Music Commons^™

4 "Partire, Partirò, Partir Bisogna" Or Napoleon's Bayonettes, Ilaria Serra

Andante: Chapter 1 The Napoleonic Era

Music for this section: Canto dei Coscritti sung by Caterina Bueno

Cover art: La partenza dei coscritti nel 1866; by Gerolamo Indunno

2 "L'Inno Dell'albero" Or Napoleon And The Trees Of Liberty, Ilaria Serra

Andante: Chapter 1 The Napoleonic Era

Music and Lyrics for this section

Cover art: L’albero della Libertà in a French print

5 "Povero Napoleone" Or The End Of Napoleon, Ilaria Serra

Andante: Chapter 1 The Napoleonic Era

Music for this section

Cover art: Napoleon sitting by Anonymous, Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milano

Music And Language Arts Integration And Its Impact On Reading Comprehension: A Social Action Research Study, Felisha L. Coady

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This action research study examines the interconnectedness of music and language arts, specifically focusing on reading comprehension. In this study, a program called Music Connections was developed and used as a pilot to improve reading comprehension skills in primary education. The targeted population of the Music Connections program was 30 third-grade students in an inner-city school in Ohio. After six weeks of reteaching concepts through the Music Connections program, students were given a second interim with these concepts to show results and mastery. Data from this study showed that students who participated in the Music Connections program (Group A) grew …

Beyonce´, The Womanist Entertainer: Womanism, Anti-Racism And Cultural Pride In Beyonce´ Knowles Carter’S Music, Nena Carpenter

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This research explores the latter portion of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s career and her distinguishing herself as a womanist/feminist icon. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has been regarded as a popular music icon since her days as the lead singer in the R&B group Destiny's Child. The group’s music, including songs like "Say My Name" and "Independent Women", have often been recognized by cultural critics as empowerment anthems for women and girls. When Beyoncé performed at the Video Music Awards in 2014, the sample of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 2013 Ted Talk on feminism in her song "Flawless" precipitated a more focused discourse about the authenticity …

Do You See What I Hear?: The Effects Of Musical Harmony On Cultural Perception And Recognition, Marvin Martin Williams

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores whether listeners can identify the differences in harmonic progressions in a musical composition, and, if so, whether those differences can elicit a cultural or social perception of the origins of the music. By investigating how audiences respond to variations in harmony, specifically traditional versus altered harmonic treatments, the research offers a framework for music producers, educators, healthcare providers, and other cultural gatekeepers to better understand and engage with audiences on an empathetic and meaningful level. The underlying hypothesis posits that harmony in music does more than evoke emotion but may inform a cultural interpretation, thus presenting an …

Digital Griots Playing Lottery Tickets: A Study Of Hip Hop And Social Transformation In Ghana's #Fixthecountry Movement, Jaime M. Kowlessar

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

On June 28, 2021, activist Ibrahim Mohammed (Macho Kaaka) was murdered in Ejura, Ghana, after using social media to criticize government failures. When protesters demanding justice were shot by security forces, politically engaged Ghanaian hip hop artists refused silence, contributing to Ghana’s #FixTheCountry movement—the nation’s largest youth mobilization in a generation. Yet scholarly debates about how hip hop contributes to social change remain unresolved, divided between those celebrating its activist potential and those critiquing its limitations. This dissertation introduces the lottery ticket theory as an alternative framework for understanding cultural activism’s relationship to political transformation. Rather than asking whether hip …

Emotional Coding In Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’S Music: The Influence Of Text-Driven Musical Patterns, Antonio Toppi

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of emotional coding in the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), with particular attention to the ways in which text-driven musical patterns influence both vocal and instrumental works. The study draws on 18th-century theories of key characteristics, musical-rhetorical figures, and topoi, compositional devices that carried emotional implications for contemporary listeners. These codes are first examined in two of Mozart’s operas, Le Nozze di Figaro (KV492) and Don Giovanni (KV527), where the setting of text to music provides a framework for associating compositional choices with emotion. Findings from the analyses are then applied to three contemporaneous …

Exploring Hybrid Chinese-Western Compositional Practices Based On Chinese And Western Film Soundtracks, Jie Hong Yang

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis explores the development of a hybrid Chinese-Western compositional practice for film scoring, combining a written dissertation (Volume I) with a folio of 80 minutes of original orchestral music (Volume II). Drawing on analyses of Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger Cello Concerto (2000) and John Powell’s film score for How to Train Your Dragon (2010), the research investigates how Chinese (minzu yinyue) musical elements and Western scoring techniques can be integrated to create a culturally hybrid approach. The project unfolds in two phases: the first focuses on incorporating Chinese musical characteristics into Western frameworks, resulting in 40 minutes …

Master's Recital: Anna Godtland, Anna Godtland

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The two purposes of this recital are to partially fulfill the requirements for the Master of Music degree in Jazz Pedagogy and to display proficiency on the drum set, piano, and string bass. Anna Godtland presented her graduate recital on April 27, 2026, at 7:30 PM in Bengtson Auditorium. The recital program included two pieces each on piano, drum set, string bass, and four pieces on trombone. These selections showcased an array of styles and required a variety of skills necessary to fulfill the requirements of the Jazz Pedagogy degree. The recital featured personnel from two UNI jazz combos (Cincopatos …

Harmonizing Tradition And Technology: Exploring The Use Of Artificial Intelligence In Applied Music Instruction, Elizabeth Blanton Momand

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

This presentation highlights how AI tools can enhance applied music instruction by providing real-time feedback, streamlining lesson planning, and personalizing instruction. Attendees will learn how AI fosters more effective teaching and independent student practice, while also exploring opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. This session equips music educators with strategies to modernize teaching and improve outcomes in 21st-century music programs.

Build Your Own Chatbot For Any Music Course – It’S Easier Than You Think!, Art Brownlow

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

Imagine a teaching assistant available 24/7 to answer students’ questions and support their learning—now, with custom GPT chatbots, that vision is a reality. This session demonstrates two AI tools created for music history courses: an Informational Chatbot for course policies, assignments and deadlines; and a Tutor Chatbot for mastering course content. These tools enhance learning, accommodate diverse schedules, and improve efficiency by automating routine tasks. Attendees will learn to create their own custom AI chatbots while exploring practical insights and best practices, inspiring them to integrate AI into their classrooms.

Don’T Do-It-Yourself: The Exquisite Corpse And Collaborative Play In Undergraduate Electronic Music Pedagogy, Josh Biggs

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

In this demonstration, I focus on the Exquisite Corpse as a pedagogical tool for undergraduate electronic music production courses, and more broadly argue for the practical and theoretical value of integrating collaborative and iterative improvisational tools in undergraduate electronic music curricula. I share a four-week module that applies the Exquisite Corpse method as a way to reduce student overwhelm and to encourage community-oriented learning and making, while introducing simple subtractive synthesis and MIDI composition in the DAW. The audience will benefit both from the specificity of the teaching methods I outline as well as the motivating premise that electronic music …

Free Code-Based Software Music Classes As An Invitation To Fuel Students' Sonic Creativity, Problem Solving, And Community Building, Jorge E. Variego

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

This workshop proposes the integration of free code-based programming software into music classes to expand students' sonic creativity, problem-solving skills, and community-building opportunities.

Digital Innovations In Group Piano Instruction, Chee Hyeon Choi, Chan Kiat Lim

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

This presentation will explore the transformative impact of integrating web-based digital textbooks into higher education music programs, specifically focusing on group piano curricula. By moving away from traditional paper-based textbooks, this approach leverages interactive, multimedia resources to create a dynamic and engaging learning environment. Attendees will gain insights into how digital textbooks, such as the award-winning eNovative Piano, can enhance students' understanding of musical concepts, foster technical proficiency, and promote a deeper connection between sound, theory, and technique. By attending this session, participants will understand how a multimedia approach in piano education can cultivate adaptability, responsiveness, and creativity, ultimately preparing …

Sonic Ecosystems And Natural Cycles: An Immersive Multimedia Improvisation, Jorge E. Variego

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

This proposal presents a 20-minute free improvisation based on the concept of natural cycles, performed by a student-led electroacoustic ensemble. The multimedia improvisation explores the ensemble as a creative sonic ecosystem where sounds emerge, dissipate, and reconstruct in altered forms, mimicking natural processes like growth, decay, and regeneration.

This performance proposal is deeply rooted in the collaboration between Brian Eno and John Hassel in Possible Musics, where acoustic and electronic elements interweave, creating music that is simultaneously otherworldly and rooted in global sonic traditions. As Brian Eno noted, “Music is a process, not a thing.” This performance proposal situates music …

Electro-Acoustic Dance Composition: Practicality And Pragmatism, Ian Evans Guthrie

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

“Efficiency, expediency, and experimentation in Dance Compositions.”

In this presentation, I want to describe the practical difficulties in composing for dance and using live electronics, and how I have found a happy medium. The presentation will begin with an overview of common dance approaches as I have experienced at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Kansas City Ballet, and the Florida State University School of Dance, and other institutions. Then, I will discuss the limitations for elaborate electroacoustic setups, particularly in the “black box” theatres and variety of dance studios used at these places. I will defend my thesis …

Sound Of NangqêN, Jiayue Cecilia Wu

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

Tape Piece is part of a series of single-sound-source daydream pieces, where a solitary object or family of objects is repurposed to create an otherworldly soundscape. This work uses tape--masking, scotch, aluminum, packing, and duct--sometimes recognizable, and sometimes heavily processed. The familiar is juxtaposed with the fresh, and what starts out with unrolling and tearing quickly unravels as sounds evocative of gunfire, of bombs and explosions, and of Geiger counters suggesting the downfall of civilization. New creatures emerge throughout, each trying to find their place in a world that has come unglued.

Tape Piece, Kyle Vanderburg

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

Tape Piece is part of a series of single-sound-source daydream pieces, where a solitary object or family of objects is repurposed to create an otherworldly soundscape. This work uses tape--masking, scotch, aluminum, packing, and duct--sometimes recognizable, and sometimes heavily processed. The familiar is juxtaposed with the fresh, and what starts out with unrolling and tearing quickly unravels as sounds evocative of gunfire, of bombs and explosions, and of Geiger counters suggesting the downfall of civilization. New creatures emerge throughout, each trying to find their place in a world that has come unglued.

Human Vs. Transhuman: Act One, Cecilia Suhr

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

This work investigates the conflict between human and transhuman; to that end, the performance employs visual representations of human and transhuman interaction. The music and visual realms interact in real time to enhance the immersive experience of understanding the tension between machines and humans. Voice improvisation also interacts with live processing to create a unique sonic landscape. Overall, this is a multimedia, experimental contemporary performance at the intersection of technology and acoustic music.