A Profile Of Alice Chalifoux Of The Cleveland Orchestra,
2026
Belmont University
A Profile Of Alice Chalifoux Of The Cleveland Orchestra, Carolyn M. Totaro, Sage Talamanco
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Profile of Alice Chalifoux of the Cleveland Orchestra covering her remarkable tenure and teaching career.
A Profile Of The Partch Ensemble,
2026
Belmont University
A Profile Of The Partch Ensemble, Carolyn M. Totaro, Grant Stanley
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Profile of the Partch Ensemble discussing its formation, repertoire, and performances.
A Study Of The Opera Tales Of Hoffman By Jacques Offenbach,
2026
Belmont University
A Study Of The Opera Tales Of Hoffman By Jacques Offenbach, Carolyn M. Totaro, Ellie Sawyer
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Study of the opera Tales of Hoffman by Jacques Offenbach discussing the unique libretto, roles, and music.
A Profile Of Jacqueline Du Pre,
2026
Belmont University
A Profile Of Jacqueline Du Pre, Carolyn M. Totaro, Macie Moon
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Profile of Jacqueline Du Pre covering her childhood, early career, and untimely death.
A Profile Of Thomas Andrew Lehrer,
2026
Belmont University
A Profile Of Thomas Andrew Lehrer, Carolyn M. Totaro, Lilli Korakis
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Profile of Thomas Andrew Lehrer including his university career and "side job" of musical parody.
A Study Of Prelude, Fugue, And Riffs By Leonard Bernstein,
2026
Belmont University
A Study Of Prelude, Fugue, And Riffs By Leonard Bernstein, Carolyn M. Totaro, Isabella Jones
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Study of Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs by Leonard Bernstein discussing its instrumentation, form, and signifcance.
A Profile Of Dietrich Fischer Dieskau,
2026
Belmont University
A Profile Of Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, Carolyn M. Totaro, Kamrin Gordon
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Profile of Dietrich Fischer Dieskau including his biography and performing career.
A Profile Of Dennis Brain,
2026
Belmont University
A Profile Of Dennis Brain, Carolyn M. Totaro, Keaton Bradford
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Profile of Dennis Brain covering his biography, training, and career.
A Study Of The Sonata For Flute, Viola, And Harp By Claude Debussy,
2026
Belmont University
A Study Of The Sonata For Flute, Viola, And Harp By Claude Debussy, Carolyn M. Totaro, Emma Berridge
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Study of the Sonata for flute, viola, and harp by Claude Debussy discussing its form and significance.
A Study Of The Three Penny Opera By Kurt Weill,
2026
Belmont University
A Study Of The Three Penny Opera By Kurt Weill, Carolyn M. Totaro, Claire Barton
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Study of The Three Penny Opera by Kurt Weill discussing its libretto, instrumentation, and significance.
A Profile Of Dame Joan Sutherland,
2026
Belmont University
A Profile Of Dame Joan Sutherland, Carolyn M. Totaro, Mckinnon Baker
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Profile of Dame Joan Sutherland and her operatic career.
A Study Of Histoire Du Tango By Astor Piazzolla,
2026
Belmont University
A Study Of Histoire Du Tango By Astor Piazzolla, Carolyn M. Totaro, Julian Audinelle
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Study of Histoire du Tango by Astor Piazzolla discussing instrumentation and form.
Unlearning Tension: How The Alexander Technique Enhances Body Awareness In Performance,
2026
Eastern Michigan University
Unlearning Tension: How The Alexander Technique Enhances Body Awareness In Performance, Clayton Stoker
Senior Honors Theses and Projects
The Alexander Technique assists in identifying, releasing, and redirecting patterns of tension to create new direction. Built on tenets of awareness, inhibition, and direction, this technique can be applied to everyday activities. The Alexander Technique brings awareness to recognize inefficient and unhealthy habits, giving the body a new direction. While working on my music degree at Eastern Michigan University, I initially focused on playing accurately rather than the tension in my playing. Through guided exercises and self-observation, I became aware of inefficient movement, which piqued my curiosity. This thesis draws on tenets of the Alexander Technique that demonstrate how conscious …
From Eden To Eternity: An Artist's Narrative,
2026
Eastern Michigan University
From Eden To Eternity: An Artist's Narrative, Rachel L. Mah
Senior Honors Theses and Projects
A vocal performance student’s junior and senior recitals are crucial to the completion of their Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance degree. This thesis paper describes how I, a vocal performance student, enhance and connect my voice recitals through my artistry and faith in God in order to tell a narrative that is personal to myself. This creative project brings together the fine arts of music, paint, poetry, and literary analysis to enrich the audience’s overall experience of the performances. This senior project is accomplished through the intensive planning, preparation, and execution of thematically creating a cohesive narrative that reflects …
The Black Paintings: A Work For Orchestra,
2026
Missouri State University
The Black Paintings: A Work For Orchestra, Cody Anderson
Graduate Theses/Dissertations
Based on The Black Paintings, a series of paintings by Francisco Goya, this orchestral composition ventures into various themes and satirical elements present in select paintings. Topics such as military overreach, the church’s influence on society, and the resistance of scientific ideas are just a few of the areas explored in the finished three movements. First, the composer’s interpretations of the selected works are covered, and then how those themes were translated into the music. Goya’s painting, “Women Laughing,” has numerous names given to it, which are much darker in tone. However, given the somber nature of the subsequent movements, …
Twelve Preludes,
2026
Missouri State University
Twelve Preludes, Sarah Miller-Ross
Graduate Theses/Dissertations
This set of 12 Preludes for solo piano draws inspiration from Chopin’s set of 24 Preludes for the same instrument, along with ideas from other composers and various genres to create a varied set in which each piece is centered around a note of the 12-note chromatic scale. The movements are titled based on the material that inspired them, the effect they create, or the special technique or limitation they used. A brief overview of inspirational material will be discussed, then each movement will be described through the lens of their compositional processes.
Engaging Elementary Music Students Through Multisensory Teaching In A Kodály-Inspired Classroom,
2026
Missouri State University
Engaging Elementary Music Students Through Multisensory Teaching In A Kodály-Inspired Classroom, Chelsea Taylor
Graduate Theses/Dissertations
Multisensory teaching is an instructional approach that is increasingly implemented in general education classrooms. Although it has been widely studied in special education settings and in the teaching of reading skills, it has not been extensively examined within music education. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of multisensory instruction on student engagement, comprehension, and retention of concepts in my elementary music classroom. Through Kodály-inspired lessons that challenged students to audiate pitches while kinesthetically building a pentatonic scale, notate music on textured surfaces, and play games that incorporated simultaneous sensory input, these lessons intentionally integrated visual, auditory, …
A Profile Of Daniel Barenboim,
2026
Belmont University
A Profile Of Daniel Barenboim, Carolyn M. Totaro, Daniel Valle
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Profile of Daniel Barenboim and his multi-faceted music career.
A Profile Of Jean-Michel Damase,
2026
Belmont University
A Profile Of Jean-Michel Damase, Carolyn M. Totaro, Trinity Gilbert
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Profile of the French composer Jean-Michel Damase including his family influences and his works.
A Study Of The Peasant Cantata, Bwv 212 By J.S. Bach,
2026
Belmont University
A Study Of The Peasant Cantata, Bwv 212 By J.S. Bach, Carolyn M. Totaro, Peyton Smith
SPARK Symposium Presentations
A Study of the Peasant Cantata by J.S. Bach discussing its origin, text, and music.
