Music Practice Commons^™

Live Performance, Digital Music, And The Music Listener Experience, Jessica Isenhour

Selected Honors Theses

Live music performance, specifically in a contemporary and modem atmosphere, such as in pop, rock, and hip-hop musical genres in a corporate concert environment, is constantly innovating. As technology advances, so does its incorporation into live performance, marketing media, and digital music. Over the course of centuries, music listeners have enjoyed music of various genres through numerous types of media; however, what remains consistent in these avenues of musical exposure is the psychology of those listeners. This thesis aims to observe what consumers of music look for in live concert and digital music streaming environments, how performers have adapted and …

Entropy In Music: An Analysis Of Shape Note Music In Terms Of Information Entropy, Kyle Major

Honors Program Theses

This paper will be centered on a case study designed to probe a possible objective method for analyzing music that has already proven itself in the analysis computational systems: information theory. More specifically, this study has been conducted through the collection of data on information entropy in the genre of shape note music. The genre of shape note music has been chosen for its relative simplicity compared to other genres such as the classical symphony, which will render it significantly easier to analyze objectively. Information entropy as proposed by Claude Shannon, makes an excellent method for objective analysis because it …

Examining Factors Of Student Retention In A Middle School Band Program, Tyler Renninger

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This action research aimed to examine the factors contributing to student retention in a middle school band program through the self-reported perspectives of students. With a critical inquiry framework, it was anticipated that the results would inform potential action by the researcher aimed at increasing student access to music programs. Through an empirical descriptive design using survey technique, the study population included band students at the school where the researcher was teaching at the time of the study. Results of data analysis indicate that students mostly made their decisions independently, while some were influenced by parents and peers. The most …

Assessing Self-Perceived Nutrition-Related Lifestyle Behaviors And Knowledge Of University Music Students Following A Targeted Presentation, Gretchen Trumbo

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Although proven that nutrition can impact physical health, limited research examines the relationship between nutrition-related lifestyle behaviors, nutrition knowledge, and the prevalence of injury in university music students. The objective of this study is to evaluate nutrition-related lifestyle behaviors and self-perceived nutrition knowledge of university music students before and after a targeted nutrition education session. A baseline Qualtrics survey was administered to undergraduate and graduate music students (18+ years) via the University of Kentucky School of Music Listserv to gather data related to demographics, anthropometrics, history of playing-related injury, nutrition knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. A nutrition education presentation, focused …

Exploring A Compositional Practice Through The Lens Of The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, Jie Hong Yang

Theses : Honours

Asian music was an important influence upon some Western composers such as Claude Debussy, Giacomo Puccini, Maurice Ravel, Henry Cowell, Oliver Messiaen, John Cage and Lou Harrison. Since the 1960s, Australian composers such as Peter Sculthorpe, Anne Boyd, Richard Meale, and Julian Yu have similarly been influenced by music of Asia. In 2007, Chou Wen-chung wrote about today’s commercially oriented ‘world music’ environment, and addressed the need for Chinese composers to provide more meaningful contribution to the musical culture by writing music informed by knowledge drawn from their cultural heritage. As an Australian born Chinese composer, this exegesis was an …

Teacher Perspectives On The Influence Of Participation In Dalcroze Training In The K–12 Music Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study, Holly Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the teacher perspectives on the influence of participation in Dalcroze training in the K–12 music classroom. A primary goal was to investigate how Dalcroze training influenced music teachers’ classroom instructional practices. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was use for this study. Participants (N = 91) completed a cross-sectional survey, the Dalcroze Training Experience Questionnaire (DTEQ). Interview participants (N = 6) were selected using stratified sampling based on their years of Dalcroze experience and not demographic characteristics. Each participated in one semi-structured interview.

Quantitative data was analyzed using a …

Songs For High Voice: An Annotated Guide To African Romances, Op. 17 By Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Makeda Danielle Hampton

Theses and Dissertations--Music

African Romances, Op. 17, composed in 1897 by African-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), is a collection of seven songs for high voice that is uniquely both African and American. The lyrics of this song cycle were first published in the book Majors and Minors, a collection of poems published in 1895 by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906).

An analysis of resources supports that academic discourse in Black vocal music has been underrepresented due to the absence of centralized information, such as published scores, recorded materials, catalogs, and guides for study and performance. While in depth research focusing on the art …

Orchestral Excerpts For Trombone From Villa-Lobos’S “Chôros”– Performance Considerations And Collected Edition, Hugo Eustáquio De Faria Pinheiro Sr.

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The daily routine of playing in a professional orchestra can be very challenging. An important and useful tool for students, professors and professional players in the preparation process of playing is the focused study of orchestral excerpts, where one can consciously practice ahead of time the most technically demanding passages, in order to be ready for rehearsals and performances.

The orchestral output of the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos is vast, with many technical and musical challenges for low brass musicians. This research will cover Villa-Lobos’s Chôros series, with a special focus on the works that present at least one trombone …

Beyond The Notation: Developing Tools To Guide Artistic Decisions Of Performers In The Wind Ensemble, Brent Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Music is a subjective art form that is enhanced by emotional connection and understanding of the relationship of line and phrasing to both the performer and the audience. Performers and conductors are charged with making artistic decisions about the expressive qualities of a phrase within moments of seeing the notation for the first time. In the development of wind ensembles, there is often a disconnect between the technique and accuracy of a musician’s performance and the emotional connection and understanding required to perform a lyrical melody or phrase within a piece of music. As musicians progress, often the attention is …

Johan Sebastian Bach And His Cello Suites Ii And V: An Audio And Visual Analysis Of Cello Suites Ii And V, Samuel Konkol

Honors Program Theses

Johan Sebastian Bach and his Cello Suites II and V: An Audio and Visual Analysis of Cello Suites II and V. Through research and practice, I have taken an in-depth analysis of Bach's cello suites. I have broken down each suite into individual movements and explored their inner workings.

The G7 Suite: Score And Analysis, Joseph C. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The G7 Suite is a multi-movement chamber work that combines elements of European Art Music, Indigenous Music from Latin America, and various representations of American music. The melodic material is derived from the national anthems of the Great Seven nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each melody is re-set to new music genres and aligns itself to the rules and expectations within each idiom. This compilation is more than a series of arrangements or reharmonizations of the anthems; these are new compositions based on melodic elements from previous works.

This analysis of The …

A Study Of The Steel Pan: A Guide To Two Tenor Pan Etudes, Lilith Manes

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will be a presentation of the research, processes, and results of composing two etudes for the tenor steelpan. The difficulty and applications of the accompanying etudes vary, but they are primarily intended for high school students or intermediate pannists. The purpose of this research project is twofold: to provide a brief description of the history of the steelpan and its integration into the United States education system in order to illustrate the need for original compositions and to serve as a guide to the teaching process of each composition provided. This paper will also give a detailed explanation …

Lives In Musicology: My Life In Writings, Kofi Agawu

Publications and Research

Responding to an invitation from the editors of Acta Musicologica to tell the story of his life in musicology, Kofi Agawu describes his upbringing and early education in Ghana and his university studies in the UK and the US. In a career focused on teaching, research, and writing, he outlines a number of intellectual projects involving the analysis of African and European music. He ends by acknowledging renewed discussions of race and identity in the musical academy today, and hints at his own growing interest in African art music.

The Three Piano Sonatas By José De Almeida Penalva, Heron Alvim Moreira

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research project discusses the three piano sonatas by José de Almeida Penalva (1924-2002), a priest and composer from the southern region of Brazil, who lived most of his life in the city of Curitiba, in Paraná state.

Along with overall information about the composer’s life and general output, the reader will find brief discussions of Penalva’s keyboard works, along with comprehensive formal analyses of his three piano sonatas.

Sonata no. 1 (1970, chronologically the second to be written) appears in one large movement that reveals two distinct sections. Its language is atonal and its first section displays sonata-allegro form. …

The Joyful Path Of Lifelong Mastery Of The Piano, John Alan Rose

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Designed to function as a handbook for pianists, this research project is written in a friendly manner. Organized by theme, it contains a multiplicity of approaches that pianists at all levels can apply to their daily piano practice to help deepen the meaning and efficacy of their work. No matter what role the piano plays in your life, there is much in this document that will help you find joy as you discover new things about yourself through practicing the piano. From methods of practice to philosophies by established performers, this project has enough material to be kept within arm’s …

A Foundation For Collaboration: An Analysis Of Robert Schumann’S Dichterliebe, Op. 48, Kailang Zhan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper provides an analysis of Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe offering historical information and insights into each of the sixteen songs. The analysis includes the English translation of the texts and discussion of the form of each song as well as highlights of the special moments of harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic structure in relation to Schumann’s setting of each poem. The analysis provides a foundation for collaborative skills for the singer and pianist for the study and performance of Dichterliebe. In addition, the paper includes brief biographies of Robert Schumann and Heinrich Heine and background information on the poetry and …

Fostering Music Performers In The 21st Century: A Contemporary Professional Perspective Toward A New Curricular Agenda For Graduate Study In Music, Andre Januario

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

What if the core curriculum for graduate students in music performance were designed to prepare students to succeed in the world of the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

This dissertation offers a hypothetical answer: a structured and systematic academic curricular framework for music graduate students of performance of concert music (especially those in terminal degrees, such as doctoral students), along with music instructors, professional music performers, school administrators, and college professors, seeking to prepare such students for achieving and maintaining a music career more in keeping with the current work environment, especially those skills demanded by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the …

A Selected Analytical Bibliography Of Works For Saxophone By Composers Associated With The Darmstadt International Summer Courses For New Music: 1946-2021, Christopher Mark Delouis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although the saxophone is one of the most recently invented concert instruments, countless pieces of music have been written for it. This document aims to contribute to the established scholarship that examines and highlights existing saxophone repertoire, by looking specifically at composers associated with the Darmstadt International Summer Courses. Bruce Ronkin’s Londeix Guide to the Saxophone Repertoire 1844-2012 is a standard resource for the 21st century saxophonist to have. It includes some, but not all, compositions for saxophone written before 2012. By looking at this specific set of composers, with many who are alive today, this document is able to …

A Survey Of Musical Expectations In The Marine Forces Reserve Band Stationed In New Orleans, Louisiana, Brandon Paul Carbonari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research document examines the musical expectations of United States Marines serving in the Marine Forces Reserve Band from 2017 to 2021. Chapter One of this study provides a detailed foundation of the musical and non-musical responsibilities of a United States Marine musician. Training regime, rehearsal schedule, and logistical area responsibilities will be described to help convey the full scope of duty. The source material for Chapter One includes dissertations, journal articles, published books, online sources, and interviews. Chapter Two provides results of a survey that was conducted with members of the band. The questions were designed to record the …

Selected Principles Of Practicing For Security In Performance, Hsing-Yi Tsai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research focuses on extending the imagination for the purposes of activating our brain to strengthen memorization of music for a stronger and more secure performance. This research explores the concept of self-awareness in the sense of having a conversation with ourselves in order to understand the primary reasons we pianists spend hours in the practice room. I introduce selected strategies for learning pieces through a meticulous process of memorization which impacts not only new pieces, but also the resurrecting of old repertoire. Along with including the concept of the Memory Palace, I explore different methods of memorizing music to …