Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Non:Wa: Navigating Indigenous Modernity Through Female Artists' Perspectives, Nicole Bussey

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This article examines the relationship between tradition and modern elements of Indigenous music through a cyclical perspective, and challenges colonial concepts of Indigenous modernity. Indigenous culture is often portrayed in mainstream culture as a relic of the past, which renders it incompatible with modernity. With a special focus on Indigenous female artists’ perspectives, I examine the ways in which women placed in this unique intersection challenge the binaries of past/present and tradition/modern.

Modernizing And Diversifying Western's Audio Engineering Curriculum: First Stage, Kyle Haddad

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This was the first stage in a much larger study designed to update the audio engineering curriculum at Western University, to reflect modern trends and to diversify beyond the UK 1970s prog rock bias of traditional curriculum. An undergraduate student was hired from within the Popular Music Studies program here at Western University to work in the studio for the summer, and to provide recommendations for change in studio design at the end fo the summer based on that work. The student worked on his own material, and engineered record sessions for a PhD candidate currently at work on a …

"A Gesture Of Solidarity Through Music": Local And International Community In Canadian Benefit Concerts For Ukraine, Charlotte M. Lilley

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

In the months following Russia's February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Canadian music community responded by hosting a number of benefit concerts. In contrast to the precedents set by well-known, large-scale benefit concerts such as 1985's "Live Aid", these concerts were strongly rooted in the local context of the events' hosts and centred the voices and experiences of members of their beneficiary community. Combined with the potential of these events to allow individuals and groups to combat feelings of helplessness and to serve as forms of resistance against the Russian regime, this has allowed these concerts to create and …

Creating A Commercial Classical Music Recording, Winnie Zheng

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

An outline of the process to create a classical music recording for commercial use in the style of a “how-to” guide. The guide aims to present the three main steps of creating a commercial classical music recording, which includes recording, editing, and creating post-mastering materials such as an album cover. The purpose of this guide is to make classical music-making more accessible to a variety of audiences and provide a behind the scenes view on how classical music recordings are created.

Collection Of Violin Technique Fundamentals, Patricio Flores Esquivel

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This book provides a sampling of exercises and studies for violin playing. It serves as both a collection of useful materials and a reference to other studies and exercises aimed at the playing level of an average incoming violin student at Western University. This compilation of exercises is sorted according to the fundamental aspect of violin technique that each exercise addresses.

Much of the book is made up of patterns and variations on studies and exercises that are sorted by skill and designed to be reusable and useful for other studies beyond this book, as well as violin repertoire. It …

Four Canadian Faculties Of Music: A Preliminary Investigation Into Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, And De-Colonization In Post Secondary Education, Cynthia Lê, Sara Shifaw

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This study, conducted through the lens of two Asian and African Canadian students and their lived experiences, examines four institutions, the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, McGill University, Western University, and the ways in which each addresses Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization (EDI-D). Accessing public documents such as syllabi, course descriptions, event calendars, published articles, strategic plans, released statements from students and faculty, and their online social media platforms, data was analyzed using qualitative document analysis (Altheide, Coyle, DeVriese, & Schneider, 2008). Overall themes were uncovered and examined (Cousins & Bourgeois, 2014; Khan & VanWynsberghe, 2008) including …

Creation Of The Database For The Don Wright Faculty Of Music's Opera Costume Collection, Ashley Carpenter

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Over the course of my USRI, I created a database to organize and display the costume collection from the Don Wright Faculty of Music Opera Program at Western University. This process consisted of a series of phases with a focus on digitizing the costume collection so that it is accessible and sustainable. Extraction, sorting, creation, development, photograph, organization, and consultation constituted the progression of the new costume database. The extraction phase featured the removal and assessment of the costumes. This provided a visualization of the costume collection in its entirety and thus, guided the creation of the database. The sorting …

Mozart And Genius: Music And Philosophy, Aidan Witvoet

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This output poster serves as an overview to my efforts and responsibilities throughout the duration of the internship. Here I also showcase a brief sample of the concepts and areas of exploration within which I have been immersed, both in regards to the the content of the book I am helping to prepare for publishing as well as accompanying readings and discussions.

Analyzing Sentiment In Twitter Tweets As A Basis For Music Creation, Jeff Lupker

Western Research Forum

Analysis of the sentiment associated with different words has long been used as a pre-compositional tool by various composers through their use of the words of poets, lyricists or writers in creating their music. While the interpretation of any given word and its relation to music might have loosely followed some implicitly accepted notions amongst composers, there was no accurate method for qualifying each word according to its sentiment in standard usage. More recent research measuring individuals’ evaluation of text has led to a quantitative ranking of words in terms of properties concerning sentiment. My current research is an attempt …

See It And Believe It: Imagery For Singers, Brianna Desantis

FIMULAW

Detailed semi-structured interviews were conducted with six male and female high-level singers. This pilot study is primarily based on Nordin and Cumming’s Professional Dancers Describe Their Imagery: Where, When, What, Why, and How (2005). Some similarities and some unique differences emerged between the current study and its dance model. Interviews were based on the 4 Ws framework (Munroe, Giacobbi, Jr., Hall, & Weinberg, 2000). This involved Where, What, Why, and When singers image. Singers mainly used imagery for improving vocal technique, performance anxiety, and character development.

The Impact Of Infertility On Female Vocalist Identity, Laura Curtis

FIMULAW

This qualitative research study explores the impact on female singers’ musical and gender identities when confronted with the issue of infertility. Based on interviews with female vocalists (N=2), and reflections of my personal experiences as a singer and voice instructor experiencing infertility, this research explores the physiological, emotional, and social impact that infertility has on female singers' identities. The sensitive nature of infertility impedes open discussion regarding its impact on singers' physiological and emotional health; an issue I wished to address in this research. While each participant’s experience with infertility was unique, analysis of personal interview transcripts revealed a common …

Modernizing Links Between Text And Music: Connecting The Sentiment Properties Of Text With Those Of Spectral Music, Jeff Lupker

FIMULAW

My current research is an attempt to investigate and standardize the links between the sentiment of text and music by creating a software program which can connect these sentiment properties with those of spectral music. This is an attempt to modernize the way in which a composer writes music based on any given text by cross-referencing each word with quantitative ranking of words in terms of sentiment properties. The result will be a multimedia experience whereby the observer can listen to the sounds that are intrinsically linked the words viewed in real-time.

Musical Artists As Entrepreneurs: Assessing Popular Artists’ Brand Partnerships, Social Media Usage, And Performance Of Identity Politics, Amara Pope

FIMULAW

Today’s popular music artists have the potential power to shape hegemonic ideologies of identity categories across multiple media and industries. This position of power is unique to modern musical artists due to recent changes in the music industry’s business model and the introduction of social media. Record sales have diminished. Labels and artists have adapted in new and creative ways with a heavier reliance on brand partnerships. I wish to fill a gap in the literature that explores how brand partnerships may affect modern musical artists’ performances of identity politics through three case studies: Drake, Post Malone, and Cardi B.

Creative Subversion: Challenging Sociocultural Silencing In Schools, Kelly Bylica

Western Research Forum

Grounded in the goal of troubling the silence that often pervades spaces of inequality in schools, this action research pilot study examined the role soundscapes might play as a catalyst to open spaces for dialogue that recognizes and interrogates the injustices and oppressive structures present in many schools and communities (Gutstein, 2006). Soundscapes have become more common in music classrooms as a way to encourage students to compose without the restraints of standard notation. Originally intended to help “young children to listen to and use the sounds of their own lives and environments as the basis of what were called …

P13. Wagner's Use Of The Formal Lament For King Mark In Tristan Und Isolde, Julie Anne Nord

Western Research Forum

Background: The composer Richard Wagner often expressed his distaste for “number” operas and other contrived forms used in the Italianate works of his forerunners and contemporaries. In place of these operatic conventions, Wagner drew upon the Tragedy of Ancient Greece to propose a “total artwork” (Gesamtkunstwerk)) with no contrived breaks for conventional form. Despite, or perhaps because of, his aversion toward operatic formal conventions, Wagner turned to one such form for his music for King Mark in Tristan und Isolde.

Methods: This poster demonstrates Wagner’s use of lament tropes from the poetry of Greek Tragedy and from …

P24. The Birds And The Beats: Perception Of A Beat In An Avian Model, Brendon Samuels

Western Research Forum

Background: Beat perception is a complex cognitive skill that enables humans to “feel” the beat in music, and is an essential component of synchronization of behavior and dance. The mechanisms in the human brain that facilitate beat perception are not entirely understood, and have only been studied thus far using non-invasive techniques. Some animals, such as songbirds, also seem to be able to detect a beat in rhythms, though this has never been formally tested independent of motor synchronization.

Methods: An operant experiment is used to assess if European starlings, a type of songbird, are capable of categorizing …

Tuning Into The Future: Informal Learning And Music Education, Ruth Wright, Carol Beynon, B. A. Younker, V. Meredith, Jennifer Hutchison, Leslie Linton

Research Day (Arts & Humanities, FIMS, and Education)

When adolescents are engaged in learning, research has shown a decrease in alcohol and drug use, higher retention rates and fewer failures throughout high school, lower rates of depression as well as lower rates of anti-social and criminal behaviours. Attention to student engagement with a priority on 21st century learning skills requires the examination of various pedagogies, including using informal learning practices as the foundation for instruction with adolescents in schools.

This pilot project targets Grade 7 to 10 students in two school settings where adolescent engagement is a priority; it examines the viability of implementing informal learning practices within …

Music In The Belly: Music And Mother-Child Interaction, Kaarina Marjanen

Leading Music Education International Conference

This study explores the possibilities of and reasons for using music education as a support in very early mother-child interaction, throughout musically supporting the attachment.

Dr. Marjanen's PhD dissertation (The Belly-button Chord: Connections of Pre- and Postnatal Music Education with Early Mother-child Interaction) is available online at: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-3769-0

Closing A Private Music Studio: An Experiential Study, Sharon Lierse

Leading Music Education International Conference

The private music studio plays a crucial role in the education of the musician. One-to-one music tuition is one of the most effective means of learning a musical instrument and students can learn throughout the life-span. The student teacher relationship is vital in not only the technical and musical development of the student, but also in shaping the student’s identity and personal growth. This relationship can be described a personal, professional and positive.

In 2010, the author was running a private music studio full-time in Melbourne, Australia. The students ranged from four years old to retirement age and for many …

The Musical Personhood Of Three Canadian Turntablists: Implications For Transformative Collaborative Practice, Karen Snell

Leading Music Education International Conference

Over the past several years in particular, scholars in music education have been calling for better connections between community and school music making (e.g., Jones, 2005; Veblen, 2005). It seems that in many cases, teachers may be continuing the tradition of large ensemble band, orchestral, or choral programs because this is the way they were taught themselves and they are comfortable with the status quo, rather than because this is a meaningful way for their students to engage with music (Snell 2009; Woodford 2005). As a result, many youth in contemporary Western society have two musical worlds: one at school …

Adult Music Engagement: Perspectives From Three Musically Engaged Cases, Darrin Thornton

Leading Music Education International Conference

The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of adult music engagement from the perspectives of musically engaged adults not currently participating in activities that are direct extensions of the typical K-12 music curriculum. Three participants were purposefully chosen and include an avid listener, a church praise team member, and a bluegrass rhythm guitarist/lead singer.

The following questions framed the investigation within an interpretative phenomenological approach to first construct the perspective of each case and second, to identify ways learning has occurred through music engagement over their lifespan:

1. What are the musical life histories of these adults?
2. How …

Musical Identity And Culture: Exploring The Korean Diaspora Through The Lens Of Piano Pedagogy, Elisha Jo, Leslie Linton

Leading Music Education International Conference

This presentation explores the nature of identity and pedagogy through the study of Western classical piano training. Two groups of university students – one of Korean Canadians and the other of Koreans in Korea – describe their training, their aspirations and their expectations. How do these students come to study piano? Who are they and how does their musical education form their sense of self? We started a comparative study of Korean and Canadian methodologies in Southwestern Ontario (London, Ontario) and Cheonan, Korea, an hour outside of the capital Seoul. Populations of these two cities are comparable although there are …

Community Music And The Culture Of Trans-Border Peace In West Africa: The Case Of The Assiko In Gorée (Sénégal), Henri-Pierre Koubaka

Leading Music Education International Conference

Close in rhythm to Caribbean the ASSIKO from Gorée in Sénégal has entertained generations of Africans even across the Atlantic ocean just by the mere fact that by nature it is a mixture of various African rhythms. Through its songs and dance steps African ethnic groups and communities of African descent have lived in peace thus discovering the beauty of their own culture and that of their neighbors’ as these were embedded in ASSIKO: singing together a song from another ethnic group, dancing together steps that are invented and made up based on somebody else’s dance has proved to be …

Expressing The Self: Critical Reflections On Choral Singing And Human Rights In Prison, Mary Cohen, Stuart Paul Duncan

Leading Music Education International Conference

Given our experiences assisting, directing, researching prison choirs and developing educational programs in prisons, we continue to examine the complex aspects of purposefully facilitated group-singing in prisons. Reflection upon the relationships among basic human rights, imprisonment and the penal system, prisoners’ needs and rehabilitation, and the effects of choral-singing affect our understanding of these multiple discourses. Our aim is to shed light on the similarities and differences among a complexity of such relationships through these research questions: (a) Among these ideas, what are the relationships and how do they inform our understanding of choral singing in prison contexts and basic …

Playful Spaces For Musical Expression And Creativity: An Ethnodrama, Tawnya D. Smith, Karin Hendricks

Leading Music Education International Conference

Presented in the form of an ethnodrama, this paper features data from three studies to illustrate how current attitudes and practices in music education both foster and inhibit musical expressiveness and personal well-being. Stories of public school students, adult learners, and music teachers as performing musicians bring to light contemporary issues including (a) the influence of competition upon expressive performance; (b) isolation versus community music-making; (c) the impact of fear-based "motivation" systems; and (d) accessibility of free and creative music-making opportunities to a larger population of musicians. Experiences of high school students in an honor orchestra festival illustrate how externally-imposed …

Politics, Ethics, Leadership, And Professionalism. Or: Why Should The Leadership Of Music Teacher Education Pay Attention To The Global Crises Of Economy And Climate?, Geir Johansen

Leading Music Education International Conference

This paper takes the relationship between the macro, meso and micro levels of society as its point of departure, with music teacher education as its case. The attention is directed towards how musical leadership, in this case the leadership of music teacher education faces dilemmas of an ethical, political and professional character and discusses if and how such dilemmas can possibly be dealt with. Based on a theoretical ground that affords the present social-cultural condition of our western societies to be described as one of modernity in its extremes (Giddens) we can see how the self driven dynamics of social …

Musical Integrity And The Practice Of Human Becoming, Mark Whale

Leading Music Education International Conference

It strikes me that there are just two categories of “music” and “music learning.” In the first category, each “sells out,” as it were – one may also say reduces itself or is reduced – to a particular ideology, a trend in the market, a convention, a social theory, an educational idea, an apparent reality, a research result and so on. In the second category, music and music learning, in every moment of their practice and engagement – while, on the surface, they might appear to be following a particular convention or trend – in actuality have a self-critical sense …

Music Education As Dialogue Between The Outer And The Inner, Elin Angelo

Leading Music Education International Conference

This paper is based on a study of a Norwegian jazz educators’ philosophy of work. This jazz educator is nationally and internationally recognized as a performer and educator, and is honoured for his work of bringing jazz education into the system for higher music education in Norway. The study is based on video observations, field notes, one interview and a questionnaire. Analysis of this material denotes three bipolar pivot points, which indicate a practice embodied as a constant dialogue between inner and outer aspects of music and human beings. These identified pivot points are named; ‘tradition/person’, ‘music as heard/ music …

An Immanent Pedagogy Of Music, Anders Ronningen

Leading Music Education International Conference

In this paper I will introduce a concept of pedagogy of music that I will call Immanent. I will approach it philosophically from two directions: Firstly, I will focus on the notion of Music, (or the ontology of music), and claim that within this notion there is always already a pedagogy enclosed, not to say immanent. I do for example – with Nettl - believe that the way in which a society teaches its music is a matter of enormous importance for understanding that music. Nevertheless, and quite contrary to that, in my ongoing PhD project I find that the …

High Quality Performances From “Community” Musical Groups: The Sometimes Conflicting Personal And Musical Requirements For A High Level Of Performance Combined With Sustainable Personal Satisfaction In A Long Surviving Musical Group. The Case Of The London Jazz Orchestra, Bill Skidmore

Leading Music Education International Conference

Sociological functionalist theory provides a suggestive array of ideas with which to conceptualize any social structure. Starting with the idea that a structure must perform certain functions in order to survive and fulfill its task, this sociological model sets the subject social structure in its "environment" of other social structures to which it relates, regarding the whole as a "social system." In the language of one prominent theorist of functionalism, survival of any structure in a social system requires the abstract functions of "adaptation," "goal attainment," "integration," and "pattern maintenance" all to be performed successfully. These structural level requirements provide …