Music Commons^™

The Interaction Between Postminimalist Music And Contemporary Dance, Azariah Felton

Theses : Honours

This dissertation examines the manner in which postminimalist compositional techniques such as phasing, polymeter, etc., can be used to aid the creation of music for dance. Music presented with dance generally serves at least two crucial roles: providing the dancers with a framework and impetus to aid movement; and reflecting the concept and meaning, where applicable, of the choreography. Many composers writing for dance must find ways to unite these goals in a way that best suits the total work, and find a balance between supporting the concept and assisting the dancers. This dissertation discusses the relationship between choreography and …

Attraction To Sad Music: The Role Of Imagery, Absorption, And Rumination, Emery Schubert, Andrea R. Halpern, Gunter Kreutz, Sandra Garrido

Faculty Journal Articles

Previous studies have identified links between attraction to negative emotion in music with the traits of absorption and rumination. However, no studies have examined the possible interdependencies and influences of these traits. We sought to determine whether a cognitive processing path that leads to attraction to sad music could be identified. We argued that auditory imagery might be an interesting competency to add to the investigation because of the links between imagery and absorption. Participants completed validated surveys measuring the three target cognitive measures, as well as a Like Sad Music Scale. Mediation analysis revealed that absorption mediated imagery in …

The Role Of Entrainment On An Older Adult’S Stress And Anxiety: A Mixed Methods Study, Francesca Brennan

Theses & Dissertations

Elderly individuals diagnosed with dementia seem to exhibit similar characteristics; anxiety, depression, isolation, pain, and accumulated stress. it is the desire of this researcher to investigate the role of entrainment on an elderly individuals stress and anxiety. The researcher conducts a mixed method study that evaluates quantitative measures such as heart rate and blood pressure, and qualitative measures through interviews. Overall, the findings lead the researcher to believe that entrainment in music therapy can affect an elderly individuals stress and anxiety in a positive way.

The Touch Of Arvo Pärt, Gabriel Lane

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Honors Project Abstract

My project is on the modern Estonian composer, Arvo Pärt and his work Spiegel im Spiegel. Of all the pieces written by Pärt, this is one of his most popular and revered works. It has a major emotional impact on many people who listen to it, but also on me. Through my research, I have discovered compositional techniques which help the work achieve such a profound effect on a listener.

To help show these techniques to the reader, I include handwritten excerpts in my paper. This is also to avoid copyright issues. In each image presented, …

Down Under Punks And Dixie Rock: Reflections On Making The Documentary Film Chinese Whispers - Southern Roots In The Australian Swampy Sound, Gretchen Labudde Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Individual Ability To Learn A Parallel Processing Technique And Musical Aptitude., Daniel Warren Emmett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Correlations between music training and psychosocial skills, sensory abilities, and aspects of intelligence, are sorted into primary or secondary effects. Correlations between these areas of human development and music training lack support pertaining to the underlying cognitive networks that these processes rely on. Thus, this study was based on the work of Baddeley and Hitch's model of working memory, and implemented a test of parallel processing (Articulatory Suppression Task, AST), which measures proficiency of working memory systems. Individual differences therein, were compared with music aptitude. Participants were gathered throughout urban and rural regions of the state of Oregon. Half the …

Accessibility Of Visuals In The Music Classroom Focusing On Students With Disabilities, Students In Poverty, And Culturally Diverse Students, Katherine A. Holbrook

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on visual aid accessibility for students with disabilities, students from poverty, and culturally diverse students. Each of these facets are explored, defined, and reflected on in regard to how visual aids could be more accessible for each community of students. Posters have been developed based on this research to practically apply the findings to visuals that could be used in a music classroom.

When considering the accessibility for students with disabilities, it is crucial to review legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1990, 2004, 2013) which mandates services to children with disabilities throughout the …

And God Said..., Bryan Sanoshy

Graduate Thesis Collection

And God Said… is a modern interpretation of the well-known Biblical story about the creation of the world. Scriptures tell us that the entire world was formed in mere seven-day span. Each movement is very unique and specific to the corresponding day they represent.

Spectral Radiance, Coleman Rowlett

Graduate Thesis Collection

Spectral Radiance is a concerto for alto saxophone and chamber orchestra. In this paper, the influence of Franz Schreker's Kammersymphonie on Rowlett's compositional inspiration is discussed in detail. In addition, the various compositional elements that make up the work are explained. These include elements of form, motivic development, sharing themes between movements, and harmony. Rowlett's use of these compositional elements aims to create cohesion throughout the work as a whole. The paper acts as a guide, retracing the steps taken by the composer during the composition of the concerto.

The Soul Of Black Opera: W.E.B. Du Bois’S Veil And Double Consciousness In William Grant Still’S Blue Steel, Toiya Lister

Graduate Thesis Collection

In The Souls of Black Folk (1903), W.E.B. Du Bois theorized that black peoples were viewed behind a metaphorical “veil” that consisted of three interrelated aspects: the skin as an indication of African Americans’ difference from their white counterparts, white people’s lack of capacity to see African Americans as Americans, and African Americans’ lack of capacity to see themselves outside of the labels white America has given them. This, according to Du Bois, resulted in the gift and curse of “double consciousness,” the feeling that one’s identity is divided. As African Americans fought for socio-political equality, the reconciliation of these …

Mucp 183-983: Applied Music Composition--A Course Benchmark Portfolio, Gregory Simon

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

MUCP 183-983, Applied Music Composition, is the core of the music composition course curriculum for students at all levels, from freshman to doctoral candidate. Like all applied lesson environments, it is a one-on-one, individualized study that principally involves the instructor giving students feedback on their musical works-in-progress. This time-honored paradigm for teaching composition has produced brilliant artists, but is rife with pitfalls and traps that can tarnish a student’s growth: composition pedagogues can coerce students into writing music like their teachers, or can prescribe a curriculum that makes composition accessible only to students who have already played classical music for …

The Attitudes And Perceptions Of Undergraduate Non-Keyboard Music Majors Toward The Usage Of Functional Keyboard Harmony In The Group Piano Curriculum At The University Of South Carolina School Of Music, Katherine A. Chandler

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes and perceptions of undergraduate non-keyboard music majors toward functional keyboard harmony in the group piano curriculum at the University of South Carolina School of Music. Sixty-five (65) undergraduate music majors who were enrolled in music degrees in the spring 2018 semester at the University of South Carolina School of Music completed the survey, for an 82% completion rate. The questionnaire had six primary focuses: (1) demographic data and general information of undergraduate non-keyboard music students, (2) students‟ previous music education experiences, (3) students‟ previous harmony education experiences and perceived comprehension …

The Tie That Binds: The History, Conductors, And Music Of The Mystic Area Ecumenical Choir Festival, Mark Daniel Merritt

Theses and Dissertations

The Mystic Area Ecumenical Choir Festival, which began in 1968, is now in its 50th year. The festival is sponsored each year by the Mystic Area Ecumenical Council. The festival combines multi-generational choirs from numerous churches in and around the coastal villages of Noank and Mystic in Connecticut. Numerous nationally recognized choral directors, composers, and clinicians have been invited to guest conduct the choirs of the festival. For festival milestones, new choral pieces are commissioned.

This research project explores the history of church choirs in New England, beginning with mandated singing of metrical psalms, the singing schools which started in …

Examining Professional Music Teacher Identity: A Mixed Methods Approach With Stringed Instrument Teachers, Elizabeth A. Reed

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of professional music teacher identity (PMTI) among stringed instrument teachers who are alumni of the University of South Carolina String Project (USCSP) preservice teacher education program. Using a fixed mixed method design, I first surveyed all USCSP alumni from the past 20 years using the PMTI Questionnaire. For the qualitative portion of the study, the researcher interviewed three USCSP alumnae in their post-second stage of teaching (year 11–20). All USCSP alumni identified, rated, and ranked their expertise in subject matter, didactical, and pedagogical aspects. USCSP post-second stage alumnae also identified …

The Influences Of A Mariachi Education On Student Perceptions Of Academic Achievement, Academic Attainment, And Student Engagement, Victoria Lynn Smith

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study is to examine the influences of mariachi education on student perceptions of their academic achievement, academic attainment, and student engagement. The study involved students attending schools in California, Oregon, and Texas with mariachi programs that consented to be a part of the study, whose districts approved their participation. The students were approached to participate in this study, as they are a part of their school’s mariachi program in middle or high school throughout the Western half of the United States. A convergent parallel (mixed-methods) design and descriptive statistical analyses were used to investigate the …

Worship Music As Spiritual Identity: An Examination Of Music In The Liturgy Among Black And White Adventists In The United States From 1840 To 1944, David A. Williams

Dissertations

The Topic

This study examined Black and White Seventh-day Adventist music in the liturgy in the United States from 1840 to 1944. Little scholarly attention has been given to the development of Adventist liturgical practice, the function of music in the liturgy, and the effect of music upon the spiritual identity. This study utilized liturgical history, ritual studies, musicology, and liturgical theology to derive and compare the spiritual identity fostered through music in the liturgy by these ethnic groups. This study considered both the shared and distinct spiritual identities of Black and White Adventists, as cultivated by the music in …

Rethinking Interaction: Identity And Agency In The Performance Of “Interactive” Electronic Music, Jacob A. Kopcienski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This document investigates interaction between human performers and various interactive technologies in the performance of interactive electronic and computer music. Specifically, it observes how the identity and agency of the interactive technology is experienced and perceived by the human performer. First, a close examination of George Lewis’ creation of and performance with his own historic interactive electronic and computer works reveals his disposition of interaction as improvisation. This disposition is contextualized within then contemporary social and political issues related to African American experimental musicians as well as an emerging culture of electronic and computer musicians concerned with interactivity. Second, an …

Music From The Harpsichord House, Julie Zhu

Theses and Dissertations

Music from the Harpsichord House is an installation and series of concerts that exists in the binary of in and out of performance. During a concert, the harpsichordist is hidden inside the house and his face is live-projected outside. Fifteen new musical compositions were commissioned for the harpsichord house.

Saving Diy Spaces, Katherine Lavacca

Capstones

Saving DIY Spaces explores the importance of DIY spaces– places for artists to express themselves and connect to their communities– as well as the threat they face from the city’s MARCH task force. Integral performance spaces like Shea Stadium, Market Hotel, Palisades and many more have been shuttered by the city’s MARCH taskforce, a collection of city agencies (department of buildings, NYPD, FDNY, liquor authorities, etc.) within the last decade. According to a study conducted by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, 20% of small venues have closed within the last 15 years putting pressure on spaces that are …

Production Of Extended Techniques On The Flute, Sarah Curtiss, Brianna Meissner, Mari Tonsfeldt, Alexis Schwinghamer, Sierra Wenning

Essential Studies UNDergraduate Showcase

When most people think of the flute, the traditional, classical flute sound comes to mind. This research delved into the study of contemporary, non-traditional sounds (extended techniques) because of the number of advantages that the study of extended techniques can provide to all aspects of flute playing. For example, certain techniques can strengthen the flexibility and control of the facial muscles, which helps with tone production, while other techniques can help to develop better awareness and control of intonation. Many extended techniques require different levels of breath control and more comprehensive physical strength, as well. In researching extended techniques, it …

Piracy, Policy, And Pandora: Outdated Copyright In A Digital World, Stephanie Caress

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This project examines how current copyright laws and digital distribution practices in music can be improved for both the creator and the consumer. The laws that govern our digital atmosphere, and thus a large portion of music distribution, are outdated and cause a wide variety of problems for both artists and fans. To create a comprehensive picture and establish the scope of this problem, I start by outlining the process a song goes through from when it is written to when it is in the hands, or rather ears, of listeners. From there, copyright laws are entwined with this process. …

Immigration Et Clips Musicaux : Vers La Construction D’Espaces Sans Frontières, Souleymane Ganou

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

Immigration is a reality which touches primarily the young in most country. This phenomenon must be undressed of its blaming considerations, in view of its incommensurable contribution in the development of many countries. If the United States of America arrived at the legalization of immigration, by instituting a lottery called “lottery visa”, it is that they are conscious of the benefit that this phenomenon can bring to their nation. Moreover, the United States is a nation built on the bases of the immigration to which they owe their power today. They are numerous these young people who set off to …

The Effect Of Auditory Stimuli On Test Performance: Testing The Arousal Hypothesis, Ian Thomas Kells

Masters Theses

Since the publication of Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky’s study in 1993 on the “Mozart Effect”, the study of music and its effect on cognition and performance has gained significant attention. Roth and Smith (2008) investigated this “Mozart Effect” and suggested a continuation of research and interpretation through an arousal theory. This study examined the effects of a subject-identified arousing stimulus on performance on the Verbal Reasoning portion of the GRE, analyzed through an arousal theory framework. A sample of 24 non-music Western Michigan University students took part in one 60-minute testing period using subject-preferred music, which was then analyzed across …

Winds Of Courage A Mallet Concerto For Solo Mallets And Wind Ensemble., Ross Elliott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Winds of Courage is a motivically-driven composition based on a repeating chordal pattern. Although being written out, the solo mallets parts sound somewhat improvisatory, which is a key element to the part. In a way, the concerto illustrates what it is like to have a crush on someone; where the first movement is getting up the courage to talk to them; the second movement, crying from failing to say what you need to say or not getting up the courage to talk to them, or getting rejected; and the final movement, when things work out in a positive manner, or …

Decreasing Delirium Through Music (Ddm) In Critically Ill, Mechanically Ventilated Patients In The Intensive Care Unit: Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Annie Heiderscheit, Sikandar H. Khan, Sophia Wang, Amanda Harrawood, Stephanie Martinez, Linda Chlan, Anthony J. Perkins, Wanzhu Tu, Malaz Boustani, Babar Khan

Faculty Authored Articles

Background

Delirium is a highly prevalent and morbid syndrome in intensive care units (ICUs). Changing the stressful environment within the ICU via music may be an effective and a scalable way to reduce the burden of delirium.

Methods/design

The Decreasing Delirium through Music (DDM) study is a three-arm, single-blind, randomized controlled feasibility trial.

Sixty patients admitted to the ICU with respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation will be randomized to one of three arms (20 participants per arm): (1) personalized music, (2) non-personalized relaxing music, or (3) attention-control. Music preferences will be obtained from all enrolled participants or their family caregivers. …

A Glimpse Into Quiroga’S Musical Roots, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“At the music conservatory, I was told that popular music is not music, and that’s one of the things that connected me with your dad, Aldemaro Romero. He could do classical, Bolero, so I felt connected because I felt ‘there’s someone who had the same problem that I did.’ I felt like classical music is, of course, beautiful, but I needed something else.”

That is how Selene Quiroga, an artist recently invited to Baruch College, explains why she crosses the borders between classical and popular music, as she did in a concert titled “Aldemaro Romero: Venezuelan Fiesta” where she performed …

A Glance At Astor Piazzolla's Histoire Du Tango: Lecture Recital, Elizabeth Ritter

Honors Projects

This project is a lecture recital including the performance of four musical works from different countries as well as a lecture Astor Piazzolla's Histoire Du Tango. The four pieces performed in this recital were Eldin Burton's Sonatina for flute and piano, the first movement of Astor Piazzolla's Histoire Du Tango, Hirota's Shikararete, and Bela Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances for piccolo and piano. Before performing the Piazzolla, there was a lecture which included the teaching of the musical aspects of the tango within this piece, a short biography of Piazzolla, and a historical look at the four movements of this piece. …

Music And Art: An Aesthetic Experience, Samantha Martin

Honors Projects

This project sought to pair art songs performed at my senior recital with paintings. The paintings chosen had to be within one hundred years of the songs’ composition, from the same country as the composer, and have a similar theme or meaning as the art song. The goal was to create an aesthetic experience, as well as making the meanings of the songs more accessible for the audience, especially if the songs were in a foreign language.

Fall Chamber Series (November 3, 6-7, 2017), Lindenwood University

Student Music Performance Programs

No abstract provided.

U.S. Metropolitan Bridges To Puerto Rican Music Identity; Cuban And Puerto Rican Music Connections From The 1920'S-1970'S, William George Johnson

Masters Theses

“Cuba and Puerto Rico are As two wings of the same bird, They receive flowers and bullets Into the same heart ...” (Lola Rodriguez de Tio, 1868) Puerto Rican poet and political activist Lola Rodriguez de Tio penned these words after being inspired by the call for the independence of Puerto Rico. Her words were further canonized in Puerto Rican cultural identity after being published in the song La Borinquena by composer Rafael Hernandez. Hernandez’s song would later become a musical symbol of national identity for the island of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican Diaspora. The connection between the …