Music Commons^™

Expressions Of Taiwanese Cultural Identity In Piano Music: A Study Of Hsiao Tyzen’S Memories Of Home And Ma Shui-Long’S A Sketch Of The Rainy Harbor, Fang-Yu Hsu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigates how Taiwanese cultural identity is expressed in the piano works of composers Hsiao Tyzen and Ma Shui-Long, focusing on Hsiao’s Memories of Home and Ma’s A Sketch of the Rainy Harbor. While both composers are pivotal figures in Taiwan’s musical history, their approaches to integrating local heritage with Western compositional techniques differ significantly. This dissertation argues that they represent two distinct creative paths: Hsiao’s model of Romantic Nationalism and Ma’s model of Modernist Synthesis.

Through historical contextualization and detailed musical analysis, this research examines the specific methods each composer employed. The findings reveal that Hsiao directly quotes …

Developing Vocal Technique Through The Canción Ranchera In The Middle School Mariachi Classroom, Perry Chacon Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mariachi is taught in more than 500 public school programs across the United States, yet current scholarship on the mariachi voice primarily focuses on defining and analyzing performance practice, offering limited guidance for classroom instruction. This study provides a methodology for developing healthy vocal technique in the middle school mariachi classroom. Grounded in established vocal pedagogy and informed by teaching practice, this approach first builds student confidence through participation in group vocal exploration that encourages active vocal participation. Instruction progresses from foundational skill development, including aural skills, breath coordination, and healthy vocal projection, to the application of these skills through …

Negro Spirituals: The Long Journey West, Lavell Thompson, Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This text seeks to explore the origins of Negro spirituals, and how they evolved, highlighting their arrival to Las Vegas, Nevada. It outlines the primacy of vocal music, particularly in reference to African American spirituals, and how they were shaped via the influence of African and European traditions. As it is impossible to address every type of spiritual created, the text focuses on a few types of spirituals—namely joyous accounts and spirituals that use codes for messages. Moreover, it seeks to create a comprehensive understanding of the origins of Las Vegas, because without acknowledging the contributions of the Mormon Church, …

Treatment And Recovery Of Mucoceles In Brass Musicians: The Performance Trap And Its Consequences, David D. Torres

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines the treatment and recovery of oral mucoceles in professional brass musicians through a qualitative case study combining personal narrative, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of medical and pedagogical literature. I interviewed four professional trumpet players who experienced mucoceles and lip trauma, and three medical professionals with relevant expertise. My own case serves as the primary study, documenting 15 years of scar tissue management following surgical excision and an immediate return to demanding performance. Medical literature treats mucocele excision as a routine procedure with recovery measured in weeks. Brass pedagogy literature assumes healthy lips and offers no guidance for …

An Authentic Key To Universality: The National Sound Of Tajčević And The International Sound Of Milojević In Serbian Piano Music, Nikola Šćepović

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis argues that the authenticity of the works of Marko Tajčević and Miloje Milojević arises from their deep artistic response to the cultural and historical environment in which they lived and created, while their universality lies in their ability to articulate this authentic language within established artistic forms that resonate with a broader international musical community. It situates these works within the broader cultural context of Serbian music between the two World Wars, a period marked by the negotiation between national identity and European artistic integration.1

It also explores the two formative directions of Serbian piano music, the music …

Kattam Choreography- A Facade Of The Virgin Islands, Kiyani J.M. Ottley

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Kattam Choreography reimagines a historic building in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI as a vibrant cultural hub that celebrates dance, memory, and commerce. Rooted in the embodied traditions of the qudrille folk dance, this project explores adaptive reuse as a performtive act—where architecture becomes a living archive of movement and heritage.

The design treats the building’s layered history not as a static artifact, but as a choreographic score. Quadrille’s spatial logic—its symmetry, rhythm, and communal gestures—informs circulation, program, and atmosphere. The building unfolds as a triptych: a dance pavilion, multi-purpose educational spaces, and a gift shop. Each element responds to …

2025-2026 Performance Forum - May 8, 2026, Isabella Swalm, Elizaveta Goryunova, Elena Swalm, Peter Pao, Meixi Zhou, Peicen Qin, Lillian Platte, Anttuan Rios Pelaez, Karen Trujillo, Nicholas Weathers, Jacob Lomboy, Joseph Muhl

Performance Forum

No abstract provided.

A Preliminary Study On Composing For Reed Quintet, John O. Ford

Recital Papers

This paper is for the composer that aspires to write for the reed quintet ensemble. It discusses the ensemble’s short history and explains analyses of different reed quintet works to identify roles, pairings, and combinations of the five instruments and their timbral and textural capabilities.

Piéce For Solo Flute: An Interpretation, Caroline Beard

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Spring Recital Community School For The Arts: May 3, 2026, Illinois State University School Of Music

School of Music Programs

This is the two hundred and seventh program of the 2025-2026 season.

Kemp Recital Hall

May 3, 2026

Sunday Afternoon

2:00 p.m.

The Business Of Music: Where Planning And Performing Meet, Mac Heelein

Honors Capstones

This project explores the intersection of business and music through the planning and execution of a collaborative recital featuring the NIU Viola Studio. In this process, I served as both the organizer and a performer, applying project management principles to handle logistics such as scheduling, venue coordination, and event promotion. The project required managing multiple moving parts while keeping both the artistic and organizational aspects aligned.

Through this experience, I found that while project management provides a strong structure, artistic settings require flexibility when unexpected challenges arise. This project also highlighted the importance of balancing organization with creativity to ensure …

Isu String Project Spring Concert: May 2, 2026, Dr. Samuel Chen, Dr. Cora Swenson Lee, Dr. Katherine Lewis, Katelynn Lesinski

School of Music Programs

This is the two hundred and sixth program of the 2025-2026 season.

Center for the Performing Arts

May 2, 2026

Saturday Afternoon

11:00 a.m.

To Speak In Your Voice: An Exploration In Improvisational Technique, Ezekiel E. Meyer

Composition/Recording Projects

Many iconic musicians have their own unique musical voices, which are found and developed in a variety of ways. Many musicians have a goal of developing their own voice, but struggle to understand how this process occurs. This production paper explores several techniques through the process of recording the album To Speak in One's Voice, providing guidance on how a musician's voice can be identified and nurtured. Improvisational techniques such as pentatonic substitution and harmonic superimposition are discussed, as well as compositional and technological techniques, all within the context of developing a musician's voice. Through this paper, a musician can …

Where Springs Not Fail, Hannah Guo

Graduate Thesis Collection

Where Springs Not Fail is a 23-minute multimovement work for mixed choir, mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists, and a chamber instrumental ensemble. Drawing texts from Gerard Manley Hopkins and Rabindranath Tagore, the composition explores themes of spiritual darkness, anxiety, and a profound yearning for hope—shared human experiences that are often under-acknowledged. The work aims to reside between sacred and secular expressions, offering a space of vulnerability, reflection, and honesty for performers and listeners alike.

The composition engages a wide range of stylistic influences, including serial and minimalist techniques, chant-like melodic writing, modal language, and motivic symbolism. Structured as an arch form, …

Playful Music Learning In Piano Lessons: Implications For Intrinsic Motivation And Sustained Engagement, Cora Lynne Hart

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Within the field of piano pedagogy, there is a great need to adapt teaching strategies to a new generation of learners. Traditional pedagogical methods are not always conducive to student-directed, process-based, and most importantly, joyful learning. The beginning elementary level is the most critical time to start a student’s musical journey with positivity and encouragement, and is a time when these teaching strategies make a profound impact. This thesis explores how play activities can facilitate engaging musical experiences that are more aligned with children’s natural way of learning. Through a literature review, the thesis synthesizes existing research on child learning …

2025-2026 Performance Forum - May 1, 2026, Chase Hogan, Sheng Yuan Kuan, Peter Pao, Manuela Wanumen Jiménez, Sarah Conley, Pablo Camacho, Amanda Rearden

Performance Forum

No abstract provided.

Lecture Recital: Josepha Auernhammer, Bonnie Littlejohn

Honors Theses

This lecture recital highlights the work of the classical Viennese composer and contemporary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Josepha Auernhammer (1758-1820). After an introduction to Auernhammer’s life and a brief overview of her compositional output, her Six Variations on “Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja” [I am the birdcatcher] and Harpsichord Sonata in A Major are discussed, diving into the work’s cultural context and intriguing compositional elements. A performance of the compositions concludes the lecture recital.

Reimagining The Cadenza: Bluegrass And Mozart, Linna Zheng

Honors Theses

The bluegrass-inspired cadenza for the first movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 is a parallel with the “Turkish” episode of Mozart’s composition. While introducing the bluegrass idiom into a Classical concerto may not be idiosyncratic, it can be understood and seen as an extension of Mozart’s own practice and approach to stylistic disruption. This approach can be understood through the concepts of Sonata Theory, revealing the cadenza as a site of productive deformation within a normative formal framework. Along with this, Robert S. Hatten’s concept of troping further supports the idea that the interaction between Classical and bluegrass idioms …

New Clubs: Taking Roots, Diorama, 1981

Documents

Article with photographs describing the 1981 introduction of four new campus organizations: Delta Sigma Theta, Ascending Voices, Fashion Forum, and the University of North Alabama Film Society. The article is derived from the Diorama, the student yearbook.

Beyond The Canon: From Classical Foundations To Contemporary Relevance In Shaping Tomorrow's Musicians, Lauren N. Tougas

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Undergraduate music programs in the United States have historically centered ensemble-based instruction on the Western classical canon in order to cultivate technical mastery, stylistic fluency, and disciplined collaborative musicianship. This pedagogical model has proven durable and remains foundational to professional orchestral and choral performance practice. Canonical repertoire continues to anchor audition requirements, institutional programming, and degree structures across institutions of higher education. Yet the contemporary professional landscape has evolved into a far more diversified artistic ecosystem characterized by stylistic hybridity, living composer integration, interdisciplinary collaboration, constrained rehearsal models, and portfolio-based career trajectories.

This Honors Capstone investigates the relationship between undergraduate …

The Harvey Pittel Saxophone Quartet: Its History And Legacy In American Saxophone Quartet Performance, James M. Lawhn

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

The saxophone quartet has emerged as a legitimate chamber ensemble in the United States through the sustained efforts of a small number of pioneering professional groups. Despite the central role these ensembles have played in shaping repertoire, performance standards, and public perception, their histories have often gone undocumented. Among the most influential of these groups is the Harvey Pittel Saxophone Quartet, an ensemble that maintained an unusually active national and international touring career for nearly four decades and helped establish the saxophone quartet as a viable professional model.

This document addresses a significant gap in the scholarly literature by presenting …

The Voice As A Coordinated Bodily System: Embodied Learning, Anatomy, And Vocal Pedagogy, Ge Hope Tian

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This reflective article examines the limitations of control-based approaches in traditional vocal training and proposes a shift toward understanding the voice as an integrated, coordinated bodily system. Drawing on personal experience, the author highlights how common instructional language - focused on outcomes such as resonance, support, and projection - often leads singers to apply excessive effort, resulting in tension, inefficiency, and vocal strain. By distinguishing between localized control and whole-body coordination, the reflection illustrates how sustainable vocal function emerges not through muscular manipulation but through balanced, dynamic organization of breath, posture, and sound. The author traces a transformative learning process …

Amor, Art, And Advocacy: Un Conversación With Chicanx Mother, Grammy Award Artivist, Macarthur Fellow, And Scripps Professor Martha Gonzalez, Belén S. Yudess

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This Spotlight features a conversation with Professor Martha Gonzalez, a Chicana artivista (artist/activist) musician, feminist music theorist, and Associate Professor and Chair of the Intercollegiate Department of Chicana/o Latina/o Studies (CLS) at Scripps/Claremont College. The conversation draws from Prof. Gonzalez’s background as a Chicana, and the  Chicanxs, Mexicanxs, Latinxs, and Indigenous communities in Mexico and Los Angeles that have shaped her work. She shares her practice in teaching and engaging with collective songwriting, her critique of western paradigms, and explorations of boundary crossing that music facilitates as part of championing the hope and flourishing that comes from within communities and …

Lmu Concert Band Spring 2026 Performance, Benjamin Bruflat, Dma

Band Programs

No abstract provided.

The Changed Woman: Analyzing Narrative Parallels In The Stories Of Biblical Women And Musical Theatre Heroines, Finleigh Klein

Honors Projects

Musical theatre has become popular with audiences around the world. Many musicals contain stories of hope and overcoming obstacles, especially in narratives concerning young women. Since the Bible also contains a wealth of stories that focus on strong women, it is interesting to consider what connections may be found between the women represented in this ancient text and the female characters in various musical theatre productions.

With these potential connections in mind, I ask the question: how is the Biblical trope of the uplifting of women represented in songs sung by female characters in musical theatre? Furthermore, how can the …

Isu University Band: April 29, 2026, Lauren N. Bobarsky, Wesley Anderson, Madison Mueller-Howell, Colby Powers, Alexandra Karafotias, Michael Hammon, Sam Kapus, Gunnar Tejes, Jessica Wenc

School of Music Programs

This is the two hundred and fifth program of the 2025-2026 season.

Center for the Performing Arts

April 29. 2026

Wednesday Evening

8:00 p.m.

Lmu Jazz Band Spring 2026 Performance, Benjamin Bruflat, Dma

Band Programs

No abstract provided.

Jonathan Watson Graduate Piano Recital, Andrews University

Student Degree Recitals 2025-2026

Jonathan Watson presents his Graduate Piano Recital featuring works by Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Shostakovich.

Jonathan Watson is a student of Dr. Chi Yong Yun.

Aiko J. Ayala Ríos Senior Piano Recital, Andrews University

Student Degree Recitals 2025-2026

Aiko J. Ayala Ríos presents her Senior Piano Recital Ex Umbra in Lux, featuring works by J.S. Bach, F. Liszt, W. A. Mozart, and S. Prokofiev.

Aiko J. Ayala Ríos is a student of Dr. Chi Yong Yun.

Senior Recital: Machamer, Trumpet; April 26, 2026, Charlie Machamer, Lu Witzig

School of Music Programs

This is the one hundred and ninety-eighth program of the 2025-2026 season.

Kemp Recital Hall

April 26, 2026

Sunday Afternoon

3:00 p.m.