Music Commons^™

Let All The People Worship: Applying Inculturation In A Multicultural Community, Darrell St. Romain

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

The United States of America is growing more diverse, and its houses of worship are embracing this diversity to engage congregants and build membership. There is a tool to help worshiping communities to espouse diversity of cultures, namely Liturgical Inculturation. Liturgical inculturation, as defined by Anscar Chupungco, is the process whereby the texts and rites used in worship by the local church are so inserted in the framework of culture, that they absorb its thought, language, and ritual patterns. Incorporating the goals and functions of liturgical inculturation, worshiping communities can begin to re-evangelize themselves and celebrate unity through diversity.

This …

Plenty Good Room: Using Negro Spirituals To Bridge The Racial Divide, Darnell Allen St. Romain

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

In 2020, the United States experienced a global pandemic and the murder of Mr. George Floyd. With the murder of Floyd, many churches were confronted with the racial divide in the United States. This thesis is a response of one community, the Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Plano, Texas. Using the folk song of Black Americans, namely the Negro Spirituals, as the foundation of an ethical-theological framework, this thesis poses one way for addressing the anti-Black structure prevalent in the Catholic Church in the United States of America. This work progresses from despair to hope, addressing the link between …

Making Old Things New Again: The Northridge Psalter, With Antiphons Based On Lessons From The Revised Common Lectionary, Bryan Scott Page

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

Responsive psalmody is one of the primary musical vehicles for presenting the Psalms in worship by choir and congregation. Existing responsive psalmody features congregational antiphons with texts derived directly from the psalms. Working with the Revised Common Lectionary, this thesis presents fifty newly written and composed antiphons with texts derived from the accompanying RCL lessons. The goal of this method is to emphasize prophetic connections between the Old Testament lesson and Gospel lesson via the antiphons. This thesis also features a history of lectionary development, a detailed account of the creative process, rubrics for presenting the responsive psalmody in worship, …

Arranging, Teaching And Performing The Cypriot Folk Song, Αχερόμπασμαν (Aherombasman), Georgia Orfanides

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This paper documents my process of arranging, teaching, and conducting the Cypriot folk song, Αχερόμπασμαν (Aherombasman) to JMU’s Treble Chamber Choir. I am Cypriot-American and I wanted to create an accessible arrangement of a Cypriot folk tune in order to introduce the musical culture and language of Cyprus to a Western audience. The first section of this paper provides a brief history of the cultural and political influences on Cyprus, and an introduction to common practices in the Cypriot folk tradition. The second section details the process of transcribing the original tune from Alkinoos Ioannides’ arrangement, creating the final arrangement …

Effects Of Background Music Characteristics On Working Memory Capacity, Rachel S. Tan

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The use of background music as a distractor can either enhance or hinder task performance depending on how various characteristics of the music influence participants’ arousal. However, existing studies on this topic lack direct manipulation of the physical characteristics of the music, instead using different musical excerpts. The lack of direct manipulation introduces confounding musical variables present in the musical stimuli. This research project examined how specific attributes of background music influence working memory by playing digitally manipulated musical stimuli while participants completed the Sternberg Digit Span task, a standard measure of working memory and processing speed. The test stimuli …

Teaching Double Bass Through Lost Traditions Of The 18th Century, Tina Battaglia

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Through learning how to improvise entire compositions from unfigured bass using stock classical schemata, this paper seeks to bring awareness to the technical and musical benefits of translating 18th century compositional keyboard etudes called partimenti into double bass etudes.

Pedal Points: Harmony And The Double-Action Pedal System In Modern Harp Music, Mckenna Jennings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pedals are an invisible guide in chromatic harp repertoire. While the evolution of tonality and rise in chromaticism incentivized the invention of the double-action pedal harp, the unique restraints and extensions of this technological system influence harmony and pitch collections in chromatic harp music. This thesis explores the pedal harp and the influence the affordance and idiomacy of the pedal layout exerts onto chromatic harp repertoire. It draws on embodiment and schema theory to describe patterns of pedal motion in harp music, thus presenting and demonstrating an original theory of pedal schemas. Pedal schemas are patterns of motion defined by …

A Parent's Experience During Their Autistic Child's In-Home Music Therapy, Dana Raicaldo

Theses & Dissertations

Little is known about the lived experience of parents who participate in their child’s in-home music therapy sessions. This descriptive phenomenological inquiry explored the experience of a parent who participates in her child’s in-home music therapy sessions. Through a thematic analysis of the data, five themes emerged: Parental Concern Regarding Jack’s Participation Style, Appreciation for Music Therapist, Claire Finds Joy in Jack’s Joy, Ambiguity of Mother’s Role, and Questioning the “Right Way.” An important finding in this research highlights the necessity of a parent understanding their role in music therapy sessions with their children. The study underscored the importance of …

Methodologies And Adaptations: A Survey Of Selected Teachers And Those Who Specialize In Self-Contained Music Classrooms, Lori Scantlin

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the methodologies and adaptations utilized in both self-contained and inclusive music classes for students with special needs in Southwest Missouri. Additionally, the study investigated the availability of and resources for self-contained music education classes. To address these topics, selected teachers were invited to respond through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Music teachers from across southwest Missouri, accessed via the Southwest Missouri Music Educators Association website listing of schools and staff, were emailed, and asked to participate in the survey using the provided link to the Google form questionnaire. 37 people responded to the …

A Survey Of Collegiate Voice Students With Asthma And Allergies And Their Perceived Impact On Singer Health And Performance Experiences – A Pilot Study, Nicole D. Jenkins

Dissertations, 2020-current

An increasing body of research evidence indicates that college students of all majors with asthma and/or allergies represent a vulnerable population due to their inability to experience a consistent and dependable quality of life compared with their healthy collegiate peers. Further, in terms of their impact specifically on collegiate singers, the intricate network of co-morbid conditions associated with asthma and allergies, including pain, wheezing, and discomfort combined with physical symptoms of stress, disturbed sleep, fatigue, diminished concentration, depression, and high-risk behaviors, cannot be underestimated. As such, this study aims to identify and analyze the health impediments caused by asthma and/or …

Critical And Creative Response To The Art And Music Of Bjork, Acadia Joniec

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

No abstract provided.

With Love, ; An Interdisciplinary And Intersectional Look At Why Creativity Is Essential, Theo Starr Gardner

Whittier Scholars Program

My Whittier Scholars Program self-designed major, Teaching Creativity, is a mixture of Art, Literature, and Education classes. My research and praxis classes have been focused on the ‘how?’s and 'why?’s of creativity, so it felt only right that my project should be a constructivist, generative project. The project I have been working on throughout my time at Whittier, and that has just fully come to fruition on April 11th, 2024, was a solo art gallery/open mic event entitled ‘With Love,’. With Love, was conceptually inspired by the research I’ve conducted on creativity and creative arts education over the past few …

Modes In Heavy Metal Music, Richard W. Young Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modality is quite commonplace in heavy metal music, including some of the less common modes such as Phrygian and Locrian. This thesis provides musical examples and analyses of heavy metal music based on theories of scholars such as Brett Clement and Nicole Biamonte and demonstrates how modes are used in conjunction with other musical elements such as meter, tempo, instrumentation, and timbre to paint the text and color the sound. The primary focus of repertoire is selected works from the 1970s and early ’80s by early metal pioneers Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, and Scorpions. Other brief examples from Metallica, Yngwie …

Generational Awareness Of Folk Figures In The American Midwest, Addison L. Jensen

Honors Thesis

The popular folklore of a region can clearly reflect how its citizens understand themselves and their nation. The goal of this study was to determine the number of individuals who can be considered “well-versed” in traditional folklore and to speculate on the possible reasons for the differences in recognition that arise. Five figures (Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, Paul Bunyan, Annie Oakley, and Rip Van Winkle) were selected to serve as a representative sample of folk characters that have been historically significant to the country. An online survey of 279 Midwesterners and interviews with various age groups in South Dakota, found …

Impressionism In The Hands Of Griffes, Bauer, And Howe, And The Musical Climate In Early 20th-Century America, Elaine Sara Lim

Dissertations, 2020-current

American composers Charles Griffes (1884-1920), Marion Bauer (1882-1955), and Mary Howe (1882-1964) are considered “Impressionist” composers by some scholars. This document will explore selected piano works of each composer to determine the extent to which impressionistic traits are present. Topics such as tonality, harmony, texture, and individual style will be examined, as well as the significant relationship between music and poetry. American Impressionism was short-lived but served as a link to Modernism, as all three composers eventually experimented with other styles. Early 20th-century American audiences, accustomed to the influx of European artists and music, were slow to embrace the new …

Pedagogical Tools And Techniques For The Development Of Harmonic Audiation, Ensemble Intonation, And Textual Imagery Through The Choral Music Of Ola Gjeilo, Nikolaos Myrogiannis-Koukos

Dissertations, 2020-current

Aspiring and dedicated choral directors strive to program music that is not only valuable to the growth of their ensembles’ skills in music literacy and choral performance but also institutes opportunities for memorable and meaningful performing experiences. Research in choral pedagogy conducted within the past two decades suggests that choral music is considered pedagogically appropriate, regardless of the musical aptitude of the performers involved, when it showcases elements that are often summarized in three separate yet equally essential qualities: the simultaneous development of multiple technical aspects of singing and a sense of intonation, including the development of sight-singing skills, the …

The ‘Well-Rounded’ Artist: An Intersectionality Of Stage Presence, Artistry, And Entrepreneurship, Megan E. Zuhowski

Dissertations, 2020-current

Undergraduate voice students spend hours over their degree in coursework relevant to bettering their overall musicianship. Coursework in music history and music theory, coupled with applied lessons, allows students to develop the knowledge necessary for their future professions. While universities strive to equip students with advanced music proficiencies, as the landscapes of professional opportunities shift and morph into work in multiple genres of expertise, students may not receive the full scope of skills needed to be independent entrepreneurial designers.

The purpose of this DMA document is to explore the intersectionality of stage presence, artistry, and entrepreneurship through a course offering …

The Call Is Coming From Inside The House: Sexual Misconduct In U.S. Band Programs, Hannah Greer-Young

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to articulate the experiences of former band students related to sexual misconduct among students and between staff and students. Researchers and investigators have claimed that band professionals have prioritized performance level and musical accomplishment over the safety and well-being of students (Office of University Compliance and Integrity, 2014; Nadolny, 2018; Wells, 2022). Authors of studies related to sexual misconduct in U.S. Bands have also suggested that educators in the band profession prefer to handle sexual misconduct “in-house” (Wells, 2022) and that, in general, teachers may be the least likely group to report educator sexual …

Hearing Voice In Henryk Górecki's "Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs", Jason Jedlicka

Faculty Scholarship Symposium

Classical composer Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3, subtitled ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs,’ interweaves his devout Catholicism and interest in Polish folk music with three texts that deal with motherhood and loss of a child. Written for solo soprano voice and orchestra, the piece’s expressive clarity provides optimal space for the voice—in the many literal and figurative senses of the word—to illuminate the text.

Though much has been written about this symphony’s emotional impact on listeners, little has been written about the piece from an analytical, interpretive point of view. In this talk, I perform a close analysis of the …

Improved Motor Skills In Autistic Children After Three Weeks Of Neurologic Music Therapy Via Telehealth: A Pilot Study, Nicole M. Richard Williams, Corene Hurt-Thaut, Jessica Brian, Luc Tremblay, Marija Pranjic, Jessica Teich, Melissa Tan, Julia Kowaleski, Michael Thaut

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Many autistic children experience motor skill deficits which can impact other areas of functioning, and research on therapeutic interventions for motor skills in autism is in a preliminary stage. Music-based therapies have been used extensively to address motor skills in non-autistic populations. Though a handful of studies exist on the effects of music-based therapies for movement in autistic children, none have investigated the possibility of administering sessions via telehealth. This mixed-methods pilot study investigated whether nine Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)^® sessions via telehealth would improve motor and attention skills in autistic children.

Methods: Five autistic children between five …