of, and present historical information regarding the selections performed on a graduate viola recital. Selections performed were written by the following composers: Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, Max Bruch, and Alan Hovhaness. Biographical information of the composer, program notes, and performance considerations will be included.

Rock Band Live Mix Vs. The Studio Mix, Donald Dominguez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper will identify and analyze the key differences in mixing techniques as well as factors which affect technique differences in their respective settings. The following research explores common techniques used for the best sound in the common professional studio and live music venues for typical rock band instrumentation. Through interviews and cited articles by professional audio mixing engineers, the paper establishes practices and differentiating approaches that conform to the nature of the live and studio mixing environments.

Murder Music: Horror Film Soundtracks Throughout History, Vincent G. Aragon

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Horror films often rely heavily on their music to create a tense and frightening experience for their audience, and it is the composer's job to write a score that satisfies that requirement. Throughout film history, the methods composers utilize to achieve that goal differ across time due to various factors including available technology, allotted budget, and the norms and expectations of films at the time. This capstone paper explores the different approaches composers employed in writing horror soundtracks from the early 20th century to the modern-day, noting any significant shifts and common themes found in the music of popular horror …

Our Perception Of Scary Sounds: A Comparison Of Films And Popular Music, David Puhl

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

My Capstone Research Paper will be an analysis on the usage of “scary” sounds performed in popular music as well as a comparison to the practice of using similar sounds in film, making a note of any similarities or differences (ex. audience perception, use of visuals). I will also touch on the integration of scary sound effects alongside music scoring for film, specifically in the Horror and Suspense genres. With popular music being my primary focus, I want to elaborate on the cognitive psychology of audiences (in film and music) and their reactions to "scary" or "horrific" sounds to better …