Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 10 of 10

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

How Formal Music Training Affects Executive Functions In Middle School Band Students, Zachary C. Anderson Dec 2022

How Formal Music Training Affects Executive Functions In Middle School Band Students, Zachary C. Anderson

Honors College Theses

My thesis project explored the relationship between a formal music training experience and executive functions in a middle school band classroom. Executive functions are working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility which allow us to gain and focus our attention on specific tasks. Participants in the study were two groups of middle school students: a sixth-grade class with no previous musical experience and an eighth-grade class with two years of band classes. I measured changes in students' overall success on cognitive tests over a two-month span to observe at what point music training begins to impact executive functions. I found significant …


Music As A Treatment For Perceived Postoperative Pain In Adults: A Critically Appraised Topic, Savannah G. Mcdaniel Apr 2022

Music As A Treatment For Perceived Postoperative Pain In Adults: A Critically Appraised Topic, Savannah G. Mcdaniel

Honors College Theses

Clinical Question: In postoperative patients, how does listening to music affect perceived pain levels? Clinical Bottom Line: There is consistent evidence to suggest music decreases perceived pain in postoperative patients undergoing nasal septal surgery, open heart surgery, total knee replacement surgery, and general orthopedic surgeries requiring hospitalization. Athletic trainers can confidently implement music during patients’ post-operative care sessions to help reduce pain.


From Camp Meetings To Crusades: African American Religious Songs In Context, Konner B. Smith Mar 2021

From Camp Meetings To Crusades: African American Religious Songs In Context, Konner B. Smith

Honors College Theses

The images found throughout African American religious songs are timeless, yet they reflect the realities of their particular historical and cultural contexts, explaining those circumstances from the view of the African American community. Despite the differences in sound, there is a strong sense of continuity between each era, as compositions from slave songs to rap use certain passages from scripture to emphasize the themes of freedom, hope, and perseverance. From the spiritual to the gospel to contemporary religious rap, both history and hope have been lifted up and transformed in the voices of oppressed and enduring African Americans.


Patterns, Symmetries, And Mathematical Structures In The Arts, Sarah C. Deloach Apr 2019

Patterns, Symmetries, And Mathematical Structures In The Arts, Sarah C. Deloach

Honors College Theses

Mathematics is a discipline of academia that can be found everywhere in the world around us. Mathematicians and scientists are not the only people who need to be proficient in numbers. Those involved in social sciences and even the arts can benefit from a background in math. In fact, connections between mathematics and various forms of art have been discovered since as early as the fourth century BC. In this thesis we will study such connections and related concepts in mathematics, dances, and music.


Best Practices For The Changing Male Voice In Secondary Choir Classrooms, Emily Deyton Jul 2018

Best Practices For The Changing Male Voice In Secondary Choir Classrooms, Emily Deyton

Honors College Theses

This research looks at the application strategies for addressing the changing male voice in secondary choir classrooms. The goal is to determine if the best practices described by scholarly literature on the changing male voice are being put into practice in secondary choir classrooms in Georgia and their perceived effectiveness. The research was conducted through a survey sent to all middle school choir directors in the state of Georgia with contact information listed through GMEA. Upon examination of the survey results, it is clear that choir directors are putting many of these strategies into effect in their classrooms and that …


The Music And Politics Of Willy Chirino, Nancy N. Balcziunas May 2017

The Music And Politics Of Willy Chirino, Nancy N. Balcziunas

Honors College Theses

Cuban musician and singer Willy Chirino, the self-proclaimed inventor of the “Miami Sound,” was sent to the United States as a teenager in the 1960s under Operation Pedro Pan to escape the influence of Fidel Castro's communist regime. Throughout his career, he has used his music to spread a personal and political agenda; his rejection of communism and the Castro regime can be seen through his song lyrics, humanitarian efforts, and direct engagement in the world of politics.


The Importance Of Music Festivals: An Unanticipated And Underappreciated Path To Identity Formation, Kimberly F. Rudolph Jun 2016

The Importance Of Music Festivals: An Unanticipated And Underappreciated Path To Identity Formation, Kimberly F. Rudolph

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to understand and explain the growing popularity of music and art festivals around the world. Music festivals are events consisting of a variety of bands and musical artists performing shows, on numerous stages, over a period of days to a large audience in outside and inside venues. Through field research, participant-observation, personal interviews, and survey research at the 2015 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, this study suggests that they are much more than simple entertainment venues. Because humans desire to belong and music functions in the capacity as a global language, music festivals are …


Drawing Numbers And Listening To Patterns, Loren Zo Haynes Apr 2016

Drawing Numbers And Listening To Patterns, Loren Zo Haynes

Honors College Theses

The triangular numbers is a series of number that add the natural numbers. Parabolic shapes emerge when this series is placed on a lattice, or imposed with a limited number of columns that causes the sequence to continue on the next row when it has reached the kth column. We examine these patterns and construct proofs that explain their behavior. We build off of this to see what happens to the patterns when there is not a limited number of columns, and we formulate the graphs as musical patterns on a staff, using each column as a line or space …


Schadenfreude, The Dark Triad, And The Effect Of Music On Emotion, Robin Lane Jan 2016

Schadenfreude, The Dark Triad, And The Effect Of Music On Emotion, Robin Lane

Honors College Theses

Schadenfreude is a humorous response at the misfortune of others and has been suggested to be an empathic defense mechanism. Previous research indicates that individuals who tend to exhibit the Dark Triad personality traits narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, experience higher levels of Schadenfreude. Additional studies suggest that music modulates neural activity associated with experiencing humor. In the present study we ask, do music and dark personality traits influence Schadenfreude? Participants viewed a series of brief, randomly intermixed physical misfortune and neutral videos (e.g., a person falling off a treadmill or running on a treadmill, respectively), with either an upbeat or …


Barriers To Music Therapy In The Care Of Those With Alzheimer's/Dementia, Karin E. Kvam Apr 2015

Barriers To Music Therapy In The Care Of Those With Alzheimer's/Dementia, Karin E. Kvam

Honors College Theses

This pilot study examines the barriers caregivers encounter when implementing music therapy in the care of those with Alzheimer’s/dementia. An 8-question survey was distributed at two long-term care facilities and an Alzheimer’s support group to understand how often and in what ways music therapy is utilized, as well as what barriers caregivers face when using the therapy. Results indicated that, although the majority of caregivers report using music therapy, it is not implemented as frequently as it could or should be. Caregivers report a knowledge deficit as the main reason for not implementing music therapy. The data suggests that an …