Documenting Fifth-Grade Band Students’ Experiences In A Kodály-Centered Beginning Band Curriculum, Elisabeth Henderson Dhillon

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

ABSTRACT

Based on the work of Hungarian composer and educator Zoltán Kodály, the Kodály method, a sound-to-symbol approach to music-making and literacy stemming from an aural and auditory entry point, forms an integral aspect of many elementary level general music curricula in the United States. In this process-oriented, experiential approach, students hear and explore music kinesthetically, aurally and through folk and art song before visual concepts in the form of notes in formal notation are introduced.

In contrast, traditional beginning band methodologies tend not to incorporate a sound-to-symbol approach, teaching the intricacies of a complex new instrument in conjunction with …

Senior Recital, Jaron Kirshenbaum

Honors Theses

This recital, although it featured works learned over the last six months, is really a culmination of all the work I have put in over the last three and a half years here at the Western Michigan University School of Music. It is a program that brought together friends and colleagues, and featured solo works that show just how far I have come since I arrived here as a freshman clarinet player in the Fall of 2015. Although the diverse music selection and the decision to do mainly single movements from larger works is not what you would typically see …

Investigating The Attitudes Of Adolescent Male Singers In Gender Choirs, Heidi Joy Williamson

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of gender choirs within a middle school choral classroom to investigate (a) attitudes about singing, (b) confidence and self-efficacy of their own voices, and (c) peer perceptions of adolescent males’ participation in choir. Data were obtained from 40 students, in Grades 7 or 8, who were enrolled in a male gender choir at one of the five participating middle schools. Most participants enrolled in choir because they thought choir was fun, and they were good singers. Most participants did not think that choir was “better” when the genders were separated. …

An Overview Of A Failed Thesis, Avery Lewis

Undergraduate Honors Theses

An overview of a project based thesis that did not have the support or funding to be carried out to completion. The project was based around starting up a summer recruitment program for the East Tennessee State University Music Department. The program would consist of various summer events for high school students used to recruit for the department as well as encourage music and fine arts degrees.

Music Rehabilitation Programs In California State Prisons, Sarah Hanson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

With 2.3 million people in the United States prison system, reducing recidivism rates in prison is crucial. One of the most prevalent ways California has been able to reduce recidivism and encourage less punitive measure on prisoners is through music rehabilitation programs. This research explores the current prison population, history of music rehabilitation in prisons, positive and negative psychological effects music can have on inmates, an active music rehabilitation program (Dance Kaiso), and how inmates have been utilizing these programs. By exploring the current prison population and how music rehabilitation began in the United States and California, there’s a clearer …

Participation In Winter Guard International As Experienced By Ten Stakeholders: A Phenomenological Study, Jeremy Morgan

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the essence of Winter Guard International (WGI) as lived by ten stakeholders, invested individuals currently serving in leadership roles within the percussion and winds divisions of the WGI organization. Through the lens of a social constructivist theoretical framework, and the use of individual interviews to obtain data, this study considered what participants have experienced and the contexts in which these experiences have taken place. Grounded theory concepts were used initially to clarify the perspective and scope of the study. Analysis of the data involved the identification of significant statements from participant …

Developing Musicianship And 21st Century Learning Skills Using The Lisk “Creative Director” Series, Thomas Reynolds

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The Experience Of Chinese Students Enrolled In Graduate Music Education Degree Programs In The United States, Kailimi Li

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the experience of Chinese graduate students enrolled in music education master’s and doctoral degree programs in the United States. Specifically, it explored participants’ perceptions of (a) their educational experiences (past and present), (b) the challenges they faced, (c) their strategies for success, (d) the benefits they experienced as international graduate students in the United State, (e) the effect of this experience on their thinking, self-perception, and behavior, and (f) how they planned to move forward or move on following this experience. Participants were six native Chinese graduate students enrolled at the time …

The Effects Of Infertility On Female Vocalist Identity, Laura Curtis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This phenomenological research study explores the impact on female singers’ musical and gender identities when confronted with the socially stigmatized issue of infertility. Participants include women actively involved in singing (N=2), who have experienced the phenomenon of infertility. Participants were recruited primarily through the social media platform of Facebook and participated in three one-hour personal, semi-structured interviews over the course of six weeks. Interview transcripts were analyzed to isolate recurring themes within the narratives. While each participant’s experience with infertility was unique, analysis revealed a common tendency for life course alteration due to their experiences with infertility. These …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Professional Learning Experiences Of Music Educators, Allison Bonn-Savage

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This qualitative phenomenological study sought to discover the lived experiences of six music educators in their professional learning. Each of the music educators in this study taught in an Oregon public school and had taken on a leadership role in the 2018 Oregon Music Educators Association (OMEA) conference. This study utilized personal interviews to gather rich descriptions of the unique stories and journeys through professional learning these music educators had experienced. Three significant themes were identified in the analysis process in this study: (a) Participants felt confident in knowing their learning needs for professional growth and were apathetic or resistant …

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 …

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 …

Teaching Music To Immigrant And Refugee Students In American Music Classrooms, Sameerah Jabrhamdan

Music Education Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore what music teachers of refugee and immigrant students in the Western New York area are doing to include this population within their music classrooms. This is a qualitative multiple case study, with the purpose of finding out as much information possible from three participants who teach music to immigrant and refugee students. The three participants teach across different musical contexts, including middle school general music in an urban setting, elementary general music in a suburban setting, and elementary through high school strings in an afterschool urban setting. This study sought to find …

The Effect Of Visual Performance On Music Performance Evaluation In High School Marching Band, Kathryn D. Brimhall

Senior Theses

At marching band contests, bands are usually judged on both their music performance (ensemble, individual, and general effect) and visual performance (ensemble, individual, and general effect). Phenomena such as the McGurk effect (McGurk & MacDonald, 1976) indicate that people often prioritize visual information over aural information; however, until now there have not been empirical investigations of how this phenomenon might affect high school marching band evaluation. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of visual performance on the music performance evaluation of high school marching bands. To study this effect, I recruited college students who were randomly …

Girls Rock Camp, Erica Lashley

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The objective of this creative honors project was to create, plan, fund, and spearhead a week-long day camp for girls ages 8-18 to learn the basics of a rock instrument and collaborate with other girls to form bands and perform. This paper synthesizes my experience organizing, fundraising for, and counseling Harrisonburg’s first Girls Rock Camp, which took place August 14-19, 2017. In this paper, I outline the purpose and importance of Girls Rock Camp, the research and planning conducted to design the project, and the camp experience. I aim to provide insight, words of wisdom, and inspiration for future projects …

Music Making, Teaching, And Learning In Chiptune Communities, Jon M. Stapleton

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Music education has long identified “life-long and life-wide” musicianship within community contexts as a primary goal of formal music instruction in and outside of public schools. In music education research, scholars often seek out (and study) musical communities to inform formal curricula and pedagogy, with the goal of better preparing students to participate in musical communities outside of formal institutions.

In this study, I explore music learning practices at play in one corner of contemporary musicianship—chiptune. Chiptune is music that references videogame sounds and videogame music. Some chiptune artists make music for videogames, others release albums and play live shows. …

String Fundamentals For The Non-String-Playing Conductor, Dianna Fiore, Dianna Marie Fiore

Dissertations, 2014-2019

There are presently few resources on stringed-instrument fundamentals geared specifically toward the conductor who does not have string-playing experience. This paper is designed to fill this void through an explanation of string fundamentals, which the non-string-playing conductor should comprehend before addressing a string section on the podium. In addition to covering string fundamentals, this paper includes options for designing bowings and case studies of W. A. Mozart’s Divertimento in F major, K.138 and Edward Elgar’s Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 20.

The Flutists Of The John Philip Sousa’S Band: A Study Of The Flute Section And Soloists, Ramon Da Silva Moraes

Dissertations

The Sousa Band is widely known because of its leader and his compositions. Although it was one of the most successful ensembles in history, most of the instrumentalists and individuals who contributed to its success have had their legacies forgotten. The flute section of the Sousa Band is an example of a group of musicians who were recognized as some of the best in the United States during their time, but are neglected by the present flute community.

My research focused on gathering data about the flute section and the individuals who were instrumental for the creation and development of …

Score Study Procedures And Processes Among Instrumental Music Teachers And Students Of Varying Experience., Jacob Mark Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Score study is agreed to be an essential part of musical preparation by professional conductors. However, no single method for score study has been established. This thesis examines the score study habits of undergraduate music majors, graduate students with a minimum of five years of instrumental teaching experience, and highly-qualified instrumental music teachers with a minimum of ten years of experience. Qualitative methods are employed, and interview transcriptions are the primary sources of data. Findings showed that instrumental music teachers and those with instrumental teaching experience base many of their score study decisions on the abilities and needs of students …

Breathing Instruction Of Successful High School Marching Band Directors., Michael A. Alsop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The breath is considered one of the most important factors of playing a wind instrument because it affects nearly every aspect of playing. The purpose of this study was to examine the breathing instruction of successful high school marching band directors. The researcher sought to learn about how often proper breathing is taught, what methods are most commonly used, perceived benefits for the marching members, and potential negative aspects or consequences of breathing instruction. Two-hundred-and-thirteen successful marching band directors were invited to complete a survey consisting of multiple choice, Likert scale, and open-ended questions. Seventy-six directors completed the survey. It …

A Pedagogical Study Of The "Four Lauds For Solo Violin" By Elliott Carter, Heesun Shin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Elliott Carter was one of the most influential composers of the past century, leaving a diverse and prolific body of over 150 works to posterity. Along with the Violin Concerto and “Mnemosyné,” the Four Lauds are the only works written for solo violin. Literature on these pieces is not extensive thus far, and this dissertation will provide an introduction to any student who is interested in learning about Carter’s violin music. In the first chapter, I will discuss relevant aspects of Carter’s musical language such as his use of all-trichord hexachord, all-interval trichord, complement union property, and his ideas on …

Mindfulness And Musicians: An Overview, Stephen Dubetz

Honors Projects

This overview of mindfulness begins with a basic history of the practice and filters chronologically to the application of mindfulness in the lives of modern musicians. From its origins in ancient India to its acceptance into Western culture and its eventual use in clinical, professional, and educational settings, this paper touches briefly on the story of mindfulness as it developed through time. The main questions addressed within are: What is mindfulness? Where does it come from? What use does it have? What fields of Western professional culture have adopted it so far and to what extent? and How can it …

Teaching Body Mapping In The Orchestra Classroom, Gretchen Clemans

Honors Theses

For young string musicians, it is easy to fall into the habit of playing with improper body alignment and unhealthy technique. In response, this study investigates the ways in which the teaching of healthy body techniques can be taught in the orchestra classroom, in order to prevent students from experiencing pain, tension, and muscle strain while studying their instrument. Overall, the results from the research group of students showed that over half of the students have experienced pain while playing their instrument. Furthermore, the results indicated that students responded positively to the content presented. After being introduced to the material, …

Sacred Sounds: A Compassionate Listening Guide To Musical Worship, Madison Blonquist

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sacred Sounds was a collaborative, multimedia exhibition that showed in the Brigham Young University Harold B. Lee Library Level 1 Gallery from November 10, 2017-February 2, 2018. Its primary objective was to cultivate empathy among the three Abrahamic religions through the lens of music. While this project may communicate the overall vision of the curator, it was deeply collaborative and involved the creative contributions from several campus departments and drew upon the insights of leaders from local congregations. The following documentation is a portfolio of the exhibition space and its public reception. This project was made possible with generous funding …

The Litmus Initiative - Enabling Teachers To Recognize Domestic Human Trafficking, Bethany Hansen

Honors Theses

Every day, an estimated 100,000 residents of the United States are sold for sex. At least half of these victims are under the age of 18. Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) has tragically plagued the U.S. for decades and even centuries, but it has only come into the public spotlight within the last fifteen years. As a result, there are few widespread sources of information about DMST, and even fewer resources for victims and survivors. DMST is a branch of human trafficking, which the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 defines as “(A) Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex …

Perceptions Of Music Play Activities Performed By A Mother And Her Children, Alexandra R. Cotran

Senior Theses

The purpose of this research was to examine the music play activities performed by a mother Dr. Smith, and her children, John (age 3) and Pam (age 6). The guiding research questions were (a) What types of music play activities did Dr. Smith and her children perform when they were not in music play classes?; (b) How did Dr. Smith describe those activities?; (c) What were Dr. Smith’s observations of her children’s music development and learning?; (d) How did Dr. Smith use and adapt music play activities learned in class for her children at home or elsewhere?; (e) How did …

A Cappella Bridge: Towards A More Reciprocal Arts-Based Exchange, Daniel Malin

Capstone Collection

A Cappella Bridge is a short-term, non-credit, arts-based exchange program for collegiate a cappella groups from the United States. This program proposal is the result of an extensive needs analysis that includes interviews with Education Abroad professionals and the founder of the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA), a national nonprofit organization representing nearly 3,000 a cappella groups in the United States. The program’s design is meant to address a profound need for more reciprocal arts-based exchange programs open to highly skilled amateur artists and musicians. With a firm grounding in experiential learning and the seven-continuum transmission model for music education …

Perceptions Of Religious Music In A Southern U.S. Public Middle School: A Case Study, Emily Marie Mercado

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Intercultural experiences can result in increased knowledge of and positive attitudes towards unfamiliar cultural groups (Neto, Pinto, & Mullet, 2016; Vuoskoski, Clarke, & DeNora, 2017). Deardorff’s (2006) intercultural competence process framework provides a method for exploring and categorizing elements of intercultural competence including attitudes, knowledge/skills, internal outcomes, and external outcomes.

This narrative instrumental case study examined the perceptions of one middle school choir teacher, choir students, the student teacher, the parents, and the vice principal when implementing a researcher-designed unit titled: Religious Choral Music from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Worlds. The choir teacher offered a unique perspective as an …

A Cycle Of Giving: Transforming Individuals, Transforming Community In A Louisiana Children's Choir, Jason Paul Bowers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Kids’ Choir, a community children’s choir in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, formed in 2014 as part of the Kids’ Orchestra organization. The organization, founded in 2011, is El Sistema-inspired—a model developed in 1975 by Venezuelan orchestra conductor, José Abreu. The model’s mission is “to effect social change through music for children with the fewest resources and the greatest need” (Mission Statement, 2017).

El Sistema's focus on social change through musical excellence may hold great promise in the United States where neighborhoods are becoming increasingly diverse. Moreover, the El Sistema philosophy responds directly to issues of segregation still present in the Baton …

A Pedagogical Approach To The Waltzes And Tangos For Piano By Francisca Gonzaga, Ana Paula Machado Simoes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Francisca (Chiquinha) Gonzaga (1847–1935) was an important composer in the development of Brazilian music. She was also a remarkable female personality and broke paradigms in a society dominated by men. In spite of that, her works are not widely performed and studied yet. The goal of this dissertation is to provide a pedagogical approach to her works. This research explores her waltzes and tangos for piano, analyzes their musical, reading and technical difficulties, and provides a graded level for half of them to stimulate their use as repertoire for piano students and performers.

Chiquinha composed 37 waltzes and 30 tangos …