Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Brief Exhibition Of Eastern And Western Classical Music, Naia Brandt

Honors Projects

This is the program I created for a short violin recital I held that goes into a little bit of detail behind the stories and composers of the pieces I played. I found them to be really interesting and both are important pieces culturally and in the field of classical music. Growing up, I primarily studied classical music written by European composers and as I’ve gotten older, I've developed an interest in learning more about an ethnic background I was not deeply connected to when I was younger. This project was a way for me to learn about a cool …

The Integration Of Performance Practice And Stylistic Understanding In The Realization Of Schubert's Sonata D. 845, I. Moderato, Becca Hanson

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata in A minor, D. 845 was written in 1825 and is considered to be one of his late works. The first movement shows Schubert’s mature and unique approach to Sonata Form while reflecting his song, dance, and orchestral writing styles. To develop an artistic and informed conception of this piece, a seasoned performer must have an approach that integrates numerous areas of music scholarship, including a stylistic comprehension of the music and its composer. One complication in interpreting this movement originates from the inconsistency between its original instrumentation—the fortepiano—and the most probable modern choice of instrumentation—the …

Grand Rapids Musical Life At The Turn Of The 20th Century: An Archival Study, Thomas J. Stutz

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

This project focuses on outlining the vibrant musical soundscape and traditions of Grand Rapids Michigan at the turn of the 20th century. At the forefront of this research is the contrast between men’s and women’s clubs at the time. Our analysis indicates that the foremost women’s club–the St. Cecilia’s Society–took a more nuanced and intellectual approach to musical programming and performance whereas their male counterparts were more focused on the social and public view of their club; this view is in line with the historical trend of women’s clubs holding a great deal of power in the arts at the …

Mus 100: Introduction To Music Literature Oer Curation, Erica L. Schiller

Curated OER Collections

This OER curation is an annotated bibliography of prospective OER for the GVSU course MUS 100: Introduction to Music Literature.

Shaping The Mind Through Music- A Family Challenge Of The 21st Century, Elisa H. Meyer

Honors Projects

This research provides reasoning for the importance of music education in America's schools. Music education is an integral ingredient in the cognitive development of the child- benefiting long term functions such as speech and language skills, memory, creativity, critical thinking, and general intelligence. Music allows a child to develop into their whole selves, encouraging the growth of their fullest potential. Various educational philosophies, such as the Rudolf Steiner philosophy and the Suzuki method describe the significance of this and outline substancial ways in which this integration is made possible. These philosophies are defined and discussed within this paper. Finally, insight …

Protest Music Of The 2010s, Tumaini Sango

McNair Scholars Manuscripts

Throughout U.S. history, music has served as a soundtrack to transformative social and cultural movements. Songs like “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Lift every Voice and Sing,” and “We Shall Overcome” are linked to key events that inspired hope and change. Collectively, these songs are known as protest music. Protest music can act as a type of social commentary, expressing a wide range of emotions, and have a uniting element, calling leaders and groups to action for tangible results. At its core, protest music is a musician’s creative response to events happening in the world around them. The 2010s saw the …

A Mad Magical Poet: Essays On The Life And Art Of Warren Zevon, Zachary E. Tenney

Honors Projects

"A Mad Magical Poet: Essays on the Life and Art of Warren Zevon" is a series of three essays on the titular subject. Warren Zevon was an American songwriter whose career spanned from the late 1960s to the early 2000s. Though known for his hit single "Werewolves of London," Zevon is a far more interesting figure than the "one hit wonder" label can possibly capture. Here, I explore his appeal as a literary and philosophical figure, examine his prophetic song of environmental crisis, "Run Straight Down," and consider the theme of violence as it appears throughout his music. The text …

Music Preferences Among College Students Through The Decades, Janelle Potter

Honors Projects

Music plays a part in every person's life, whether they realize it or not. From the radio to background music to ringtones, music influences most aspects of our lives. Radio took music from local clubs and concert halls to places that were thousands of miles away. Radio evolved to vinyl discs and then into cassettes and compact discs. These went further in MP3 recordings and on into streaming services that control the music of today’s industry. The 1960s brought soul, R&B, Motown, and rock to the world. The 1970s brought hard rock and pop and pushed the industry into less …

Denis Diderot: A Secular Hero, Ben Scott-Brandt

Honors Projects

My Honors Senior Project is a biography of Denis Diderot in the form of a children's song. MY understanding of Diderot's life is based on Andrew Curran's book, Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely.

Songs help us memorize and retain information about the world, and singing songs together strengthens cultural and religious connections. Secular (nonreligious) people need songs, too. Diderot was a philosopher who didn't believe in God. He was an editor of L'Encyclopédie, one of the first encyclopedias, and he snuck in articles that challenged how people think. This was an important moment -- knowledge about the world …

The Development Of The Concept Album, Savannah Klein

Honors Projects

As the world of music has continually evolved and expanded, so has artists’ desire for inventive expression. An important tool that has long satisfied this growing need is the concept album. Although its appearance has been anything but novel in the contemporary music scene, the concept album was not introduced until the 1950s. With influences of Classical and Folk Music, the concept album quickly grew to become a steadfast element of musical culture that has allowed artists to elevate their musical expertise, express their views on societal conditions, and enhance the listening experience of their fans.

Bill Evans Senior Honors Project, Reese Lyon Rehkopf

Honors Projects

A paper on the life and music of Bill Evans and his influence on jazz music. This project consists of three transcriptions of Evans' jazz improvisations and a paper.

Acoustics Of The Louis Armstrong Theatre, Bailey Groendyke

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Like many multipurpose auditoriums, the Louis Armstrong Theatre (LAT) at Grand Valley State University has been reported by a considerable number of students and faculty to have unsatisfactory acoustics for music performance. This study focused on physical measurements and simulated changes to LAT. Reverberation time (RT) was measured by filling LAT with sound and measuring the decay for select frequencies as per ASTM E2235 protocol, and the initial time delay gap (ITDG) was determined using slapsticks as an impulsive sound source. A model of LAT was also constructed from blueprints and physical measurements; simulations using this model were conducted using …

Elementary Children’S Tonal Awareness As Related To Perception Of Tonal Dissonance, Charles E. Norris

Peer Reviewed Articles

This study investigated children’s tonal awareness by measuring their abilities to detect dissonance in major tonality using the author-created Tonal Dissonance Detection Test. A two-way analysis of variance of 312 elementary school subjects’ Tonal Dissonance Detection Test scores revealed that first- and second-graders’ dissonance detection abilities were significantly weaker than those of their third- to sixth-grade counterparts. Subsequent analysis revealed neither a significant gender effect nor interaction between grade level and gender. Findings are consistent with related study of the perception of tonality and tonal expectancies in children and adults. Given the homogeneity of the sample, the longevity of the …

Music Of The Stage: A Recital Program Notes And Translations, Elizabeth Klesmith

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.