Music Pedagogy Commons^™

Teaching With Chopsticks And A Rhythm Clock, Paula Telesco

Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy

When teaching rhythm, it can be difficult to convey the concept that beats are not just attack points but have a full duration, which can be divided into many parts; it can also be difficult for students to understand how those divisions and subdivisions do or do not coincide. I have created a number of rhythm clocks (attached) that include color-coded Ta ka di mi syllables (red) and 1 ee and uh counting syllables (blue) to show the division and subdivision of the beat into 2, 3, 4, and 6 parts, and to show simple and compound divisions and subdivisions …

Finding The “Tech” In Technique: A Pedagogical Approach To Electroacoustic Concert Percussion Performance Practice, William Brady Harrison Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Premise and Objectives

In our increasingly technology driven society, the impact of technology touches nearly every aspect of our lives in some form or another. This has been acutely felt within the world of percussion, with electroacoustic works representing perhaps the most rapidly expanding area of concert percussion over the last twenty years. Electroacoustic music couples electronic technology with traditional acoustic instruments and/or performance practices.

Broadly, this paper outlines a systematic approach to teaching electroacoustic performance practice, based on elements found in a cross-section of percussion literature. In using such an approach, not only does each student become more capable …

A Singer’S Stress: Yoga And Meditation Techniques In The Collegiate Voice Studio, Zackery David Morris

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Often neglected in voice study is the understanding that a singer’s instrument lives in his/her body and therefore cannot be packed away like other musical objects. Yoga and mindfulness compliment the belief of a whole body instrument. Data gathered on college campuses report that stress and anxiety are on the rise, thus reinforcing the need for MBSR and yoga as beneficial and proven tools for stress relief. The current state of research in the realm of mental health in colleges merits the study of a cohesive layout of these exercises and their expected outcomes in singing as well as stress …

Pedagogical Thoughts On Album Des Six: A Piano Set By Les Six To Represent French Nationalism, Dipendra Sunam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Les Six, formally established in 1920, included a group of young French composers: Georges Auric (1899-1983), Louis Durey (1888-1979), Arthur Honegger (1892-1955), Darius Milhaud (1892-1974), Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) and Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983). The primary motivation for their formation was the reaction against foreign influences, especially German Romantic music, in French music. Jean Cocteau, inspired by Erik Satie’s style, proposed a new French musical aesthetic: simplicity, directness, clarity, and terseness. Les Six followed these ideals in their formative years. Their artistic association was short-lived, but while it lasted it produced Album des Six, their sole joint production, a published …

Embouchure Theory In Practice, Alden Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In the instrumental band world, the horn, euphonium, and tuba are considered “switch-over” instruments. They are put in this category because students usually switch to these instruments from their starting instrument. Though they may not be offered to students as a starting instrument, their tones create a balanced and mature band sound. However, it is difficult to properly teach these instruments due to logistical complications; the music educator is responsible for simultaneously teaching the switch-over students a new instrument, while continuing the education of students who did not switch over.

Sound on the horn, euphonium, and tuba is produced by …

An Approach To Jazz Improvisation For Intermediate Saxophonists, Justin Evangelist

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project is an organization of the author’s thoughts on teaching jazz improvisational concepts to saxophonists at a beginning to intermediate level of playing ability. Firstly, it discusses the skills students should acquire before studying jazz improvisation. It will focus primarily on building good practice habits through the development of desirable jazz tone and technique. Additionally, this project will offer explanations for understanding how jazz standards are constructed in terms of form and how they are performed. Lastly, this project will introduce several basic concepts the student can use to construct improvised melodies, such as modal scales, blues scales, seventh …

The Origins Of Western Music And Its Influence On Modern Popular Music: Teaching Music Through A Musical Exploration Of Seven Countries, Johanna Katelyn Hatt

Masters Theses

The topics of music history and music appreciation cover a wide range of composers and musical contributions that at times, can be overwhelming to a student who does not have any musical knowledge. Through limiting the music appreciation course to the discussion of composers’ works from various countries, students are able to learn about the important contributions those composers and countries had to music, including modern popular music. This topic will bring value to the field of music education as it offers an alternative approach to the traditional method of teaching a music history course. With this holistic approach to …

Discovering The "Finnish Chopin"—Selim Palmgren's 24 Preludes, Op. 17, And Tres Piezas Para Piano, Op. 54, Sijia Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Selim Palmgren (1878-1951) is one of the most significant musical figures in Finland. Unlike Jean Sibelius, who is undoubtedly the greatest Finnish symphonic composer of his time, Palmgren’s concentration is more on smaller-scale character pieces. His contribution to the piano and vocal repertoires earned him the reputation of being the “Chopin of the North” and also the “Schumann of the North.” Palmgren was not only prolific, having written over 300 piano works and 200 vocal pieces, but also versatile, frequently blending within his works various nationalistic, impressionistic, and other musical styles and elements within his works.

This paper is focused …

Increasing Student Perceptions Of Success And Inclusion Through Strategic Programming Of Underrepresented Composers, Joyce J. Beyer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There is a disproportional representation of women and people of color in orchestra and classical music. Both on the stage and in the music being performed, white and male musicians are more prominent than women and people of color. This disproportionality impacts underrepresented people, especially young students.

A study was done to see if introducing students to successful women and people of color who were musicians would increase student perceptions of success and inclusion in orchestra. The study included 37 students from 5 public school orchestra programs. The treatment was a series of pre-designed mini-lessons on underrepresented musicians. Growth was …

Principals’ Leadership Practices For Sustaining Music In K-3 Education, Ivone Fraiha Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public school principals who provide and sustain music in elementary programs are often confronted with budgetary cuts and reduced funding for music education. There is a dearth of research regarding music as an essential element in K-3 education in low-income rural schools. The purpose of this generic qualitative inquiry was to explore and describe leadership practices of principals, who despite fiscal challenges, include and sustain music in the K-3 curriculum in a low-income rural area of a small county in North Carolina. Elliott and Silverman’s concept of praxial music education and Leithwood and Riehl’s philosophy of instructional leadership practices were …

Art As A Mediating Tool: Children And Learning In A Music And Arts-Based After School Program, Claudia Saldana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of primarily Latina/o children with learning music in a Music and Arts-Based Program (MABP) the context of a low-income neighborhood on the U.S- Mexico border. This year-long ethnographic study was conducted in an after-school art program in the Rio Grande Elementary School, in a low-income neighborhood located within one-mile of the U.S.-Mexico border. The purpose of the study is to understand how music and art can be used as a mediating tool for children to construct social and cognitive learning within a culturally diverse community, thus, enhancing the social environment in which they interact. The …

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 …

2018-2019 Master Class - Elmar Oliveira (Violin), Elmar Oliveira, Daniel Guevara, Yue Yang, Zulfiya Bashirova, Ricardo Lemus, Ming Yue Fei, Guzal Isametdinova, Sheng Yuan Kuan, Joshua Cessna

Master Classes

No abstract provided.

2018-2019 Master Class - Alessandro Deljavan (Piano), Alessandro Deljavan, Nicole Marie P. Cortero, Jiawei Yuan, Kimia Rafieian

Master Classes

No abstract provided.

Technique For The Developing Dramatic Soprano, Amber James

Dissertations

This dissertation was inspired by a Facebook post by David L. Jones regarding common pedagogical problems in the dramatic soprano Fach. I am a dramatic soprano, who has dealt with many of the technical problems listed in his post. David L. Jones is an internationally recognized teacher and coach and has worked with some of the most well-known professional dramatic sopranos. After considering these pedagogical challenges, it was decided the best course of action was to interview professional singers, teachers, and coaches in the dramatic soprano Fach. After conducting a state of research, it was found that there …

The Baritone To Tenor Transition, John White

Dissertations

Many notable opera singers have been virtuosic tenors; Franco Corelli, Plácido Domingo, James King, José Carreras, Ramón Vinay, Jon Vickers, and Carlo Bergonzi. Besides being great tenors, each of these singers share the fact that they transitioned from baritone to tenor.

Perhaps nothing is more destructive to the confidence of a singer than to have his vocal identity or voice type challenged. Many singers have experienced this, and not always by way of advice or as a gentle suggestion, but rather, as a solution to a fundamental deficiency regarding the singer’s voice. Though undergoing a transition to another vocal fach …

The Challenges And Limitations Of Adapting Mozart's Così Fan Tutte For A Small University Setting, Christopher Lovely

Dissertations

In this dissertation, challenges and limitations related to presenting Così fan tutte within a small university setting are conveyed, as well as offering innovative ideas to create a manageable presentation. I recall my personal experience as Korepititor/Vocal Coach for The University of Southern Mississippi’s 2014 production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte. This document presents topics on the various workings of an opera production: pre-rehearsal preparation, language issues, rehearsal preparation, selection of singers, and production issues. It offers practical solutions to overcome various challenges a small university may encounter. Smaller university opera programs were surveyed regarding their adaptations of …

A Pedagogical Guide To Selected Intermediate And Early-Advanced Piano Works By Sergei Prokofiev: Developing Technical Skills To Master His Advanced Repertoire, Kaleb Davis

Dissertations

This dissertation provides the piano instructor and performer with a pedagogical guide to selected pieces by Prokofiev ranging in difficulty from intermediate to early-advanced. The pieces chosen for this guide help to address a variety of technical challenges that are essential to studying and performing Prokofiev’s more advanced works.

Chapter I offers an overview of Prokofiev’s musical style and addresses prominent technical challenges from his advanced piano repertoire. Chapter II is a pedagogical guide to the selected pieces, arranged into three levels of difficulty. For ease of reference, tables outlining the pieces with their technical challenges are placed at the …

A Brain-Friendly Approach To Music Literacy, Taylor Davis

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The purpose of this study was to explore how the brain processes information, stores it in long-term memory and then applies that knowledge to teaching music in a classroom/rehearsal setting. We observed how the working memory, the system responsible for processing information from short-term and long-term memory can function with greater efficiency. We observed how the number of items available for processing in the working memory may be increased through a process identified as “chunking.” Chunking is when short patterns, or bits of information, are combined to form longer sequences. When applying these brain-friendly learning concepts to music, the instructor …

Editor’S Essay, Michael E. Ruhling

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

No abstract provided.