Music Commons^™

American Utopia: The Evolution Of David Byrne’S Viewpoint Of America From 1977 To Present, Morgan A. Prince

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

David Byrne is a multimedia artist known primarily as the lead singer and main songwriter for the new wave band Talking Heads. Throughout Byrne’s career he has continually written about America and Americans. This thesis traces his writings about America from the beginning of Talking Heads to his most recent projects. In doing so, the thesis puts forward that Byrne’s opinion on America has changed from one that is centered on the American people to one that is instead focused on American institutions. Additionally, the thesis traces how Byrne’s work has evolved from idealization to realism, as his early work …

Localization Of Music In Perceived Motion In Cochlear Implant Users, Madeleine Beyer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Spatial perception contributes to music perception and enjoyment, yet it remains understudied in cochlear implant (CI) users. Spatial effects in music are often achieved through panning, a tool which redistributes an audio signal level between or among several outputs, creating a perceived sound localization. CI users typically perform worse than normal hearing (NH) listeners on tasks of horizontal localization and music perception when manipulating the actual location of the sound. However, despite the common use of panning in daily use and consumption of music, no previous studies were conducted to examine how panning impacts the listening experience for CI users. …

Breath, Void, Ground, Huichun Yang

Masters Theses

Before the sound, there is breath. Before the explosion, there is a threshold. Before the noise, there is silence.

Inspired by the physicality of balloons, this thesis explores breath as sonic material that carries memory, moves through bodies, and resonates across spaces. The balloon becomes a skin that holds breath: a force inhaling trauma, ritual, and intimacy. When released through mouth and latex, breath conjures alien, untranslatable voices that hiss and hum.

It begins with a balloon and expands with endless breath. The balloon becomes a site where the history, body, and voice disintegrate and reform. The pressure and tension …

The Sound Of Music: Why Do Humans Find Enrichment In Music While Non-Human Primates Do Not?, Sonetta Im Ty

Honors Projects

Music has been observed as an effective enrichment for captive animals across multiple species. However, studies have shown that it is ineffective for promoting welfare in non-human primates (Suborder Haplorhini). These findings were unexpected, given the evolutionary roots shared between humans and non-human primates. This paper addresses several possibilities for this observation, including differences in ear anatomy, brain structure, and music perception between humans and non-human primates.

The Development Of Violin Art In China And The Exchange Of Eastern And Western Elements: A Case Study Of Fritz Kreisler's Tambourin Chinois, Chengyu Ren

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Violin, often regarded as one of the most expressive and versatile instruments in the world, holds a central place in both Western and non-Western musical traditions. Its wide dynamic range, tonal flexibility, and unmatched capacity for nuanced expression have allowed it to transcend cultural boundaries and play a key role in the development of diverse musical genres. From classical symphonies and chamber music to folk, jazz, and even popular music, the violin's distinctive voice can be heard shaping the sonic identity of cultures across the globe. In the context of Chinese music, the violin's influence has grown significantly since …

Visibly Invisible: Reclaiming Atlanta Black Architecture Through Black Expression, Sean M. Spencer

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Architecture has long grappled with questions of self, community, and cultural identity. While the number of Black architects is growing, architecture that genuinely reflects Black identity remains rare. This lack of representation has contributed to a sense of invisibility for Black communities within the built environment—whether by design or neglect. There is an urgent need to define and celebrate Blackness and Black space in ways that reflect the cultural richness of Black communities. As George Will points out, broad labels like African American or African often obscure the unique cultural experiences within Black communities. Historically, the lack of economic and …

Sounds Of Hidden Agents: The Development Of Causal Reasoning About Musical Sounds, Minju Kim, Adena Schachner

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Listening to music activates representations of movement and social agents. Why? We test whether causal reasoning plays a role, and find that from childhood, people can intuitively reason about how musical sounds were generated, inferring the events and agents that caused the sounds. In Experiment 1 (N = 120, pre-registered), 6-year-old children and adults inferred the presence of an unobserved animate agent from hearing musical sounds, by integrating information from the sounds’ timing with knowledge of the visual context. Thus, children inferred that an agent was present when the sounds would require self-propelled movement to produce, given the current …

Investigations Of Musical Constructs: An Analysis Of Graphic Scores And Their Spatial Relationships, Garrett J. Henderson

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This project seeks to understand, through creative production, how graphic scores and their purpose as a medium can be applied to architectural design. Graphic scores are an abstract representation of musical notation; they utilize unfamiliar concepts and shapes to illustrate musical ideas through unconventional means. Discovering how one can reverse-engineer these works of notation can allow architectural designers to rethink the representation of spaces and the underlying inspirations that form them. Research into broader artistic overlap, historical context, and precedent analysis culminated into a set of drawings that illustrate such concepts through an architectural lens. The production of these drawings …

Harmonic Innovators And Cultural Catalysts In American Jazz: The Social Impact And Musical Innovations Of Louis Armstrong In The Real Ambassadors, Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts And John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, Marcia C. Vandervinne

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Abstract This capstone project explores how three landmark jazz works—Louis Armstrong’s The Real Ambassadors (1961), John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme (1965), and Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts (1965–1973)—responded to the social challenges of the Civil Rights era while advancing the artistic stature of jazz. Each composition challenged systemic racism through its unique blend of innovation and cultural expression: Armstrong’s performance in The Real Ambassadors used satire to critique American racial hypocrisy; Coltrane’s A Love Supreme presented a spiritual and musical journey grounded in modal development and personal transformation; and Ellington’s Sacred Concerts fused jazz with sacred and classical traditions to elevate …

The Sound Of Young America/The Soul Of Young America: A Sonic Rhetoric Inquiry Into 1965 And The Music Defining A Generation In Crisis, Jessica Dyche

All Dissertations

The Sound of Young America/The Soul of Young America: A Sonic Rhetoric Inquiry into 1965 and the Music Defining a Generation In Crisis builds a case for sonic rhetoric theory that sees sonic rhetoric move outside of pedagogy, becoming a valuable tool for rhetorical analysis outside the classroom. To this end, The Sound of Young America/The Soul of Young America employs sonic rhetoric concepts and methodology grounded in cultural rhetorics, social history, and sociomusicology to inquire into the cultural and social relevancy of rock music, specifically to this project, in 1965. Sonic rhetoric sees sound and music as underexplored, but …

It’S Not A Phase, It’S A…Musical?: The Innate Theatricality Of The Emo Movement Of The 2000s, Kylie Alyssa Price

Honors Theses

This project is an exploration of the rock subgenres emo and pop-punk and how they interact with musical theatre conventions. Emo, short for emotional hardcore, is a descendant of hardcore punk music that is characterized by its focus on the emotional core of lyrics as well as softer, more pop-influenced sounds musically. In this project, the history of emo is delineated alongside the history of rock musical theatre. Subculture is also defined as it relates to this thesis. The natural theatricality of emo is then characterized as being through emo/pop-punk’s performance culture, through the existence of the concept album, and …

Sound Canvas: A Tool To Create Personalized And Immersive Soundscapes, Faizan Kazani

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Sound Canvas is a digital application developed to provide sound as a creative outlet, engaging, immersing, and making you feel good about the creative process. A few of the main objectives of this project include maximizing the potential of using sensory stimuli, particularly the sense of hearing, to witness growth in creative thinking and our overall subjective well-being. The tool aims to provide users with an interactive experience that uses sound as a trigger and focal point to increase involvement in the creative process. The outcome of this creative engagement will be a personalized soundscape that a user can resonate …

Reading Music: An Interdisciplinary Method To Analyzing Songs, Matthew King

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In growing times of hardship for education in the music space, I believe there needs to be a more user-friendly approach to evoking meaning from sonics. Researchers have shared the difficulties in teaching music-analysis skills in recent years, and I argue that, through more accessible means, a meaning-making process in music can be learned, and utilized in analyzing songs. This thesis explores the ways in which music and literature can be intertwined and made meaning through an interdisciplinary analysis of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s song “Flamethrower.” In this thesis, I am arguing that musical works can and should …

Perfecting The Pride Of All Nebraska, David Swotek

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

For my thesis, I completed a creative project focusing on my involvement in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. I created a documentary/YouTube-style video about the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cornhusker Marching Band and how much work goes into creating their performances. I wanted to see what work happens behind the scenes that their large audiences never get to see.

To get all the information I needed to create an efficient and effective piece, I interviewed 13 band students ranging in years, instruments, ranks, etc. It was very important to get a large range of perspectives on this piece because …

No Basset Horn? No Problem: Mozart’S Kv 439b And Its Adaptations, Martha Elvira Smith Gomez

ATU Scholars Symposium

Regardless of the ensemble, many musicians see value in honoring the intentions of a composer. The further in time one is removed from the composer, the harder this task can be. This is especially difficult with changes in what instruments are common and available. Mozart’s KV 439b, a collection of five multi-movement divertimentos, is believed to be originally written for a trio of the now-obsolete basset horn. This has led to a variety of arrangements and transcriptions for a wide range of ensembles of different sizes and instrumentations.

In my presentation, I will be analyzing and comparing select movements of …

The Sound Of Disruption: The Effects Of Music Streaming Services And Technological Change On The Music Industry, Adam J. Kays

Honors Thesis

Technological changes within the music industry, particularly through streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, have completely altered how artists and labels function in 2025. This thesis examines the change from physical to digital music consumption, the economic realities of streaming royalties, and the mental and physical effects on artists in the modern age. Additionally, this thesis will discuss the utilization of playlisting methods and algorithms, as well as how artists and labels utilize these new features to their advantage. Through this research, this study analyzes and criticizes the sustainability of music streaming models.

Live Music Events: The Lived Experiences For People With Disabilities, Miya Y. Rodriguez, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Live music events present barriers to people with disabilities, limiting participation and full engagement at these events. This capstone project aimed to understand the lived experience of people with disabilities at live music events. A mixed methods research study and optional interview to gather data were used. Through thematic analysis, three themes were presented: physical barriers, more than just music, and the lack of education on invisible disabilities. These outcomes from the research express additional accommodations centered around physical barriers, an understanding that there are more occupations at these events besides just the music, and a need for more inclusion …

Composing The Music For Iphigenia Among The Taurians, Johnathan Hodges

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

This poster session outlines the music composition process for Pepperdine’s production of Iphigenia Among the Taurians, Jan. 28-Feb. 1, Dr. Bradley Griffin, Director. My presentation focuses on the challenges I had to overcome, my goals and objectives, and finding the right sound for the score.

Musical Theatre Nyc Industry Showcase -Senior Capstone, Erica Aubrey

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Musical Theatre BFA candidates put together and perform a 35-minute Senior Showcase for New York City Industry Personnel. This culminating performance was presented in NYC on April 8, 2025 for Casting Directors, Agents, Directors, Choreographers and Managers. Post this performance, students are asked to meetings with talent reps, and are are asked to auditions for projects they are right for, further launching them into their professional careers post graduation.

Murder On Music Row: A Narrative Analysis Of Mass-Mediated Country Music And Independent Texas Red Dirt Music, Jennifer A. Worley

Communication Theses

This project employs Roland Barthes' narrative codes as a framework for textual analysis to examine the underlying structures and meanings within song lyrics from two contrasting traditions of country music: mass-mediated Nashville country and Texas Red Dirt. With a sample spanning a five-year period, the study explores how narrative forms reflect broader socio-cultural dynamics and economic forces. Drawing upon the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, particularly the works of Theodor Adorno and Karl Marx, the project concentrates on the commodification of cultural products and implications for authenticity and truth in cultural expression. Through a comparative analysis, the research reveals …

Music In The Catholic Church: An Analysis Of Hymns And Congregational Singing In Roman Catholic Churches In The United States, Andrew T. Medrick

Senior Theses

This thesis examines the musical dilemma in the American Catholic Church, highlighting issues such as inappropriate musical selections for the Mass and a profound lack of congregational singing. Through a literature review of Vatican documents, expert opinions, and hymns, I analyze the criteria for music used in the Mass, identify common failures of musical selections presented in many Catholic churches, and offer practical guidance to improve sacred music in parishes and dioceses. I conclude that music used in the Mass must be sourced primarily from Sacred Scripture, in full conformity to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, and easy …

Documenting Music: Chronicling The Fiesta Jazz Festival At St. Mary’S University, Qiuying Chen

Capstone Projects

“Documenting Music: Chronicling the Fiesta Jazz Festival at St. Mary’s University” records memories of the Fiesta Jazz Festival at St. Mary’s University and provides a detailed history of the festival since 1962. Through archival visits, newspaper articles, photos, as well as oral interviews of the Jazz Studies Directors and the volunteer coordinator, the project shares the history of the festival’s structure and organizing efforts. Moreover, the project highlights the festival’s performance information, guest artists, the preparation process, and organizers’ experiences throughout the decades. This project preserves the history for the Music Department and its student community at St. Mary’s University, …

Harmonicthreads – An Interface That Supports Accessibility In Musical Interaction, Ellie Nguyen, Miyuki Weldon, Franceli L. Cibrian

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Traditional musical instruments often can create boundaries due to their cost, training, mobility, and cognitive requirements, making musical expression inaccessible. To address this challenge, we developed HarmonicThreads, a novel pervasive computing interface consisting of a responsive, flexible fabric. HarmonicThreads provides a tactile and auditory experience, allowing users to easily create and control sounds. Using embedded sensors and real-time processing, HarmonicThreads interprets the user's natural movements and interactions to create adaptable musical outputs. This enables context-aware musical interaction, demonstrating the potential of pervasive interfaces in reducing barriers and making musical expression more accessible.

Demo-Itis: What It Is, And How To Snap Out Of It, Jan Muths

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

In music production, demo-itis occurs when repeated exposure to an early mix conditions the brain to prefer it - often at the expense of a more polished final version. The challenge is that those affected by demo-itis are rarely aware of it. This studio news-blog explores the causes of demo-itis, the psychological factors behind it, and practical strategies to recognise and overcome it, helping music creators make more objective and effective production decisions.

Imperative Duality Of Music Teacher Technological Education, Drew X. Coles, Cato Zane

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

Referencing the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge) framework articulated by Mishra and Koehler, this article explains the need for educators to acknowledge and educate themselves regarding different proficiency tracks within the world of music technological content knowledge. We argue that our concept of “Imperative Duality” elaborates upon, and works to balance, the three elements of the TPACK framework: content knowledge, technological expertise, and pedagogical skills. With imperative duality, we explore the idea that educators must possess both content and technological knowledge to facilitate effective and comprehensive music tech instruction. This article also explores some music technology content and technological …

Reflections On Cover Songs: Replies To Polite, P.D. Magnus

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

Brandon Polite poses a number of interesting criticisms of my account of cover versions. Some I am happy to acknowledge and take on board, but with others I feel he goes too far. I take this chance to clarify and extend my account.

Required Related: Why Music And Audio Technology Courses Are Not Enough For Success In The Music Industry, Barry G. Atticks, Dain Estes

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

This pilot study evaluates the relevance of ancillary courses (required related) in music technology curricula, emphasizing the alignment of academic offerings with industry needs. While core subjects like studio recording and sound design are well-studied, this research focuses on related courses outside the primary sequence, including technology, business, industry-specific, core music, and education courses. Surveying 20 professionals across various music technology sectors, we assessed the importance of topics such as basic electronics, wireless systems, media studies, and industrial safety. Results indicate that basic electronics and wireless systems are crucial. Media studies and industrial safety courses are also valued highly, though …

“Single Girl, Married Girl:” Female Perspectives On Marriage, Maidenhood, And Motherhood In English-Language Folk Music, Avery Schanbacher

Libraries Award for Undergraduate Scholarship

In 1928, the Carter Family released “Single Girl, Married Girl.” The recording featured only Sara and Maybelle Carter, and in three short stanzas, highlighted the vastly differing lives of the single girl, who dressed fine and went where she pleased, and the married girl, with a baby on her knee, who rocked the cradle and cried. Sara and Maybelle Carter weren’t the only people who knew this song – before they recorded it for Ralph Peer at the famous Bristol sessions, it was alive as a part of musical traditions not just in their home in Scott County, Virginia, but …

La Valse And The Parisian Salon: Nostalgic Continuities And Sonorous Modernisms, Claire Weydt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Immediately following World War I and the death of prominent French composer Claude Debussy, French composers and music critics were concerned that the war created an unbridgeable chasm between generations of composers who, through their various aesthetic allegiances, worked to define musical sounds as undeniably French. Numerous scholars have characterized this process as an aesthetic rupture brought on by the World Wars. French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), however, seems to have bridged this gap, at least for some influential critics. My project challenges notions of wartime rupture by resituating musical modernism within a framework of aesthetic continuity. Ravel’s choreographic poem …

Record Scratch: The Podcast, Kate Widmer

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

“Record Scratch: The Podcast” is an attempt to gather some of the history of Missoula’s alternative music scene from the 1990s until now, to contribute to documentation of Montana’s art scenes as well as to summarize and finalize my two and a half years of doing music reporting in Missoula. For the podcast, I interviewed four people who are active in Missoula’s music scene. Our discussions range from their youth through to the present day, giving several perspectives on Missoula’s changing music culture, as well as what it means to be a punk in Montana. My guiding reason for this …