Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Does Pleasurable Music Indirectly Better Learning?: A Multimodal Approach, Elizabeth Anna Roeglin

Undergraduate Honors Papers

Recent research has shown that musical pleasure is due to the combination of uncertainty and surprise a musical piece elicits. Additionally, research has demonstrated that music influences arousal and mood, both of which affect learning. However, current research has not adequately tested whether pleasurable music indirectly improves learning by influencing mood/arousal. This study attempts to do so. Twenty-seven participants completed a survey that included the Barcelona Music Reward Questionnaire. Eighteen participants, whose scores demonstrated that they feel emotion-evoking and/or mood-regulatory pleasure from listening to music, came in for further testing. These participants experienced a music condition, in which they listened …

El Nacimiento Del Rock En Español: ¿Cómo Fue Que Este Género De Música Latina Tuvo Éxito?, Alejandro V. Martinez

World Languages and Cultures

This paper titled El nacimiento del rock en español: ¿Cómo fue que este género de música latina tuvo éxito? will cover information regarding the Spanish rock movement. This essay compares what is written in this paper to that of prior scholars to show that although they do bring valid points, there is a lot more than many of us realize. There are various articles and reports written about the movement, but many do not explain the creation of the movement, let alone its survival in the music industry as a new genre that some had never heard of or had …

A Third Way: Christian Philosophy Of Music, Eric S. Gardner

Senior Theses

Philosophers have posed many difficult-to-answer questions regarding music. For example, what counts as beautiful music? Can beauty be objectified, or is beauty in the eye of the beholder? What counts as a performance of a piece of music? Besides, what counts as music anyways? Where does the noise stop, and where does the music begin? In this thesis, I want to show that the Christian worldview offers the philosophical building blocks to answer these questions. By working with biblical truths and Christian presuppositions, I hope to show that the Christian worldview can offer satisfying answers to these philosophical questions.

Faculty Recital: Deanne Mohr, Deanne Mohr

Music Programs

This recital was performed in the WSU Recital Hall on March 26, 2024, by Deanne Mohr (piano), featuring Eric Brisson as narrator for the final piece of the program. Mohr’s performance featured music from the Baroque, Classical, Neoclassical, and Romantic Eras. This performance portrayed how the music from various periods differ in form, style, and subject matter.

Faculty Recital: Deanne Mohr, Deanne Mohr

Music Posters

This is a poster for the faculty recital, which was performed in the WSU Recital Hall on March 26, 2024, by Daniel Sheridan (clarinet), and supported by Eric Brisson (piano), Kristi Krause (oboe), and Harry Hindson (bassoon). This performance included music from the Romantic Era and the early 20th century.

Voices Only Reunion Concert (March 23, 2024), Lindenwood University

Student Music Performance Programs

Event program for the Voices Only Reunion Concert (March 23, 2024).

The Effect Of Study Music Tempo On Short Term Memory Retention In Reading And Verbal Comprehension, Payton Ballinger

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

This study experimentally investigated the effect of background music on retention as it relates to short term memory. Eighty undergraduate participants from various fields of study at Pepperdine University were randomly assigned to either listen to or read a preselected passage while listening to preselected excerpts of fast or slow tempo music. All participants were then asked to complete a 10 question test covering the material presented. There was a main effect specifically for music tempo in that participants who were exposed to background music at a slower speed while either reading or listening to a passage scored higher on …

Whimsical Indie, Lily Newton

Illustration Student Work

This is an album cover for a playlist inspired by whimsical indie songs that I enjoy. The image of this work came to mind as I listened to the songs, so this work is my interpretation of that and an attempt to create a work that communicates the cozy, fantastical feelings the songs I chose elicit.

Varon, Dorothy, Negin Nader Bazrafkan

Bronx Jewish History Project

This interview explores Dorothy's childhood and education, focusing on her experiences growing up in the Bronx during the 1950s and 1960s. Dorothy provides a detailed account of her neighborhood, the games she played with her friends, and the shops she frequented. She also discusses the diverse nature of her community and the lack of racial or religious tensions she witnessed. Dorothy vividly recalls her childhood on Weeks Avenue in the Bronx, describing it as a mixed neighborhood with people of all faiths and nationalities. She fondly remembers the games she and her friends played in the streets, including stickball, Scully, …

Harmonic Data: Ai Music, Edm Transcription, & Minimalist Jazz, Trevor Freed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents research in the domains of music theory and music technology. The topics of the three chapters are as follows: (1) the technical and artistic limitations of artificial intelligence when generating music, (2) the transcription of electronic dance music (EDM) using a hybrid notation system, and (3) the effective convergence of jazz and minimalism in the music of Joe Hisaishi from Studio Ghibli. Each topic investigates a different aspect of harmony and the modern ways in which humans communicate in terms of harmony. The first chapter surveys the latest research projects in AI-generated music and proposes ideas for …

Music Performance Anxiety: Should It Be Addressed In Music Curricula And By Whom?, Kaitlynn Kamer

Honors Projects

Music performance anxiety (MPA) impacts musicians of all skill levels, as demonstrated by existing research on both student and professional musicians. Although most musicians experience MPA, it is not formally addressed in music curriculum. This study seeks to evaluate the views and discourse around MPA in the collegiate music community through a survey of 66 college music students, 17 faculty members, and a series of secondary interviews. Through the results of the surveys and interviews, the thoughts on MPA from both the faculty and student perspective will be discussed. Upon reviewing the results of study, possible avenues for addressing MPA …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Factors That Challenge And Advance Music Education In K-12 Schools: A Qualitative Study In Lebanon, Khaldoun Abou Dargham

Theses and Dissertations

Music education plays a crucial role in developing students on the individual level and societies on the communal level. Despite its benefits on the human brain, student learning, physical and mental health, and its contribution to culture and the creative economy, music education still faces challenges that prevent it from fulfilling its potential. Due to scant research on the factors that impact music education in Lebanon, this phenomenological study explored the perceptions of six K-12 music teachers in Mount Lebanon through in-depth interviews regarding the issue. Drawing upon the constructivist and humanistic learning theories, the research investigated how the Lebanese …

Rafael Cortijo’S Space Music: Sounds Of Caribbean Blackness, Marissel Hernandez-Romero

Third Stone

Black Puerto Rican musician Rafael Cortijo (1928-1982) is a key feature in Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin American music. He is one of the few musicians celebrated internationally for his skills as a percussionist, orchestra leader, and composer. Despite this, his music is often described as as ‘noise’, or at least that was my memory growing up in a predominantly white community in Puerto Rico. This article proposes and theorizes the existence of a Hispanic Caribbean Space Music emerging at the same time of the Afrofuturist movement and to which Rafael Cortijo makes a great contribution. By doing this, I …

When Music Becomes Me: Occupational Therapy’S Role In Caring For Upper Extremity Disorders In Musicians, Kathryn S. Halsted, Kristin Biggins, Kimberly Davis

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Musicians are a distinct population with a high rate of developing musculoskeletal and neurological disorders affecting their ability to participate in music-based occupations. These injuries negatively affect the musician’s health and well-being in physical, financial, psychosocial, and emotional dimensions. Given music’s complex and integrated role in the musicians’ life, treatment must be multi-dimensional, considering aspects of the person, the type of instrument, environment, context, and social obligations. Occupational therapy providers are uniquely qualified to treat musicians because of their focuse on holistic, occupation-based, and client-centered care. This manuscript describes the role of occupational therapy in this client population based on …

Louise Farrenc: A Woman Composer's Voice Rising Out Of Obscurity, Allika Polowchak

All Zyzzogeton Presentations

Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) was a prolific composer, performer, and teacher of art music in Romantic-era France. Widely regarded during her lifetime for her incredible natural talent and hard work, her compositions fell into obscurity after her death due to general disinterest in women’s contributions to art. As Louise Farrenc started to become more recognized in the later 20th century, efforts were focused on reviving her instrumental works, but little is known about her choral and vocal pieces to this day.

Woodstock '69: Catalyst For Counterculture?, Rachel Shook

Student Research Poster Presentations 2024

This poster divulges on the societal impact the original Woodstock festival had, specifically on the counterculture movement of the nineteen sixties. The music festival, lasting between August 15th to August 17th of 1969, became a spontaneous event along the woods and farms of Bethel, New York. With as many as half of a million fans in attendance, this festival became much more than just a series of concerts. With such a spontaneous event gathering individuals from across the nation, this sparked this debate amongst historians regarding whether Woodstock truly was as impactful to counterculture as widely acclaimed to be, or …

New Hampshire, Liam Thomas

West Chester University Master’s Theses

New Hampshire is a concept album: a recording project inspired by Robert Frost’s (1874-1963) large poetic work of the same title. After reading Frost’s lengthy first poem (also titled “New Hampshire”) I felt an immediate connection between his texts and my musical style. Frost’s “New Hampshire” features many depictions of nature and creates mystery through its colorful, sometimes vague imagery that leaves interpretive space for the imaginative reader, which, in my opinion, is the mark of a great poet. As a reflection of Frost’s text, my album contains atmospheric, ambient music drawing influence from folk, Americana, rock, jazz, with the …

Review: Careers In Music Libraries Iv, Edited By Misti Shaw And Susannah Cleveland, David Floyd

Library Scholarship

The Careers in Music Librarianship series has come into its own as a staple of the music library literature in the more than 30 years since its first entry, Careers in Music Librarianship: Perspectives from the Field, compiled by Carol Tatian. Its successors, Careers in Music Librarianship II: Traditions and Transitions, edited by Paula Elliot and Linda Blair and Careers in Music Librarianship III: Reality and Reinvention), edited by Susannah Cleveland and Joe C. Clark, each in their own way responded to both the critical discourse around their preceding edition and the emerging trends of the profession. …

Investigating The Relationship Between Politics And Education, Alaina M. Winrow

Honors Theses and Capstones

This paper looks into how politics plays a role in the public K-12 education system in the United States, specifically looking at the state of New Hampshire. Federal, state, and local governments provide important resources through funding to schools and create the laws that govern them. However, educational politics can be controversial at times. Within the past several years, there have been more tense school board meetings and divisive laws being passed or considered around the nation. Overall, the divisive political climate has influenced much of the discussion surrounding education and has created more stress for educators, administrators, school staff, …

Demiana Ibrahim's Senior Recital: Music Across Continents And Centuries, Demiana Ibrahim

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis contains the recording and program notes of Demiana Ibrahim's Senior Recital in partial Completion of the Music major on the Performance track. The music performed is from a wide variety of composers, in addition to two transcribed from orchestral renditions by the performer herself. Beyond the composers expected in the Western canon, this performance includes music of North African origin, and highlights the first mainstream successful African American classical composer.

Views Around The Ring, Patrick Wilson

CMC Senior Theses

My thesis shows the visuals and sound aesthetics of the video game series Halo. For my thesis, I created a 7-and-a-half-minute abstract video containing cutscenes in-game visuals over music from the different games, with an accompanying essay talking about the game and my video. I created this thesis because Halo was and still is a game that has been with me most of my life and I wanted to capture what I thought was important to the game. I achieved this through mixing soundtracks and editing in-game footage and cutscenes together. I learned that creating an abstract video takes a …

Song Analysis - Final Project For The American Musical Experience, Agustina Checa

Open Educational Resources

Assignment designed as a final project for the undergraduate course MSH245: The American Musical Experience at Lehman College. This course surveys different musical expressions that emerged in the United States as well as the historical, social and technological contexts framing their popularization.This assignment asks students to analyze a song of their choosing performed by an American artist and to follow specific requirements in their study of this piece which include: historical and social contextualization, analysis of style, influences and lyrics, as well as the elaboration of a "listening guide" to fully appreciate the composition. Students are given the …

Guide To The William C. Banfield Collection, 1979-2010, Columbia College Chicago

CBMR Collection Guides / Finding Aids

William “Bill” Cedric Banfield is professor emeritus of the Africana Studies Division at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. The collection contains his compositions, including songs and jazz works, and is strong in concert music. It also holds, correspondence, writings, and flyers and programs documenting his career.

Denny Design For The Gretsch Company, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Finding Aids

With original work spanning 1998–2024, this collection consists of materials created by graphic designer Don Denny for the Gretsch Company. The materials include digital project files, physical samples of digital products, photographs, and historic printed materials documenting the Gretsch Company’s history.

Examining The Efficacy Of Music-Applied Therapies On The Upper Extremity Of Post-Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Haley Galvis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide, due to an interruption of blood flow to the brain, which ultimately results in necrotic cell death. This pathological cascade has ramifications in neurological motor, sensory, and behavior deficits. Recent research has used a therapeutic application of music as a vehicle to improve motor function of post-stroke patients. Music-supported therapy is a newer class of music therapy that works to improve motor function through a standardized program of keyboard and drum exercises, and it is continuing to be integrated into the field of rehabilitation.

This study aims to search areas …

Music Education Within An Autism Support Classroom: Building Community And Educational Skills, Emma Lamberti

Honors Theses

The purpose of this action research study was to explore how music education might provide a sense of community, develop educational skills, and discuss general best practices for teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a middle school autism support classroom. To examine community, educational skills, and best practices, this study completed two cycles of action research. The curriculum in Cycle 1 consisted of typical music lessons for a general music classroom. Interviews with teachers and students, video observations, and researcher reflections after each lesson were used to inform the development of Cycle 2. Cycle 2 retained the overall …

Through The Keyhole, Anna Higgins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Through the Keyhole derives inspiration from the lyrical styles of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. The transformational form of the piece follows an organic growth process leading up to a true climax. The piece stops, yet it does not end, leaving the listener to feel incomplete. Two melodic themes shape the piece alongside timbral developments. The harmony helps to portray the emotional journey of the piece, changing slightly throughout.

“Sounds Like” Redemption? On The Musicality Of Species And The Species Of Musicality, Tyler Yamin, Alice Rudge

Faculty Journal Articles

Popular and academic studies of music frequently claim that human musicality arose from the so-called ‘natural world’ of non-human species. And amid the anxieties produced by the Anthropocene, it is thought that the possibility of reconnecting with the natural world through a renewed appreciation of music’s links with nature may usher in a new era of posthuman environmental consciousness, offering repair and redemption. To critique these claims, we trace how notions of ‘musicality’ have been applied to or denied from non-human entities across diverse disciplines since the late nineteenth century. We conclude that such debates reinforce the separation that they …

Nkoda, Ginger Williams

Library Faculty Publications

nkoda is a robust digital sheet music library and sophisticated user interface for interacting with scores. The resource will be beneficial to students to professional artists, creating efficiencies in ensembles, studios, and personal practice. The vast content library sets nkoda apart from other digital score apps, as does the ability to engage an institutional license.

(Special Section, Hymns Beyond The Congregation Ii): “We’Ll Understand It Better By And By:” Nomenclature, Negotiation, And Naming Our Neighbors, Emmett G. Price Iii

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Hymns, whether composed for religious contexts or as expressions of spiritual reflection, are historically revered for their redemptive nature. For generations, Black Hymnody has cried out for Christological interventions to end shambolic and systemic oppression against Black people. The vicious murder of George Perry Floyd, Jr. on May 25, 2020 reverberated and initiated, as a catalyst, an overdue global awakening that sparked a catalytic moment for conversations too long deferred. Conversations that question how we experience and name things; how we negotiate trauma; and how we engage one another as neighbors. In many ways, the redemptive nature of hymns has …