Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Abroad Immersion And Reflection Of American Liberal Arts Students In Cyprus, Mark Reimer, Yiannis Miralis

Journal of Global Awareness

Ensemble tours abroad, with a liberal arts focus, provide a rich, unique, and highly educational opportunity to make music while experiencing the history, people, language, and culture of another country. Pre-tour preparation, however, requires research and a trusted relationship between the director and the host to ensure that the musicians in both countries enjoy the same degree of excitement and desire to learn from one another. The following article is research that was conducted for an American college wind ensemble tour to Cyprus. In addition to reviewing several books and journals, the authors listened to hours of classical, folk, and …

Music And Temple Ritual In South India: Performing For Śiva, Rolf Groesbeck

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

A book review is presented for Music and Temple Ritual in South India: Performing for Śiva, authored by William Tallotte, by Rolf Groesbeck.

Faith By Aurality In China's Ethnic Borderland: Media, Mobility, And Christianity At The Margins, Gavin Douglas

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

A book review is presented for Faith by Aurality in China's Ethnic Borderland: Media, Mobility, and Christianity at the Margins, authored by Ying Diao, by Gavin Douglas.

Secular Formations Of Sacred Music: Schleiermacher, Romanticism, And Devotional Media In Germany, Desmond Sheehan

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Theologians and musicologists alike have often disregarded the material and technical facets of devotional scenes such as the one meticulously described in Schleiermacher’s Christmas Eve Celebration: A Dialogue (1806). More recent musicologists have highlighted more concealed technologies that helped to facilitate Romantic aesthetic experiences – a form of methodological unmasking that at once denies and reclaims a Schillerian notion of disenchantment. This essay argues that both types of studies perpetuate secularization narratives that displace a Christian religiosity into public artforms and social practices in Romanticism, and secular modernity by extension. As a proposed alternative, a media history of sacred music …

The Vagina Dentata: A Case For Unlocking Mouths, Loosing Hips, And Spreading The Gospel Of Healing Women's Sexual Performance Anxiety, Alisha Lola Jones

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

This article explores how vagina dentata folklore—stories and imagery about a mythical "toothed vagina"—connects to the ways Black religious communities often cultivate silence around women’s sexual lives, particularly within the “Worth the Wait” and Word of Faith movements. Ignited by womanist religious ethnographer Monique Moultrie’s scholarship on sexual silence in these movement, I take seriously the musicological chasm by exploring how these ministries influence Black women’s sexual agency and moral decision-making through inequitable theological procedures and discourses. The vagina dentata metaphor emerges as a symbol of constrained appetites—respiratory (larynx), digestive (intestine, anus), and reproductive (uterus, vagina)—reflecting broader sociocultural and religious …

Note From The Editor, Jeffers Engelhardt

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

A note from Editor-in-Chief Jeffers Engelhardt about the journal issue Vol. 10, No. 1.

Amber Liu, K-Pop Tomboy: Reshaping Femininity In Mainstream K-Pop, Paola Laforgia, Keith Howard

Kritika Kultura

South Korean mainstream pop music, known simply as K-Pop, has become such a huge phenomenon in recent years that it is playing a decisive role in reshaping Korean culture and identity. Indeed, the K-Pop phenomenon is much more than just something musical, intertwining a complexity of sound, performance, ethnicity and gender. A contextual analysis needs therefore to take all these elements into consideration. This paper aims to show how K-Pop plays a crucial role in promoting ideologies, and defining gender roles. It does so by analyzing the music and image of the Taiwanese-American originating singer Amber Liu. Liu goes against …

Indigenous Metal: Rage, Rejects, And The Reconstruction Of Culture, Louis W. Asbury

Master's Theses

Metal music’s latest frontier is Indigenous metal, combining explorations of Indigenous identity with the heavy and aggressive stylings of the music genre. To explore this new subgenre, this study asks to what extent can metal music be used as a political tool and what are some of the broader effects of metal bands working to better their communities. This thesis utilizes case studies of two notable Indigenous metal scenes, the Rez metal scene in the Navajo Nation and the Māori metal scene in Aotearoa. By collecting data from these scenes, including lyrics, videos, interviews, and audience interactions, this thesis thoroughly …

Brazilian Instrumental Music, U.S. Jazz, And Transnationalism: A Study Of National Identity In The Twentieth Century And Present, Felipe Guz Tinoco

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation considers the relationship between Brazilian instrumental music, U.S. jazz, and Brazilian national identity from the early twentieth century to the present. Though the time frame is broad, the present work uses nationalism as an anchoring point through which I analyze multiple musical genres. Previous works have primarily examined songs and lyrics, particularly during the military dictatorship (1964-85), when words against the regime were censored and songwriters persecuted. However, listeners and musicians of instrumental music also engaged with discourses of national identity in profound terms before, during, and after this period, posing ideals of Brasilidade against cultural productions abroad, …

Has K-Pop Lost Its Koreaness?, Madison J. Gusler

Capstones

Since the 2010s, the global expansion of K-pop has been undeniable, with music from Korean idol groups resonating with fans around the world. We’ve seen the industry adapt to cater to this global audience, placing emphasis on non-verbal aspects of performance such as choreography and set design, and integrating more English lyrics in their songs. K-pop has always had multinational, multicultural influences in its production, yet the music has remained distinctly Korean. But as the industry expands into new markets, faces new challenges, and adapts to convey greater global appeal, the public must contend with the idea of a K-pop …

Book Review: Mayalogue: An Interactionist Theory Of Indigenous Cultures, Arcia Tecun

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Mayalogue: An Interactionist Theory of Indigenous Cultures by Victor Montejo

Albany: State University of New York Press, 2021. 248 pp

Arcia Tecun analyzes and interacts with Montejo’s discussions and logics, resulting in a postcolonial indigenous conversation between reviewer and book author.

Resurrecting The Muse: Kithara And Lyric Poetry Performance Practice In Greco-Roman Antiquity, Abigail Petersen

Honors Projects

Both students and pedagogues of classical studies are familiar with the inherent musicality of Greek and Latin poetry, and they also widely accept the idea that poets sang their works to accompaniment on a kithara, or large lyre. However, little work has been done to perform works of poetry according to this tradition, and thus many modern attempts at oral recitation feature a forced and pedantic rhythm that bores the listener and fails to do justice to the revered art of Greco-Roman poetry. Through a review of primary and secondary sources, I examine the construction of the kithara, the context …

Methods In Environmental Studies, Erika Dunagan, Maya Mendoza, Posey Graber, Alex Cullins, Emma Mcginnis, Ally Nepomuceno, Isabella Buchan

Featured Student Work

This publication is a collection of undergraduate research conducted in the Methods in Environmental Studies course at the University of San Francisco in Fall 2024. The student-led projects explore the intersections of place, policy, ecology, and cultural identity through applied environmental research methodologies. Topics include a decolonial examination of the Forest Park Mound Group and Indigenous resilience in St. Louis; a comparative study of Navajo cosmology and ecological justice; a social and environmental impact assessment of Costa Rica’s National Decarbonization Plan; a psychogeographical analysis of Golden Gate Park and its impact on the psyche, emotions, behaviour, and health of urban …

Stories Of Mothering: Autoethnography Of Generational Sexual Abuse, Karen D. Barley Dr

The Qualitative Report

Being a mother is both rewarding and challenging and most women seek to be the best mother that they can be. Despite best intentions, many find their ability to ‘mother’ has been tempered by their own mothering. This autoethnography encapsulates a series of vignettes describing poignant and melodic memories of my mother; and explores her neglect and inability to protect me because of sexual abuse in her life. Within my family heritage there has been a craven cycle of abuse that has perpetuated a lineage of multigenerational family sexual violence. This cycle has affected the mothers in my family’s ability …

How Is Music History Important And How Can Music History Be Included Into Our Regular Music Curriculum?, Abby Michalak

Honors Projects

From a music education major's perspective, music history is rarely taught in high school and middle schools today. Music history can teach so much to students, including context, style, and even why pieces were written. Through this paper, we explore why music history is an important topic to be taught in schools and how music programs across the country can include it into their curriculums through smaller sized lesson plans. This paper includes a sample curriculum that goes through the different period of music and a unit for "spotlights" for countries that are rarely represented in high school and middle …

Music For The Holidays: December 7, 2024, M. Christopher Shepard, John Koch, Julia Stowell

School of Music Programs

Center for the Performing Arts

December 7, 2024

Saturday Afternoon

3:00 p.m.

Manifest Destiny, A Repeat Of History: Scoring Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, Emilie Montoure

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In this paper I will examine Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film The Shining through the lens of Manifest Destiny. Using this angle, I discuss how protagonist Jack Torrance takes on the role of a settler as he cares for the Overlook Hotel and becomes verbally abusive and controlling to his wife and son. I use the disconcerting, avant-garde scores of Twentieth Century modernist composers Béla Bartók, György Ligeti, and Krzysztof Penderecki to analyze how this story of westward expansion is conveyed. This chilling soundscape involving extreme dissonance, complex rhythms, layering of sounds, and unconventional techniques scores Jack’s psychological descent into murderous …

The Inheritance And Breakthrough Of Twentieth-Century Harpsichord Music: Stylistic Analysis And Performance Guide Of Selected Works, Hanguang Wang

Dissertations

The twentieth century saw a notable revival of early music, with the harpsichord, one of the key instruments in this movement, gradually gaining attention as a vehicle for new compositions. However, most research still focuses primarily on early music, leaving the phenomenon and specific works of modern harpsichord music underexplored, despite the substantial body of compositions it has inspired.

This dissertation traces the development of harpsichord music across four historical periods, while also examining the stylistic and technical shifts in compositions from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. By analyzing Bohuslav Martinů’s Deux Pièces pour Clavecin, H. 244, and …

Composition Studies At The Us-Mexico Border, José Luis Cano

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

This essay discusses the conflict a compositionist from the US-Mexico border encounters in teaching composition amidst migration. Through autohistoriando, the author shares his experiences inside and outside of the composition course at this border to analyze and respond to this conflict.

The Application Of Thai Classical Fiddle Techniques For Cello, Athita Kuankachorn

Dissertations

While non-Western cultural influences have become increasingly more prominent in contemporary cello compositions, Thai classical fiddles—saw duang, saw u, and saw sam sai—which are integral to Thai music tradition, have yet to be fully explored or incorporated into cello works. The complexity of the Thai pitch system, diverse performance practices, and the reliance on oral tradition, which limits written resources, pose challenges to integrating Thai fiddle elements into cross-cultural compositions.

This research examines Thai classical fiddle techniques through a bi-musical approach. Among the diverse practices, the Vorayot Seventeen-Microtone Theory, developed by esteemed fiddle Master Vorayot Suksaichon, …

Exploring The Use Of Music In Deradicalization, Pulung Agustanto, Arthur Josias Simon Runturambi, Puspitasari .

Journal of Terrorism Studies

This study seeks to explore music as an alternative method to enrich the variety of deradicalization programs in the framework of counterterrorism. The use of ethnic and local culture-based music is not only intended to prevent radicalism but also as an instrument of recovery therapy for terrorism prisoners in correctional institutions (Lapas). The offer of the programmatic agenda departs from the assumption that deradicalization so far still lacks a cultural approach. Moreover, the archipelago has a variety of music from various ethnicities, for example Javanese music, Sundanese music, Balinese music, Ambon music, and others that are rich in spiritual and …

Mu Daiko: Drumming Between East And West, Lei X. Ouyang

Music Faculty Works

This ethnographic study introduces Asian American taiko group Mu Daiko (now Ensō Daiko) through a look at three members and their original compositions. The group is well known for their emphasis on movement and theatricality and developed their own unique style in the American Midwest. This case study explores how Mu Daiko continues the tradition of Asian American taiko drumming while simultaneously innovating and pushing the art form in new directions. Furthermore, I examine how Mu Daiko operates within the larger North American taiko community, their social justice mission, and how the art form engages with, and is informed by, …

University Band: November 20, 2024, Mack Wood, Christopher Bulding, Colby Powers, Jospeh Buczko, Ben Haushalter

School of Music Programs

Center for the Performing Arts

November 20, 2024

Wednesday Evening

8:00 p.m.

Civic Chorale Fall Concert: November 17, 2024, Illinois State University School Of Music

School of Music Programs

Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall

November 17, 2024

Sunday Evening

7:00 p.m.

High School Orchestra Teachers Of The United States And Their Music Literature Programming Pedagogical Effectiveness, James Herbert Bailey Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The nature of student-interest genre effectiveness is an ongoing debate in music education due to popular music’s appeal to students. This study involving teachers from the United States high school orchestra programs aims to determine the frequency of implementation and the teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the effectiveness of the programming and lessons in the orchestra classroom. In this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study conducted with high school orchestra teachers in the United States, data was collected from eight orchestra teachers’ programs, and perspectives were acquired and analyzed to identify commonalities and differences between teachers in various counties. The teachers’ programming …

Teaching The Grateful Dead, Happenings, & Spontaneous Pedagogy, Ryan Slesinger

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

To teach a course on the Grateful Dead I developed a praxis I call “spontaneous pedagogy” that pairs academic rigor with flexible curriculum details to enable creativity and engagement among students in a truly studentcentered classroom. The pairing of spontaneous pedagogy with the Grateful Dead course worked well because the subject emphasizes improvisation, which initially inspired and—during the course—paralleled my praxis. I had developed this praxis previously, implementing it each semester from 2007 to2010 for one Composition II unit on definitional arguments entitled, “The Nature of Reality.” Students were asked to define what they consider as real and apply that …

Constraining The (Im)Possible: Improvisation And Violence In Rafi Zabor’S The Bear Comes Home, Hannah Ianniello

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This paper will explore the role of jazz improvisation in the characterization of the protagonist in Rafi Zabor’s 1998 jazz novel, The Bear Comes Home. I suggest that Zabor represents the process of improvisation to not only enhance the enigma of The Bear’s ability as a jazz musician, but also to enhance his capacity towards violence.

Through the exploration of the actual process of improvisation in the research of Paul Berliner, Ingrid Monson and Alyn Shipton, Improvisation in a real jazz context is collaborative and exploratory. However, Zabor, like many other authors (such as Michael Ondaatje, James Baldwin and …

Discovery In The Stacks: A Primer (Or Refresher!) For Stacks Maintenance Of Music Collections In Libraries Maintenance Of Music Collections In Libraries, Sarah Ward, Bonnie Finn, Laura Thompson, Jessica M. Abbazio, Carol Lubkowski

Scholarship and Professional Work

As libraries evolve to meet changing user and organizational needs, the work of maintaining music materials may take a backseat to other priorities. The value of physical collections endures, however, and thoughtful stacks maintenance is crucial for making library materials discoverable and accessible. This article discusses policies and workflows for maintaining music collections at academic institutions, supplying readers with practical suggestions and a best practices checklist for stacks maintenance activities. By taking a thoughtful approach to maintaining collections of music formats like scores and recordings, the authors explore the ways that stacks maintenance work can enhance users’ experience.

Sijniyya: New Prison Songs In Sednaya, Eylaf Bader Eddin

Regards

The research Sijniyya: New Prison Songs in Sednaya seeks to study and analyze musical practices from the perspective of personal expression, rather than through the lens of authority and control, contrasting with studies that primarily focus on Syrian prisons. This approach is based on the belief that focusing on personal practices will indirectly reveal the power dynamics within Syrian prisons, especially in Sednaya. Unexpectedly, and by chance, a conversation with a friend suggested that even Syrian torture facilities may hold traces of musical practices. To explore this, the research examines political prisoners affiliated with the Syrian Communist Party, who were …

Factors Associated With The Implementation Of The Protocols For Native American Archival Materials: An Exploratory Study, Kimberly D. Anderson (Kliewer)

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

This study examines motivations for adopting the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials (PNAAM), the factors that might impact implementation of PNAAM in practice, and an exploration of how and why new ethical standards are accepted or rejected. The researcher conducted a survey in 2023 of archivists and/or memory workers working at non-Tribal institutions that have some materials about Indigenous people. The study was designed around the respondent’s perceptions of authority, skills, knowledge, relationships, and resources both as individuals and within their repositories. The study also incorporated Albert Bandura’s framework for moral disengagement hypothetically as a mechanism for assessing ethical …