Music Education Commons^™

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 …

A Senior Recital Exploring Classical, Operatic, Cabaret, And Spiritual Music, Leandra Craigmile

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduate requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Music Majors With Tourette Syndrome: What Teachers Need To Know, Miranda K. Johnson, Michele Paynter Paise

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

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 …

Benefits Of Incorporating Health Promotion Courses For College Music Majors, Cassandra Debolt, Polina Golubkova, Matthew Maglaya, Myriam Apollon Vixamar

Undergraduate Research Conference

Our purpose for this project was to explore correlations between music study and health and wellness. Music study involves auditory, mental, physical, and emotional health. It can also cause performance injury. In an effort to reduce performance injuries and encourage good auditory, physical and emotional health in their students, the Music Teacher National Association advocates for wellness, stating that, “music teachers need to become substantially involved in injury prevention by teaching health-conscious music-related practices to students.”

The Inclusive Orchestra: Adapting String Instruments And Instruction For Musicians With Special Needs, Eric Baker

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

In recent years, there has been progress in strategies for teaching students to play string instruments in orchestra. However, special education in correlation with the string classroom is still lacking with useful information that can be used to aid our students and teachers. Due to this lack of information, it is difficult for teachers to have all their students feel involved in their class. After a thorough review of string special education literature, I compiled a list of resources that can be used to move this profession forward. These findings range from different teaching strategies to manipulating the instrument to …

The Influence Of Musical Theater And How To Incorporate It In The Classroom, Chris Young

Student Scholar Showcase

Over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, musical theater experienced many advancements and changes from its origins such as Show Boat (1927), Into the Woods (1986), and Hamilton (2016). Teachers can use themes from Hamilton and other Broadway shows today to create a lesson plan that utilizes simple melody and rhyme scheme to teach students about musical theater.

With the intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to teach methods of Musical Theater into the classroom. The particular problems of this study were to: (1) trace the creation of American Broadway Theatre; (2) explore …

From Swing King To Swing Kids: The Jazz Era Of ‘Big Band Orchestras’ In World War Ii, Katie Victoria Burnopp

Student Scholar Showcase

Known as the ‘King of Swing’, clarinetist and band leader Benny Goodman (1909-1986) threatened the Nazi cause during WWII. With intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to investigate swing music during World War II. The particular problems of this study were to: (1) identify how the swing music of Benny Goodman (1909-1986) influenced adolescents in the United States of America, United Kingdom, and Germany; (2) explore the Nazi party view on ‘swing’ music of the era; (3) examine how the music of Charlie and his Orchestra became used as a tool for Nazi propaganda; and …

Making Music With Maria Montessori, Zerai Thornton, Renee Banks, Sarah Young, Leray Wingo

Student Scholar Showcase

Although Montessori’s methods may not be universally accepted in common school system, her basic ideology in regards to successful childhood development which is encouraged in the classroom can be applied to any classroom environment. With the intent of improving music pedagogy and child classroom environments, the purpose of this research was to inspect Montessori’s theory and analysis here experiences that impacted her research discovery. The particular problems of this study were to (1) analyze Montessori theory and teaching methods; (2) examine Montessori’s techniques; and (3) and create a series of lesson plans utilizing Montessori techniques.

Montessori’s methods benefit young children …

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 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 …

Preparing The Student For High School Band Leadership: A Praxial And Flipped-Classroom Method Based On Kolb's Learning Theory, Brandon Dennis Woods

Masters Theses

Today's educational climate is rapidly shifting. High stakes testing, both from the federal and state governments, have drastically altered the landscape of public education in America. Although all subjects are feeling the impact of these new educational initiatives, music education is suffering uniquely during this time. With music education so drastically different in modern education compared to what is was before the year 2001, because of the implementation of sweeping federal changes, it is important that we take a new and fresh look at band director education. Students are entering the job field as first year band directors with very …

Teaching Preschool Music: A Praxial And Biblical Approach, Ashley Finke

Masters Theses

The research conducted in this study strove to identify the effects of a praxial music approach with the integration of biblical principles on teacher training and preschool students’ learning. Currently, universities do not offer music education students instruction in preschool music pedagogy that incorporates a praxial music approach with biblical principles. Several sources were consulted to discover the need for a college level curriculum geared towards teaching a praxially and biblically-based music curriculum in preschool. As a method to discover how beneficial it is to incorporate praxial music teaching with a biblical foundation, this study establishes a framework and curriculum …

A Causal-Comparative Analysis Of Performance-Based Music Classes And Act Scores, Russell Courson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Educational leaders at the state and district level are struggling to provide adequate funding for schools due to the uncertainty of the economic outlook throughout the country. Although several states have requested and received waivers for the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), many school systems still find themselves in the difficult position of providing enough instructional time dedicated to the four primary core content areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) to allow students to be successful in high stakes standardized testing. While NCLB stated the fine arts, including performance-based music classes, such as band, choir, …

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 …

The Effects Of Rhythm For Social Emotional Learning Skills Development, Jonathan O. Mande

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Many people talk about the importance of music in school and learning, we all know about its effects on cognitive development for children and adults. Though despite these universally known facts, music education programs are increasingly underfunded in schools, private lessons are not accessible to most people, while our country is simultaneously suffering from an increase in academic retention and destructive societal conflicts. Music brings all people together and at its core is rhythm. It makes available a space for joy; to fully express love, build bonds and strengthen our individual spirits. When used intentionally, music heals and is a …

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 …