Music Commons^™

New Urban Liturgy: Making A Lane For Hip-Hop In Multicultural Worship, Caleb Thomas Kudlo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The urban environments of American cities are home to diverse cultures and subcultures. If God created humanity in His image, and if the gospel of Jesus Christ has transcending power, then urban churches are poised to become worship communities that reflect His creativity and redemption. However, the ideal of unity in diversity strives against the currents of homogenization in American history, church traditions, and human nature. This project brings attention to a subculture that makes its home in the urban environments of American cities but not in its churches: hip-hop should be counted among the diverse cultures that can uniquely …

Analysis Of Texas Collegiate Mariachi Ensembles: Standard Repertoire And Genres, Angela Michelle Morgan-Thornton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A standard prescribed music list exists for band, orchestra, and choral music ensembles in Texas K-12 music education. Presently, no prescribed music list exists for mariachi ensembles or degree plans in Texas at the collegiate level. This study used explanatory sequential mixed methods to examine the differences in seven Texas collegiate mariachi programs’ standard teaching and performance repertoire. The study explored the commonalities and differences in repertoire and balance of mariachi genres in instruction. The repertoire of diverse genres reflects influences associated with European, Caribbean, and Indigenous cultures and musical forms. Related issues of this study included music literacy, college …

Music Listening And Cognitive Function, Neil Kotta

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Combining National And State Music Standards To Create A Secondary Choral Curriculum For York County School Division, Leah Parr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite recent revisions of the National Music Standards and the Virginia Music Standards of Learning, there have not been efforts to determine how their combination could create a localized music curriculum. Combining the national and state music standards allows the music educator to employ current music education practices and ensure students graduate with a standard set of musical skills and abilities. This study examined how secondary choral directors can combine these standards to create an effective and sequential curriculum for secondary choral directors in York County School Division (YCSD). A qualitative, historical research approach identified the history of standards-based curriculum …

An Analysis Of Effective Practice Strategies For The Performing Undergraduate University-Level Pianist, Elizabeth Ann Duncan

Music Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this study was to provide awareness of the trends surrounding piano practice pedagogy as determined by students either immersed in a university piano program or graduates thereof. The areas of study include a historical context of university music programs and the field of piano pedagogy, trends of imitative instruction, the importance of qualitative and quantitative practice, and the discovery of piano practice routines of collegiate pianists. This research project was approved for an IRB exemption by the Old Dominion University College of Arts and Letters.

Within this study, the subjects were either graduates of a collegiate piano …

School Of Music Faculty/Staff Newsletter, December 2021, School Of Music

School of Music Faculty/Staff Newsletter

Accomplishments and news from the faculty and staff of the School of Music at Illinois State University.

Engaging With The Score: Wadada Leo Smith, Graphic Notation, And The Performer’S Perspective, Kennedy Taylor Dixon

Masters Theses

As a Composer/Performer, my work exists in both realms. This thesis reflects the principle that my experience as a violist influences my compositional process and vice versa. Since identifying under both artistic skill sets, it has become evident that the two areas that exist as a creative and presentational output, thrive off one another’s success.

In June 2019, I had the chance to play Wadada Leo Smith’s String Quartet No. 3: Black Church, The First World Gathering of the Spirit (1995) at the Nief-Norf Summer Festival. This encounter was the first time I interacted with graphically notated scores as a …

University Of Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Department Of Music, University Of Richmond

Music Department Concert Programs

No abstract provided.

The Machine Is Angry, Seth David Allen

Graduate Thesis Collection

At its heart (or lack thereof) The Machine is Angry is a theater work. The visual components are as equally important as their acoustic counterparts. Sounds are only as valuable as the images they evoke and the intention of The Machine is to outline a picture that simultaneously conveys community and isolation; the idea that one can feel most alone when in a crowded room.

Home Quartet, Oliver Bonie

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Constructivism In Choral Music Education: Supplemental Activities For The Traditional Choral Ensemble, Allison Renee Fojo

Graduate Thesis Collection

Constructivism in music education can help teachers and students alike better their educational experience by working as a collaborative team. In the choral classroom, constructivist teaching establishes the teacher as the facilitator of learning rather than the “teacher as conductor.” Teachers help foster the musical-thinking of the ensemble. Students learn and retain information when teachers can support learners’ understanding of musical ideas and work within the student’s zone of proximal development. Through the use of teacher-guided questioning, cognitive apprenticeship, informal music-making, CMP, problem-solving, and Understanding by Design, students become active participants. Included are supplemental activities for the traditional choir classroom …

An Introduction And Performance Guide To Libby Larsen's The Peculiar Case Of Dr. H.H. Holmes, Devlan Thomas Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Clube Da Esquina 1970-1972: A Compositional Analysis According To Ron Miller's Modal Jazz Concepts., Tullio Mesquita Cunha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main goal of this paper is to analyze the harmonic and melodic transcriptions from the LPs Milton and Clube da Esquina according with the book Modal Jazz Composition and Harmony by Ron Miller in order to exemplify the compositional idiosyncrasy from Milton Nascimento, and especially, Lô Borges. The result is that Borges has a linear approach to write melodies while his vertical line has the use of open strings chords with mixed upper structures such as tertian, quartal and clusters.

All Roads Lead To Darrington: Building A Bluegrass Community In Western Washington, James W. Edgar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through the mid-twentieth century, a significant pattern of migration occurred between Appalachia and the Pacific Northwest, with Washington’s thriving timber industry offering compelling economic opportunities. Many workers and families from western North Carolina settled in the small mountain town of Darrington, Washington, frequently accompanied by their banjos and guitars. As a group of young bluegrass enthusiasts from Seattle established relationships with Darrington’s “Tar Heel” musicians, a collaborative music community formed, laying the foundation for the region’s contemporary bluegrass scene.

Drawn from a series of ethnographic interviews, this project illuminates the development of a bluegrass community in western Washington, while identifying …

Generic Norms, Irony, And Authenticity In The Aaba Songs Of The Rolling Stones, 1963–1971, David Carter

Music Faculty Works

AABA form was in decline in popular music in the 1960s, yet the Rolling Stones made extensive use of it at a crucial point in their career. In this article I examine the relationship between Jagger-Richards AABA songs released between 1963 and 1971 and established AABA norms. I use a corpus of 138 AABA songs (112 by other artists and 26 by Jagger-Richards) to compare the Stones’ approach to elements such as starting and ending bridge harmonies and verse melodic form with existing defaults. The analysis shows that the band’s approach to AABA in this time period bifurcates into two …

Use Of The Music Syllabus From The National Standards Curriculum Nsc, At The Lower Secondary Level, In Kingston And St. Andrew, Jamaica, Ornisea Williams Hird

Masters Theses

The Jamaican music education landscape has had a positive shift in the demand for music teachers who are educated to become classroom music teachers. Despite the growing need for trained music teachers to be placed in many high schools in Jamaica and the implementation of two curricula, there has been minimal study that assess how music teachers use the music syllabus from the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) in teaching and learning. The study joins a set of vibrant discussions on the development of music education in Jamaica and examines the use of the NSC at the lower secondary level (grades …

The Archetypal Female Image In Chinese National Opera: A Study Of Xi Shi, Xin Guo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In contrast to traditional Chinese operas, the history of Chinese National Opera1 is only a few decades long. Some scholars believe that many Chinese operas are feminist and female-centered. However, from the aesthetic standard of women’s voice to the female character’s inner world, it is hard to say that one can describe these operas as feminist simply because women play leading roles or the female arias are more than male. This document will explain the observation by analyzing the portrayal of female archetypes in Chinese national opera and discussing how opera Xi Shi complies with or subverts the portrayal. The …

Preparation To Performance: A Conductor’S Journey To The Podium, Geoffrey B. Neuman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The journey to the podium for a successful music educator that conducts performing ensembles requires a strong methodology steeped in score study, rehearsal planning, repertoire selection, musicianship skills, performance skills, and administrative duties. At the beginning of a career, educators often find themselves lacking the high level skills necessary to become a successful educator on the podium. This is often due to the many non-conducting requirements needed to complete the degree. Once a position is secured and professional life begins, these skills are often not fully developed. This then results in the music educator lacking the qualities needed to prepare …

The Concept Album As Postmodern Literature: A Critical Examination Of Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, Kelly E. Stith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the humanities becoming progressively more open to interdisciplinary studies, there exists a space for music to be part of the discourse surrounding literature. One of the most important developments for music was the rise of the concept album, a medium where the individual tracks are defined by a larger theme or a unifying narrative. The concept album first emerged in the 1960s and became a method for musicians to experiment with expanded storylines and lyrical motifs that overthrew classical models of music albums. One of the most

influential concept albums, Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, which came out …

An Exploration Of Team Teaching In The School Band Setting, Aaron Zane Thomas

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the goals, structure, and director perceptions of team-teaching practices within a vertically-aligned band program. Previous research has indicated that “team teaching” can provide many benefits to both students and teachers. Since not all school districts apply such a system, the objective of this study was to explore a school band program that has implemented vertically-aligned team teaching. I wanted to understand how the directors perceived its benefits, drawbacks, and difficulties. I selected a band program with an established vertically-aligned program that used team-teaching as a pedagogical strategy. I interviewed and observed band …

The Pedagogical Value Of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Music In A New Jersey Elementary Music Setting, Eric James Mclaughlin

Masters Theses

Elementary music educators’ analyze and select song repertoire based upon a variety of factors and influences. These can include an educator’s level of training, the preexisting standard song literature collection, resources obtained in undergraduate study, the context of the song material, and a song’s pedagogical application. Educators must be selective when choosing literature for pedagogical purposes, such as teaching specific melodic and rhythmic elements. The vast body of musical literature by renowned theatrical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is not often used for that purpose in the elementary general music classroom. In addition, a recent national effort calling for the reexamination …

A Christmas Cantata, Garth Andrew Olson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this worship ministry research project was to research, prepare for, and lead a Christmas cantata presentation for two worship services at First United Methodist Church in Georgetown, Texas, on Sunday, December 12, 2021. In this thesis, I identified the worship components and the accompanying potential challenges for successfully leading a vital and converging traditional Christmas Sunday worship in a way that promotes authentic, biblically-centered, Christocentric, and participatory worship services for a church community.” The Christmas cantata was a musical composition set for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices (SATB) with instrumental accompaniment including solos, chorus, chamber orchestra, …

Songwriting: A Collaborative Approach To Music Education, Deondra Morrison

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the benefits of the use of collaborative learning projects in music education, with the intent to inform the practice of music educators. This study will reveal that many educators in the field of music view collaborative learning as a catalyst to change student culture and music classrooms around the world. The following research questions guided this study: (1) How do collaborative learning methods benefit music education curriculum? (2) What type of plans, support, and materials do music educators need to successfully guide their students in small group student-centered music and instruction? (3) …

Improvisation And Interpretation For High School Instrumental Students, Jeffrey J. Bianchine Jr.

Masters Theses

Improvisation is associated with jazz or rap in modern western culture, but classical music has a long tradition of improvisation featuring famous improvises such as Mozart and Liszt. Improvisation develops critical thinking and problem solving, essential skills in the American job market. The typical instrumental student does not often get the opportunity to use this. Bloom’s Taxonomy explains that students who do critical thinking activities in class have a better understanding of the course material. This course will equip students to improvise with others, make executive decisions about artistic elements in the repertoire, self-cretic playing, and compose a short cadenza.

Breaking The Cycle: Incorporating A Pedagogy Of Expression In Secondary Ensembles, Autumn Mortenson

Senior Honors Theses

Western music education is caught in a cycle of constant concert preparation. Even though teaching expression is an important standard of music education, it is not often the focus of secondary ensembles. This thesis explores the rationale for teaching secondary instrumental students to think expressively, the benefits of teaching expressive performance, and the methods to successfully incorporate this pedagogy. This project aims to show that the creation of expressive opportunity and responsibility during regular rehearsals would allow the students to further develop these skills without detracting from the quality of public performances. The conclusion of this project will provide ensemble …

"You Are Safe. You Are Calm. You Are In Control.", Carly Erst

Graduate Thesis Collection

"You are safe. You are calm. You are in control." is a piece written out of a state of emotional and physical exhaustion. The piece uses an electronic track comprised of the sounds of distressed children recorded at a daycare and a flex string quintet that plays along with the track. This paper explores the reasoning behind the music, the connections the piece has to the past, and the relevance of the piece now and in the future.

Exploring Unpredictability In Augusta Read Thomas' Six Piano Etudes And Traces, Gianne Ge Zhu

Dissertations, 2020-current

Augusta Read Thomas (1964-) composes in many genres. Her music is often filled with subtle nuances of articulation and color, and contains many intentional "surprises." Thomas achieves these sound effects by applying three compositional principles: by providing a score with detailed instructions and additional information that result in the feeling of "spontaneity"; by using her "organic" language to transform the connections to the past or to living composers; and by considering all musical elements as one "gestalt" to form her music.

Six Piano Etudes (1996-2005) and Traces (2006) are filled with "surprises," in which the listener can discover elements of …

Remixed, Remastered: Investigating Organizational Adaptation In Higher Music Education, Jacob Bruce Hertzog

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher music education presents a unique opportunity to examine change within higher education due to the digital revolution in the music industry over the past two decades. The purpose for conducting this study was to describe, map, and explain the strategies that higher music education programs are using to adapt to the digital revolution in the music industry. This study was grounded in organizational adaptation theory, drawing upon nine well-established theories: population ecology, life cycles, strategic choice, isomorphism, symbolic action, resource dependence, cybernetics, and network theory. Critical concepts of the turbulent environment, environmental perception, and organizational adaptation strategy emerged from …

Texas Administrators' Perspective Of Music Educators In Classroom Evaluations In Regards To T-Tess, Thomas C. Kennedy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the perspectives of music educators in classroom evaluation processes, the perspectives of Texas administrators using the newest teacher evaluation process, the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS), have yet to be examined. The administrators’ perspectives matter because the complexity of the T-TESS process coupled with the uncertainty of music educational knowledge may lead to inconsistency in evaluation. This qualitative study aims to examine the perspectives of Texas administrators concerning their preparation in music teacher evaluation. Current research fails to identify the perspectives of Texas administrators in the evaluation of music educators in classroom instruction. Views on evaluation training, …

Does Bedtime Music Listening Improve Subjective Sleep Quality And Next-Morning Well-Being In Young Adults? A Randomized Cross-Over Trial, Nadyana M. Majeed, Verity Y. Q. Lua, Jun Sen Chong, Zoey Lew, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Previous research has found that young adults exhibit patterns of poor sleep and that poor sleep is associated with a host of negative psychological consequences. One potential intervention to improve sleep quality is listening to music at bedtime. Although there exist previous works investigating the efficacy of listening to music as a form of sleep aid, these works have been hindered by statistically weak designs, a lack of systematic investigation of critical characteristics of music that may affect its efficacy, and limited generalizability. In light of the limitations in the existing literature, a 15-day randomized cross-over trial was carried out …