Digital Commons Network^™

Fourth-Grade Music Students' Perceptions Of Music Improvisation: An Ethnographic Case Study, Ashley Elizabeth Cobb

Theses and Dissertations

I facilitated this ethnographic case study to better understand potential successes and difficulties music improvisation presents in music facilitating and learning from the student perspective. The purpose of this research was to examine my fourth-grade students’ perceptions of music improvisation via improvisatory music circles using the following guiding research questions. Regarding 30-minute improvisatory music circles: 1) How do fourth-grade students (a) define music improvisation, (b) respond to facilitator-selected improvisatory music activities during improvisatory music circles, and (c) make decisions while participating in improvisatory music circles? 2) How did those students’ perceptions change throughout data collection?

I collected data from five …

Demystifying The Choral Music Of Herbert Howells: A Pedagogical Approach Via Selected Works, Michael Ballard

Theses and Dissertations

The music of Herbert Howells is a mystery for many choral musicians. Howells’s popularity in England is unquestioned, but knowledge of his music has grown slowly in the United States. While the BBC Singers’ performance of Requiem in 1980 brought new enthusiasm for his music and the Requiem, he is still seldom performed in the United States outside of small circles which are generally in Anglican or Episcopalian communities. This is likely due to lack of exposure to his music and the perception that the music is inaccessible and mysterious. Some of Howells’s more complex music is inaccessible for …

Exploring The Intersections Between Gospel Music And European Choral Traditions, Through Selected Works Of Isaac Cates, Diane L. White-Clayton, And Raymond Wise, Bryon Keith Black Ii

Theses and Dissertations

This study will explore a variety of musical intersections between the gospel and European choral music traditions. The study will focus on three Gospel composers and their selected works to demonstrate accessible elements of Gospel music for collegiate choral ensembles. These musical elements will explore some comparison of styles, examples of where seventeenth through nineteenth century European choral traditions influenced the works of some Gospel composers, and appropriate pedagogical techniques for the Gospel style. The intersections will be demonstrated with examples from the composer’s scores with some comparisons to European choral works. This will include information on each composer’s background, …

A Conductor’S Guide To When We No Longer Touch: The World’S First Aids Requiem, Kevin Crowe

Theses and Dissertations

At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Kristopher Jon Anthony wrote his greatest work, When We No Longer Touch. This was a seven-movement requiem scored for flute, English horn, harp, piano, strings, percussion, tenor/bass choir, small tenor/bass ensemble, and soprano and baritone soloists. It draws on combined texts from the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass and the self-help guide to grief How to Survive the Loss of a Love, featuring poetry by Peter McWilliams. These are grouped together and framed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ model of the stages of grieving. It all combines to make a work of exceptional beauty and emotional …

Serial Minimalism, Feminism, And Queer Identity In Selected Piano Works Of Ann Southam, Elizabeth Churchya

Theses and Dissertations

In her late period of solo piano composition, Canadian composer Ann Southam (1937–2010) developed her own signature postminimalist style combining the static consonance of minimalism with the disruptive instability of twelve-tone serialism. This study analyzes three selected solo piano works in this compositional style: Slow Music: Meditations on a Twelve Tone Row (1979), Qualities of Consonance (1998) and Simple Lines of Enquiry (2007), illustrating how Southam develops a twelve-tone row through minimalist techniques. Additionally, the present study interprets salient structural, harmonic, and temporal elements through the context of gender and sexuality. An outspoken feminist, Southam considered her use of minimalist …

Becoming Musical: Towards A Typology Of Non-Musical Sounds In Recorded Popular Music, Jacob David Mccooey

Theses and Dissertations

There are many instances in popular music in which traditionally non-musical sounds are used musically. There is currently no research on the types and functions of non-musical sounds used musically (NMSUMs). I have collected and organized a collection of example tracks that contain these NMSUMs and analyzed their functions to determine a typology of these sounds. The analysis of the NMSUMs focused on intertextuality, intratextuality, form, texture, and how the sounds relate to traditional, musical sampling. Throughout the course of the analysis, several trends were distinguished amongst the many tracks gathered, and these trends form the basis of the typology.

Sonic Data: Sonification In James Stephenson’S There Are No Words And David Kirkland Garner’S Red Hot Sun Turning Over, Nathan Lee Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

Sonification, or the transformation of data relations into sound, has inspired composers of orchestral and wind ensemble music over the past several years. Two of the resulting works included there are no words by James Stephenson and red hot sun turning over by David Kirkland Garner. Both works were analyzed, and their histories detailed in this study. Issues in American society and the American South such as gun violence, civil rights, and American Civil War monuments are revealed as inspiration for composers to map empirical processes onto sound. These musical protests against misinformation were shown to illuminate histories and correlations …

Kodály Learning: A Qualitative Case Study Based On The Use Of A Blended Curriculum Using The Principles Of Zoltán Kodály In Beginning Piano Study, Megan Elizabeth Rich

Theses and Dissertations

This paper and its corresponding study were created to explore the effectiveness of the Kodály Method on traditional piano lessons and to hone a curriculum with long-term student musicianship at its core. The curriculum was written for a six-week period and intended for students ages six–eight years old. The curriculum follows the melodic and rhythmic sequences of the Kodály Method and blends these sequences with traditional approaches to beginning piano lessons. The purpose of the study is to share and evaluate this curriculum and its results as they pertain to the four study participants.

The study was conducted over a …

"If The Gyil Has Died, Dagara Itself Has Died": On The Relationship Of Dagara Music, Food, And Costume, Gordon Cortney

Honors College Undergraduate Theses

The Dagara people, located primarily in the Upper West region of Ghana, take pride in their careful preservation of traditional customs, amidst years of brutal colonization and ethnocide. Previous ethnomusicological research has recognized the gyil, a Ghanaian xylophone, as the focal point of Dagara society, noting how it interacts with and is inherent in all aspects of their culture. Recent developments to the gyil’s design, practice, and performance have created concern for a lost or dying culture among the Dagara. If the gyil is experiencing change, then so too is the rest of Dagara culture. In June and July 2022, …

Place And Placelessness: An Ecocritical Approach Towards The Mountain Imagery In Country Music, Siyuan Ma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drawing upon cultural geographer Yi-Fu Tuan’s frame of place and placelessness, this ecocritical project explores how the mountain landscapes serve to construct regional, national, cultural, spiritual, religious, even racialized identities in various human societies. Using the U.S. country music as a primary example, I argue that what country music fundamentally draws from the imagery of the Appalachian Mountains is not the Anglo-Saxon ballad music or pastoral lifestyle of/from the mountains, but the powerful sense of place and placelessness (arguably only) the mountainous scenes are capable to provoke. This exploration serves to illuminate the commonalties between humanities of different cultures and …

Funding Allocations Concerning Composition Creation Standards, Garrett L.H. Robertson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to provide applied research data showing either a correlation or no correlation between the amount of school funding allocation for music education programs in various elementary, middle, and high schools and pedagogical approaches associated with elementary, middle, and high school student’s ability to carry out composition creation relating to the Nation Coalition for Core Art Standards. Additionally, it provides applied research data on how music educators should perceive their effectiveness regarding the quality of school funding. By examining historical evidence through multiple studies, the research data will be able to help conclude if a …

Teaching Instruments To Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Students, Angelina Kim

Masters Theses

This curriculum project provides information regarding teaching musical instruments to Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students in elementary school settings. Previous studies have addressed teaching DHH students reading, writing, and general music, but not much on implementing musical instruments for DHH students. In this study, the researcher will have extensive document reviews on the importance of music education for DHH students and identify the ways to teach DHH students about instrument playing. Furthermore, the researcher will prepare lesson plans teaching musical instruments for DHH students in elementary music classrooms and add more data for analysis. The results of this …

The Relationship Between Overtime And Burnout Among Alabama Secondary Music Ensemble Directors, Ashley Deleen Gresko

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although there is an existing body of literature discussing stress and burnout among music educators, there has yet to be a significant study regarding the relationship between working hours and the burnout of secondary music ensemble directors. This study covers the perspectives of secondary school instrumental and choral music ensemble directors in Alabama. This quantitative research study identifies influences of overtime that require additional exploration regarding the burnout of Alabama secondary school music ensemble directors. This study surveyed secondary music ensemble directors in Alabama to illustrate the correlation between overtime and burnout. This study is vital to music ensemble directors …

Creating Thinking Classrooms In Music Education: Teacher And Student Perspectives Of Twenty-First-Century Instruction, Dave Mcgarry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite changes to provincial documents in British Columbia, many music educators still rely on traditional teaching methods. This convergent mixed methods case study aimed to understand student and teacher perspectives on twenty-first-century instruction in the music classroom, providing insights to enhance and enrich experiences in musical learning. Data were collected from thirty-one students in a singular grade nine to twelve instrumental band class through interviews, lesson journals, direct observations, surveys, student artifacts, field notes, and pre-and post-test measures. The study analyzed students' musical self-confidence inventories and examined the effects of a twenty-first-century student-centered curriculum over six weeks. This curriculum emphasized …

The Qualitative Ethnographic Research Of The Relationship Related To Parental Involvement, Community Support, And School Administrative Substructure Amid To Inner-City Title-I High School Band Programs In Memphis, Tennessee, Thomas Akil Perry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative ethnographic research investigated the fundamental unsubstantiated relationship related to parental involvement, community support, and school administrative substructure amid two inner-city Title-I high school band programs. This qualitative research embraced an ethnographic process managed by anthropology and sociology approached framework geared to study cultural responses over some time based on similar analytical cultural statistics. This study depicts the socioeconomic domain of a high school band community, highlighting key factors that add to the success and decline of the inner-city and Title-I high school band programs. It was conducted within Memphis, TN, within the North Memphis region, outlining the Raleigh, …

Hip Hop Performing Arts Charter Schools: The Future Of Arts Education In Predominantly Non-White, Low Income, Underserved Rural Areas Of Louisiana, Anthony P. Shelton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Some still view arts education as a non-essential extracurricular activity despite its benefits. Even though the Every Student Succeeds Act acknowledges arts education is a healthy and well-rounded subject, local, district, and state administrators still control budget allocation and cuts, which generally affect arts education. There has also been a decline or lack of interest in traditional learning methods in the arts and core subjects. Alternative student learning forms have shown benefits in suburban, urban, and inner-city schools. Still, there is little information about these methods in predominantly non-white rural schools. Research using qualitative methods examines the potential effectiveness of …

An Exploration Of The Big Five Traits And Effective Private Music Teachers, Christopher James Ozorio

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite research studies on the dispositions of successful music educators, few studies have been published on the relationship between Big Five traits and successful private music instructors in a for-profit setting. By documenting these findings, educators will gain insights into effective traits, enabling them to refine their approach to music lessons in a private business setting. The author identifies this specific area of music education as needing to be explored and documented through qualitative research. Surveyed instructors from Arizona (N=12) indicate a significant correlation between high scores on certain traits of the Big Five and success in the private teaching …

The Role Of Pre-Collegiate Mentorship Programs In Orchestra Teacher Recruitment In South Carolina, Tamar Ben-Pazi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The looming crisis of teacher shortages has garnered attention from music education stakeholders worldwide. The search for causation and resolution of this critical issue has inspired innovative approaches to hiring, training, and the support of professional educators. While mentoring has been lauded by education experts as an essential component of educator career fulfillment, and mentorship programs designed for novice teachers have been recognized within the profession's ranks as effective tools in this pursuit, there has been little research evaluating the impact of mentorship programs designed to identify and recruit pre-collegiate future educators. This study aims to advance the cause for …

Understanding Millennial Women Worship Leaders’ Perceptions Of Full-Time Ministry Through Their Lived Experiences, Katie Sheree Lenehan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Millennials are the largest employed generation. Yet, with more women in vocational worship ministry than ever, roadblocks remain for Millennial women seeking to thrive and last in this sphere. There becomes a need to understand the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical challenges uniquely facing the Millennial woman worship leader, for these challenges are not necessarily new but certainly are unique in ferocity and how they present themselves to the Millennial woman. Understanding Millennial women worship leaders’ lived experiences becomes vital in retaining and promoting healthy ministry practices that enable long-term vocational success.

Determining Factors For College Music Major Success In Small Liberal Arts Colleges And Universities: Perspectives From Students And Faculty, Spencer James Nance

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Deciding to major in music can be daunting for any college student. Students often go through a lengthy audition process, which sometimes includes multiple schools, to receive scholarship offers to major in music. When students arrive on campus, they may experience many challenges that impact their future success in the music major program. These challenges far too often overwhelmed the students and caused them to lose their scholarships, discontinue their studies in music, or switch to another major. There have been studies involving student success within the first year of college. Yet very few studies still measure the success of …

Dowlandia: Leafing Through Grapes’S New Research Guide, Katharyn R. Benessa

Soundboard Scholar

A review of John Dowland: A Research and Information Guide, by K. Dawn Grapes (New York: Routledge, 2020)

“And The People Sang In All The Ways Of The City:” A Speculative Ethnomusicology Of Gondor, Kelsey A. Fuller-Shafer

Journal of Tolkien Research

The music of Gondor is one of the more elusive musical traditions in Middle-earth, described only briefly throughout the text of The Lord of the Rings, and thus often neglected in scholarship on music in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. However, an ethnomusicological line of inquiry brings to the fore questions of performance, perception, and meaning that contribute to our interpretations of the many levels of symbolic transformation seen in Gondor at the beginning of the Fourth Age. The evidence of both musical activity and silence in Gondor mirrors conclusions that have been documented in real-world ethnomusicological studies in …

You Never Walk Alone: Bts As A Symbol Of Light For Youth, Aaliyah Robinson

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

This essay examines how the South Korean music group, BTS, has utilized their platform to bring awareness to mental health in youth. I specifically analyze the use of their personal stories and experiences as a means of communication or outreach to their fans, also known as the ARMY. Exploring the theory of identification, or a direct sense of connectedness between a speaker and an audience, I argue that through their music and personalized rhetoric speech patterns, BTS seeks to allow their fans to view their experiences as the same. This has created a dynamic encompassing a sense of friendship and …

New Light On Sagrini, Richard M. Long

Soundboard Scholar

Reviews of a new biography of Luigi Sagrini (1809–1874) and a volume of his guitar works:

Bernard Lewis and Robert Coldwell, In Search of Luigi Sagrini (DGA, 2021)

Robert Coldwell, ed., The Music of Luigi Sagrini (DGA, 2021)

The Pedagogical Impact Of Injury Through The Experiences Of Three Professional Trombonists, Caleb Owenby

Dissertations

As the stigma surrounding performance-related injuries in the brass community is slowly lifting, more musicians are openly seeking assistance for injuries, more musicians are willing to share their experiences with injury, and the musical community is becoming more knowledgeable in the realm of musician health. This research is aimed at preventing future dysfunctions in brass players, offering avenues of recovery for musicians currently experiencing an injury, and examining the current state of trombone pedagogy through the experiences of three performing trombonists.

Megumi Kanda, Colin Williams, and David Vining are professional trombonists and educators who have experienced an embouchure dysfunction or …

Community Outreach: A Piano Concert Designed For Children, Hsin Shih Liu

Dissertations

Evidence exists that music community outreach has been practiced for at least around a century in Western countries. However, in Taiwan, the idea of music community outreach is relatively new and not as commonly seen as in the United States. This research provides mention of community outreach organizations and individuals in Taiwan and the United States. Additionally, it is aimed to assist in designing more successful programs in the future. Included in this dissertation are a methodology of designing an effective concert program for children and the concert feedback form provided to the participants. This project featured three piano concerts …

Melodic Memories: A Guidebook To Enhance Dementia Care Through Music, Sofia Phillips, Mary Smith, Angela Blackwell

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

This project focused on developing a guidebook titled Melodic Memories, designed to help occupational therapy (OT) practitioners incorporate occupation-based musical interventions into their practice. The guidebook aims to enhance occupational engagement (OE) and quality of life (QoL) for individuals with dementia residing in long-term care facilities. The presentation explores the impact of dementia on individuals, including how it affects their OE and QoL, and highlights the challenges posed by long-term care environments. It also emphasizes the therapeutic potential of music in improving dementia care for OT practitioners. The development of Melodic Memories was based on the Lived Environment Life …

Out Of Many, One Voice: A Fundamental Map To Performing Shirley J. Thompson's Opera—Women Of The Windrush, Danielle Rosann Watson

Doctoral Projects

Women of the Windrush, composed by Shirley J. Thompson, is a mono-opera for soprano, film, and chamber orchestra. Thompson uses Women of the Windrush to rewrite history and effect change in the way women are portrayed in opera—from weak characters to heroic figures. A prolific composer of pure originality, Thompson has made her music accessible through written compositions and successful performances. As one of the leading composers in England, Thompson is progressively recognized for her contributions to the body of music literature, nationally and internationally. This doctoral project seeks to promote women composers and undertakes the significant contributions of …

Leavers And Movers: Turnover Of Music Teachers In Nebraska, Christian G. Schuerman

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

The purpose of this study was to determine if the rates of music teachers leaving the teaching profession and changing schools were significantly different than those of teachers of other content areas in the state of Nebraska. This study used data from the previous nine years of the Nebraska Department of Education’s Education Directory in order to find results for the entire population. Results indicated that music teachers leave the profession at similar rates as teachers of other content areas, but move schools at significantly higher rates.

Advisor: Robert H. Woody

The Transformative Power Of Traditional Spirituals In "Spiritual Sketches" By Damien Sneed: A Study Of Musical Influence And Cultural Heritage, Haylee Glenn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This doctoral project aims to comprehensively study Damien Sneed's life, work, and legacy by examining his musical career, the themes and inspirations that inform his art, and the impact he has had on classical music. Through a detailed analysis of compositions “Every Time I Feel the Spirit,” “Deep River,” and “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” from Damien Sneed's "Spiritual Sketches," this study will shed light on how Sneed incorporates this important cultural and musical tradition into his compositions in an innovative way. This dissertation will explore the roots of the traditional spiritual, examine its significance during the Black …