Music Education Commons^™

Schenkerian Analysis For The Beginner, Benjamin K. Wadsworth

Faculty Articles

In the classroom, the teacher of Schenkerian analysis faces the challenge of reconciling the holistic evaluation of works with the sequential presentation of content from simple to complex. Drawing from previous learning taxonomies (Bloom 1956, Anderson and Krathwohl 2001, and Rifkin and Stoecker 2011), I propose an adapted one for Schenkerian analysis. I note differences between this taxonomy and analytical procedures shown in current Schenkerian textbooks (Cadwallader and Gagné 2011, Pankhurst 2008), pursue implications of the new learning taxonomy, and suggest a wide range of classroom activities that have proven effective in my own introductory course. Goals of the new …

Music For Caroline: Including Students With Autism In The Elementary General Music Classroom, Meredith B. Dayoub

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose ofthis paper is to research and analyze the history ofspecial education, special education in music, and Autism. The goal is to provide elementary general music educators with a detailed understanding ofthe history ofspecial education and ways to modify lessons to accommodate students with special needs, specifically Autism. Through an analysis of special education history and the legislation that has impacted special education, music educators may find new ways to teach students of varying learning levels. Understanding the medical definition and characteristics of Autism should help educators modify existing lessons or develop new lessons that allow all students, including …

The Effect Of Colored Accent Marks In Music Notation During The Sight-Reading Process For High School And College Wind Instrumentalists, Eric Bradley Malone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test new ways of improving the sight-reading process in music. This experimental study has been split into two identical studies completed in different settings. The first study utilized 56 volunteer wind instrumentalists from a high school band as subjects, while the second study utilized 30 volunteer wind instrumentalists from a college band as subjects. The same pretest-posttest experiment was used for each study. The subjects were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, while two short musical excerpts were composed to use for the experiment. The pretest excerpt was unaltered …

Extending Invitations, Becoming Messmates, Alison M. Reynolds, Brent C. Talbot

Sunderman Conservatory of Music Faculty Publications

As music educators we can model proactive advocacy among community members to prevent individuals' reactive violence in response to intolerance for differences. We can offer music-learning tables as safe spaces in which community members openly and collaboratively learn to know each other as individuals with diverse identities and interests. As messmates around the table, we can identify ways that researching, questioning, and being musical together can eradicate fears and the damaging effects of homophobia.

Composing/Arranging Familiar Songs In Choir With Garageband, Brent C. Talbot

Sunderman Conservatory of Music Faculty Publications

This practical multi-stage project description demonstrates to teachers how they can engage students in arranging and composing music related to the choral curriculum by using Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) like GarageBand.

Ua1c11/84 David Livingston Photograph Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Photographs created by and about David Livingston during his time as leader of the Gemini jazz bands.

Creating And Performing A Composition For Tuba And Piano, Joel A. Ragona

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this creative thesis, I compose and perform a six movement art composition for tuba and piano. The reason for this performance and composition is two-fold. First, I am able to express myself in a way that other methods do not allow. Second, I reinforce important skills that will be vital in my future teaching career. To create the composition, I use various compositional methods, but I mainly adjust the composition by listening to it using piano and online compositional software. Preparing the composition for performance requires that I practice for multiple hours and find an accompanist who will perform …

The Allure Of Music: Implications For Academically Gifted Students, Erin Tolar 16

Honor Scholar Theses

This thesis explores the complex interactions of academic giftedness as it relates to the pursuit of music. The literature review covers some of the main topics of giftedness, including what it means to be gifted, identification of giftedness, and music in gifted programs. Research was conducted at a small liberal arts college with a School of Music on academically gifted students. The survey and follow-up interview were constructed to assess whether academically gifted music students were more likely to experience conflict about their choice of major than academically gifted liberal arts students, non-academically gifted School of Music students, or non-academically …

Music Education At The Troy Female Seminary: 1817-1904, Jennifer Elizabeth Peck Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When examining the historical origins of music education in the United States there exists a gap in the research concerning female music educators. There have been many calls to action by researchers with the aim of focusing research on the contribution of women to music education. This project sought to document details about musical studies and female music educators at one institution of higher learning. The Troy Female Seminary was founded by Emma Hart Willard in 1817 and exists today as an independent secondary school for females (renamed the Emma Willard School in 1895). Relevant books, journal articles, master’s theses, …

Student Perceptions And Attitudes Regarding The Diversity Of Music In Their High School Band Classroom, Nathan Westlund

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Though much research has been published on the benefits, importance, and teacher perceptions of multicultural music education, fewer investigations have examined student perceptions and attitudes on this topic. Most notably, the author perceived a lack of such research at the high school level. The purpose of this study was to investigate student perception of and attitudes toward the diversity of music in high school band programs. This qualitative investigation involves a case study approach, using interview technique. It seeks to answer the following questions: (a) what are high school band students' perceptions of diversity in their school band curriculum, and …

The Influence Of Real-Time Visual Feedback Training On Vocal Control, Justeena N. Zaki-Azat

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Trained singers have better vocal control when compared to singers without vocal training. The development of precise vocal control, like any motor skill, requires practice with some form of feedback, such as auditory feedback. In addition to auditory feedback, singing training programs use online visual feedback to improve performance accuracy. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the recent body of literature concerning the cognitive processing of vocal control, and apply this knowledge practically to develop an effective real-time visual feedback training program that enhances vocal control. In the first of two studies, non-singers and singers were randomly assigned …

Fundamentals For Horn Students, Kierstin Jenkins

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Many band directors find teaching horn to be intimidating. Through extensive research, this project has compiled some of the best exercises to help horn players improve and explains the rationale behind them. The written work contains information and descriptions about the different fundamentals that horn students need in order to be successful and develop good tone quality. The appendix includes examples of these exercises so that an educator has resources to teach his/her horn students. The fundamentals included are: breathing, buzzing, long tones, flow studies, lip slurs, and pitch.

Effects Of A Music Literacy Integration Intervention On Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And Proactive Attitudes Toward Music Integration In Classroom Instruction, Mary Louise Keyloun Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

With the adoption of the common core state standards, pressure to raise the achievement of young learners was intense. Classroom teachers were scrutinized to teach lessons with high levels of thinking and rigor. Teachers were inclined to eliminate or ignore artsenriched lessons that would benefit students. The reason for this action was associated with the efficacy of the classroom teacher toward music integration in literacy curriculum. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of the Music Literacy Integration Intervention (MLII) on the self-efficacy and proactiveness of teachers at a small elementary school in Florida toward integration of …

Practising Jazz Performance: An Investigation Into The Process That Underpins Optimal Instrumental Practice In The Jazz Idiom, Christopher J. Tarr

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Little formal research has been undertaken into the processes associated with jazz improvisation, particularly those associated with practising to become an elite jazz improviser. This study seeks to understand the role of instrumental practice, particularly physical practice strategies and the associated mental states, in the development of jazz improvisers. Interviews were conducted with six improvisers of various ages, instruments and backgrounds. The study identified a number of strategies specific to jazz practice that differed from traditional practice strategies described in Western art literature, particularly in relation to the importance of the ear-to-instrument connection. Accordingly, the study sets out a series …

A Digital Resource For Navigating Extended Techniques On Bass Clarinet, Philip Everall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Extended techniques are integral to the creation and interpretation of works for the bass clarinet. Effects such as multiphonics, microtones, or percussive and air sounds, have become commonplace in repertoire from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This PhD dissertation posits that the bass clarinet’s affinity for these sounds can be traced back to the instrument’s earliest uses, and thus extended techniques should be central to the understanding of the bass clarinet. While there is a large knowledge-base of these techniques, the paradigm of print resources with accompanying music media in which it is catalogued is old-fashioned and inefficient. This project …

Symphony For Wind Orchestra By Luis Serrano Alarcón: Background, Analysis, And Conductor’S Guide, Donald F. Goodwin

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Born in 1972, Luis Serrano Alarcón has in a very short period of time, established himself as one of Spain’s most prominent composers. His works are constantly being performed, not only in his home country, but throughout the world. While some of his compositions tend to retain the rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic style typical to Spanish music, many of the works sound as if they were borne more from the Viennese symphonic tradition, both during the time of Haydn and Beethoven, but also during the time of Arnold Schoenberg.

As a young boy Alarcón took up piano lessons with a …

Attitudinal Differences Of Choral Music Teachers In Regards To Vocal Change Type, Jill C. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences exist in secondary choral music teachers’ understandings and attitudes toward sex-specific vocal change and whether these differences vary by virtue of years of teaching experience. Participants (N = 405) were secondary choral music educators and current members on the National Association for Music Education who were surveyed using a researcher-designed attitudinal questionnaire. The survey instrument consisted of 20 questions related to teacher attitude towards sex-specific vocal change. Responses were recorded in using a 7-point Likert-type scale and included two anecdotal responses. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted and revealed that there …

The Effect Of Implied Performer Age, Implied Performer Gender, And Performance Quality Level On Music Majors’ Evaluations Of Solo Musical Performances, Ann M. Harrington

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of implied performer age, implied performer gender, and performance quality level on undergraduate music majors’ evaluations of solo alto saxophone performances. Participants (N = 124) were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: (a) good quality musical performances with images of male performers, (b) good quality musical performances with images of female performers, (c) poor quality musical performances with images of male performers, and (d) poor quality musical performances with images of female performers. All experimental conditions contained high quality images of the faces of both older adults …

The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective: An Ongoing Experiment In Musical Self-Governance, Julian D. Bryson

Theses and Dissertations--Music

C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective and Triad: Boston’s Choral Collective are the first choirs to explore collectivity as a method of ensemble organization. While more traditional ensembles have a single artistic director, C4 and Triad share and rotate leadership responsibilities among the full membership. Artistic and logistical decisions develop through conversation, consensus, and/or voting.

This monograph draws primarily on interviews with thirteen current and former members of the two ensembles as well as the author’s personal experiences with Triad’s inaugural concert cycle to present a narrative description of member characteristics, governance, and operational processes. Interview responses are compared to relevant …

The Adjudicator Speaks: A Study Of Choral Festival Adjudicators’ Practices, Procedures And Preferences, David L. Hensley

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Choral Festivals, whether competitive or non-competitive, involve preparation, performance, and evaluation. The process of preparing for and performing at a choral festival often leaves the conductor and choir members wondering what the adjudicators (judges) will be listening for and on what basis the choir will receive its critique. Few if any music education publications (including methods textbooks, scholarly publications, and journal articles) have addressed this topic, and those that have addressed it have failed to include the adjudicator’s point of view. This dissertation addresses the point of view of the choral festival adjudicator, giving insight into the standards of performance …