Music Commons^™

How Much Glass Can I Break Before They Fire Me? Negotiating Ethically-Constructive Education In A Fractured Political Landscape, Mya Scarlato, Katie Kelly

Faculty Works

Amid the myriad of political disagreements that arise among collective identity groups vying for space within the educational curriculum, we offer in this article a theoretical framework through which we argue that schools are uniquely positioned to serve as spaces in which students can negotiate the ethical and moral selves of their choosing. Drawing upon the work from educational philosopher Maxine Greene (1988) and ethics philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah (2005), we suggest that 1) the development or ‘becoming’ of one’s identity is an ethical endeavour, 2) negotiating identity space in both education and society at large is a moral endeavour, …

Bridging The Gap: Fostering Emotional Expression Through Teaching Strategies In The Middle School Choral Classroom, Jacob Brown

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of teacher-elicited expression strategies (i.e. emotionally evocative metaphor, technical elements through modeling, body of the conductor, understanding the emotional content) on the emotional expressivity of my middle school choral students. Using a mixed-method approach, data was collected through surveys of students' self-evaluations of the expression strategies, and their overall value of expression before and after learning processes that emphasized emotional expressivity. I found that each teacher-elicited expression strategies impacted student expressivity positively. Concrete strategies (i.e., body of the conductor and technical elements through modeling) were highly effective, particularly in my beginner and intermediate choirs, while …

Building Rhythmic Independence In Beginning Band Students, Caroline Williams

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to design and implement a unit of instruction based upon three common approaches to teaching rhythm in the beginning band setting and to examine their effect on the rhythmic understanding, confidence, and independence of students in my sixth grade beginning band class. Students received instruction that was traditionally-based, aurally-based, and movement-based for one week each, respectively. An analysis of my teaching was provided by the notes I took that detailed what my students and I did throughout the study. Through my instruction, my students were able to increase their interactions with rhythm. Students were …

A Performance Pracitce Guide To Selected Cornet/Trumpet Excerpts From Wind Band Marches, Adiel P. Najera

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This dissertation seeks to illuminate a long-overlooked area in music and education. Wind band marches are part of a genre that has perhaps received less scholarly treatment when compared to the trumpet parts of orchestral, jazz, and popular music. This guide aims to fill the gap in information available for cornet/trumpet players in wind band settings.

This treatise will provide knowledge including a brief background information, marches in teaching and performing, insights from interviews with current and retired military trumpeters & current and retired music educators. Additionally, the document features excerpts with detailed performance practice and a list of renowned …

Hardcore And Metal Music In Music Therapy: A Functional Guide For Music Therapists And Music Therapy Students, Caroline Nc Wood

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Hardcore and metal music have long been misrepresented, stigmatized, and dismissed in music academia, and overlooked in music therapy literature and education. However, these genres hold significant emotional, cultural, and therapeutic value for many listeners, offering unique opportunities for connection, expression, catharsis, and healing. This thesis presents a practical, introductory guide to help music therapists and music therapy students gain an understanding of why, when, and how to effectively and authentically incorporate hardcore and metal music into clinical practice. The project explores the historical development of these genres; sociocultural associations and considerations, including stigmatization, sensationalism, and the juxtaposing sociopolitical dynamics …

Designing An Undergraduate Opera Workshop Curriculum For Universities, Christopher L. Burchett

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The world of opera is quickly evolving to keep pace with the other arts forms of film, television and Broadway theater. For many years the genre had been reluctant to change with the times and update the skills of their performers. Those days have passed. Today’s operatic performers must be better actors, better movers and more theatrically efficient with their overall skill set in addition to having the secured singing technique that has for so long been the top priority. Universities must take ownership of this training.

Today’s university opera workshop programs must be more than they have been in …

Secondary String Students’ Perceptions Of The Role Of Self-Efficacy In Mitigating Their Musical Performance Anxiety: A Collective Case Study, Mary E. Henton

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Musical Performance Anxiety (MPA) is a multifaceted psychological condition that arises before, during, or after musical performance and presents a significant obstacle for young musicians, particularly secondary string students. Closely linked to the spotlight effect and social anxiety, MPA has worsened among youth following the COVID-19 pandemic due to decreased social interaction, both of which have had adverse effects on students’ mental health. Despite teachers’ awareness of MPA’s prevalence, music education programs often lack instruction in specific coping mechanisms to address it, and many students do not seek support or treatment.

The purpose of this study was to describe the …

No Sweeter Sound: Musicking, Transformative Pedagogy, And Collaborative Social Justice In Choral Settings, Natalie N. Shaffer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Choral music and its conductors occupy a tenuous space in the 21st century. In a new cultural atmosphere influenced by Gen Z’s expectation of welcomed diversity and intolerance for injustice, TikTok’s rapid global dissemination of information and entertainment, and society’s desire for authentic connection following the Covid-19 pandemic, the dichotomies present in choral music are no longer being glossed over. Difficult conversations about race, gender, ableism, social location, and other intersectional identifiers are at the forefront of academic writing and conference presentations. Evidence of transformative pedagogy and culturally responsive practices are beginning to appear in classroom syllabi and rehearsal techniques …

Mind The Gap: Supporting Freshmen Voice Students Transitioning To Higher Education Through Coaching Conversations, Erica L. Gabriel

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The experiences one may encounter while matriculating through the K-12 system of education are vastly different from the world of higher education. While one feeds directly into the other, the transition can be a difficult one for young singers also navigating the developmental leap from adolescence to adulthood. This is due to several systematic and instructional differences, compounded with unique challenges encountered by freshman voice students in the first year. Gaps in support systems compiled with new and increasing financial, social, and academic demands can lead to a decline in overall student well-being and an increase in stress.

This increase …

The Seating And Standing Arrangements Of Band, Orchestra, And Choir, Sabrina Wolf

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this literature review, I will be looking for scholarly articles that discuss the seating and standing arrangements of band orchestra and choir ensembles. The main goal of this literature review is to find what information is available and discover what positions work to find the best sound that each ensemble can have. After finding the resources, I will annotate each source and summarize the information. I will also reach out to ensemble directors at the University of Akron and interview them to discover what seating and standing arrangements they prefer and why. I will compile this information into a …

The Music Education Gender Divide At The University Of Northern Iowa, Abigail Wendland

Honors Program Theses

While anyone with proper training can direct a band well, the definitive stereotype in music education is that male directors are the default. Women face a multitude of challenges when going into the field because of this stereotype, which is the direct result of decades of prejudice that are now historical tradition. These challenges include the perceived need to adopt a male persona while on the podium, the challenges of working as a public school band director while being a mother, and the guilt that accompanies many women in the field. Obstacles such as these have strongly contributed to the …

The Effect Of Note Highlighting On Note Identification Accuracy In Beginning Band Students, Thomas R. Knowles

Graduate Research Papers

This study was completed in the spring of 2025 and is based on the effectiveness of colored notation in music reading in beginning band students. An extensive literature review was conducted that supports the usage of color in educational material. Extensive research has been done on color in music education, and that research was used in this study. This study’s primary question is how color affects student note-reading. The hypothesis generated for the study is that students who receive highlighted notes see improvement in their note-reading compared to those who do not. The method used in this study was a …

An Examination Of Teacher Perceptions Of Student Retention In Choir When Transitioning Between 8th And 9th Grade, Megan Mccrary

Graduate Research Papers

This study was conducted over the course of 10 weeks through an online survey sent to public high school and middle school choral educators across Iowa and gathered data about choir student transitions into 9th grade for the 2024-2025 school year. 38 choir teachers across the state of Iowa participated in this study. Eligibility for participation required that the teachers had taught either 8th or 9th grade choir during the Spring 2024 semester or the Fall 2024 semester. Simple main effects analysis showed that neither students changing buildings nor students changing instructors had a statistically significant effect on student enrollment. …

Spiral Historiography. A Balanced Alternative To Teaching Jazz History, Josiah Boornazian

The IASJ Journal of Applied Jazz Research

Jazz history is often presented in collegiate textbooks and classrooms as a linear, teleological, and chronological progression from one style to another. Some scholars have recently reacted against this pattern and have instead focused heavily on viewing jazz history through the lens of one or a few narrow perspectives such as race, economics, politics, gender, or similar topics. This paper argues that both of these approaches, taken separately, are flawed, and that therefore a more effective methodology might be to integrate the two by utilizing the abstract concept of a spiral. A spiral is a shape that, in three spatial …

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 …

Interleaving Practice: A Better Approach To Band Rehearsal Structure, Matthew Reimer

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the merits of a band rehearsal structure that incorporates elements of an interleaving schedule, whereby multiple items of a similar nature are rehearsed in a mixed fashion rather than in a blocked format where one task is completed before moving on to the next. The project looks at the current state of research related to interleaving in the study of the arts, potential obstacles, motivational strategies to increase student receptiveness, and specific examples of how to implement the research in an intermediate band rehearsal. Included are resources and strategies for pitch and …

Introduction By Kurt Ellenberger And Wouter Turkenburg, Kurt Ellenberger, Wouter Turkenburg

The IASJ Journal of Applied Jazz Research

Introduction Volume 2 of the IASJ Journal of Applied Jazz Research with an overview of the articles.

Senior Voice Recital Program, Emily M. Montelongo

Honors Capstones

To meet the final requirements of my degree in Music Education, I organized, prepared, and performed my senior vocal recital. In addition to this, I completed my capstone by writing an additional version of my program with added program notes, elaborative information, and translations of pieces that are not in English. This program highlights composers Henry Purcell, Franz Schubert, Amy Beach, Leonard Bernstein, Manuel De Falla, Léo Delibes, and Jacques Offenbach. I completed extensive research on their lives, formulating this knowledge into biographies. I also included more detailed information on all of the pieces sung so audience members could have …

Senior Voice Recital Program, Ethan Gonzalez

Honors Capstones

I performed a vocal recital for my senior year at NIU as part of the final requirements for the completion of the Music Education degree. This document consists of in-depth biographies on the composers; Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel, Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, and Manuel De Falla. Additionally, I have provided research on each piece performed in the program that discusses the history, harmonic structure, and any cultural significance that ensued from the piece. I have also provided English translations to pieces sung in foreign languages. This recital is made possible by daily practice towards my musical skills and diligent …

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 …

Percussive Practices: Scholastic Programming Of Pageantry Indoor Percussion And Concert Percussion Ensembles, Robert A. Halpner

Graduate Thesis Collection

This thesis focuses on an evaluation of the spring practices of percussion programs in the greater Indianapolis area. This qualitative research study was designed to study and analyze the differences in programming of pageantry indoor percussion and concert percussion ensembles at the high school level. Specifically, this thesis focuses on the rationale and educational practices behind school percussion programming of either of these two ensemble types. This thesis attempts to answer the primary research question: what musical or educational philosophies guide the reasoning behind determining if a particular school participates in either concert percussion ensemble or pageantry indoor percussion during …

Inattentional Deafness And Musical Training: Effects Of Perceptual Load On Tonal And Verbal Auditory Suppression, Annelise Coffey

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Inattentional deafness (ID) is a cognitive phenomenon of which we have relatively little understanding. The current study attempted to address this by considering current cognitive theories of thought and examined how musical training affects incidence rates of inattentional deafness. This study utilized a cognitive task and auditory stimuli previously designed to elicit inattentional deafness and measured musical training by administering the Goldsmith’s Musical Sophistication Index. Participants were instructed to engage in a high-load cognitive task, providing a condition in which inattentional deafness is likely to occur. During the task, a brief pure tone was presented simultaneously with the visual task …

Informative Recital, Avery Molnar

Honors Theses

We must keep discovering pieces by underrepresented composers. For example, playing pieces by underrepresented composers in music classes at public schools is important. If the students do not see their identities represented in the curriculum, it is more difficult to picture themselves in a potential career. Students must see themselves being represented in their curriculum to expand the student’s full potential later in life. A hidden curriculum is something not in the curriculum. If something is not part of a curriculum, students will start to conclude that the subject does not matter and is not worthy of learning whether it …

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder In Secondary Instrumental Music Ensembles: A Qualitative Intrapersonal Inquiry, Christopher Sakowski

Dissertations

Executive function is deficient in individuals with ADHD. Playing a musical instrument has been shown to improve executive functions. This study examined if participants with ADHD perceived a connection between playing an instrument in a music ensemble and improved executive functioning, as well as improved ADHD presentations. The research design used for this study was a basic qualitative design, focusing on phenomenological intrapersonal inquiry. Data collection was done entirely through 60-120 minute semi-structured interviews with both music educators and non-music school personnel that participated in instrumental music ensembles as young students. Interviews were recorded using Zoom, transcribed using Microsoft Office …

Musicology Colloquium: Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay Canta Y No Compones: Mariachi Performance And Composition, Latin American And Iberian Institute, Dr. Russell C. Rodríguez

LAII Events

Wednesday, November 06, 2024 | 02:00 pm

Latin American and Iberian Institute (801 Yale Blvd NE)

801 Yale Blvd NE (campus building #165)

About:

Focusing on the impact of technology on mariachi music, this presentation examines the transition of the ensemble and its repertoire at the beginning of the 20th century. Rodríguez ultimately argues that the global reach of the mariachi, facilitated by the modern capitalist marketplace, garnered musical developments from cosmopolites contributing to the form’s vibrancy.

Russell C. Rodríguez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Music at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). He received his …

Incorporating Ai Literacy Into Music Library Instruction: An Interactive Discussion, Taylor J. Greene

Library Presentations, Posters, and Audiovisual Materials

Taylor Greene gave a presentation connecting AI Literacy to his work not only as the liaison to the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music but also more broadly in his role as Chair of Research and Instructional Services. He began by providing an overview of Chapman University’s cautious approach to embracing generative AI and highlighted the library’s role in supporting faculty, staff, librarians, and students in better understanding these technologies and their potential impact on higher education. He summarized the work of the AI Task Force and offered a general overview of the AI Literacy lectures that he and Dr. Doug Dechow …

Preparation Of K–12 Preservice Music Teacher Educators Using Assessment Strategies, Frederica Doctor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent studies suggest that preservice music teacher educators (MTEs) had more experience in assessment preparation at the graduate level than during their undergraduate experience. Although music standards and assessments emphasize providing information about student learning, research investigating what assessment strategies music faculty are using and teaching to prepare preservice MTEs is limited. The purpose of this basic qualitative research study was to address the gap in research regarding assessment strategies used and taught by music faculty across the United States to prepare K–12 preservice MTEs for classroom instruction. The study is grounded in the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation …

Reassessing Haydn’S Sacred Music: Abstracts Of Published Conference Papers, Michael E. Ruhling

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

No abstract provided.

The Context And Early Reception Of Haydn’S Stabat Mater, Dexter Edge

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

Haydn spent his formative musical years in Vienna, a city with a strong Marian cult that was expressed musically through such works in German as Heinrich Rademin’s Mater dolorum (set by Werner, Reutter the Younger, and Wagenseil), and by innumerable settings of the Latin sequence Stabat mater. In Vienna, musical settings of the Stabat mater were traditionally performed not only on the feast of Septem Dolorum B. V. M., but also on Saturdays in Lent and during Holy Week. In fact, we now know that Haydn sang a cappella settings of the Stabat mater by Palestrina and Reutter …

A “Rosary” Symphony? The Impact Of Haydn’S Religious Faith On His Symphonies, Henry Stratmann

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

Despite expressing a strong religious faith throughout his life, Haydn’s secular music far outnumbers his sacred works. Certain symphonies, however, include either allusions to religious themes or project what can be interpreted as a devotional mood. Specifically, some unusually long symphonic slow movements during Haydn’s “Sturm und Drang” period may be orchestral depictions of a meditative, contemplative, prayerful state of mind. They likely reflect the particular practices of Roman Catholic belief and worship that were a pervasive part of the culture in which Haydn lived his entire life and also part of his personal belief system. The Adagio assai of …