Music Commons^™

2025-2026 Senior Recital - Jose Diaz (Percussion), Jose Ignacio Diaz, Sheng Yuan Kuan, Paola Nava, Jonathan Monk

Junior and Senior Recitals

No abstract provided.

Creative Constraints And Studio Ecology: Rethinking Collaboration In Contemporary Music Practice, Sean Foran

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

Presentation at SAE New Zealand Research Seminar Series

This presentation explores how creative constraints can function not as limitations, but as methodological tools within contemporary music production and musical improvisation. In an era of near-unlimited technological possibility in the recording studio, the question of how musicians make effective creative decisions becomes increasingly significant.

Drawing on two practice-based research projects, (1) a constrained studio recording study built around the aphorism “no more than four,” and (2) an interdisciplinary improvisation project using poetry as both stimulus and constraint, this research examines how deliberately imposed limitations shape collaboration, decision-making, and musical outcomes in …

Jazz & Contemporary Combos, Department Of Music, University Of Richmond

Music Department Concert Programs

No abstract provided.

Senior Recital: Carlos Felipe Leon Castro, Viola; April 8, 2026, Carlos Felipe Leon Castro, Daniel Zhenghui Doug

School of Music Programs

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

Kemp Recital Hall

April 8, 2026

Wednesday Evening

7:00 p.m.

Freshman Recital: Wesley Guyer, Bassoon; April 8, 2026, Wesley Guyer, Eugene Howard

School of Music Programs

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

Kemp Recital Hall

April 8, 2026

Wednesday Evening

6:00 p.m.

Japanese Music Theory, Elias N. Nichols

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This research project explores Japanese music theories. By analyzing the basic components of Japanese music, including historical and modern approaches, this presentation demonstrates the similarities and differences in the formation of music in western thought when compared to the methodology of Japan. This research dives deep into tones, scales, melodic approaches, historical development and the effect on modern compositions today. This project informs the audience on the nuances of Japanese music theories in the hope to dispel stereotypes about music theories from different cultures, apart from western thought.

Music Teachers’ Perceptions And Actual Effects Of Youth Orchestra Participation On Students’ Playing Ability, Erika J. Pierce

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite research demonstrating a significant correlation between social and academic development with participation in a youth orchestra, few studies have examined whether participation directly affects students’ note-reading skills, the accuracy of pitch production, and musical expression. This information matters because students often join a youth orchestra to develop these and other playing skills beyond what school programs and private lessons teach. This applied research study examined youth orchestra participation by comparing teachers’ perceptions with demonstrated performance outcomes on middle school students’ development in note-reading, pitch production accuracy, and musical expression. This study analyzed rubric-scored student performance recordings alongside teacher survey …

Retention Of Rural/Small-Town Band Directors In Georgia, Timothy M. Warren

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to analyze the retention and tenure of band directors in rural and small-town contexts in Georgia. Research indicates that directors in these areas often face challenges not commonly present in urban settings. This study sought to determine whether there is a trend of short tenures among rural and small-town band directors in Georgia. Data was collected through an online survey targeting current and former directors with rural or small-town experience. The survey included Likert Scale items addressing director qualifications, backgrounds, and common challenges, as well as open-ended questions that allowed participants to describe their …

2025-2026 Master Of Music Recital - Jacob Lomboy (Bassoon), Jacob Lomboy, Sheng Yuan Kuan

Master of Music Recitals

No abstract provided.

Collaborative Piano Recital: April 7, 2026, Illinois State University School Of Music

School of Music Programs

This is the one hundred and forty-fourth program of the 2025-2026 season.

Kemp Recital Hall

April 7, 2026

Tuesday Evening

7:30 p.m.

Spring 2026 Recital The Slide Collection: April 6, 2026, Illinois State University School Of Music

School of Music Programs

This is the one hundred and forty-third program of the 2025-2026 season.

Kemp Recital Hall

April 6, 2026

Monday Evening

7:30 p.m.

Performance Forum - April 3, 2026, Betania Canas, Sheng Yuan Kuan, Brooke Gunter, Ana-Maria Uzunova, Charlotte Lohmann, Maria Savelyeva, Diego Suarez, Emma Joyce, Li Yang Liu, Julia Jacobsen, Anttuan Rios Pelaez, Hanting Peng

Performance Forum

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Sonification Of Enso Using Traditional Javanese Gamelan Scales, Sandy Hs Herho, Rusmawan Suwarman, Nurjanna J. Trilaksono, Iwan P. Anwar, Faiz R. Fajary

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Sonification—the mapping of data to non-speech audio—offers an underexplored channel for representing complex dynamical systems. We treat El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a canonical example of low-dimensional climate chaos, as a test case for culturally-situated sonification evaluated through complex systems diagnostics. Using parameter-mapping sonification of the Niño 3.4 sea surface temperature anomaly index (1870–2024), we encode ENSO variability into two traditional Javanese gamelan pentatonic systems (pelog and slendro) across four composition strategies, then analyze the resulting audio as trajectories in a two- dimensional acoustic phase space. Recurrence-based diagnostics, convex hull ge- ometry, and coupling analysis reveal that the sonification …

Global Sounds, Department Of Music, University Of Richmond

Music Department Concert Programs

No abstract provided.

Senior Recital: Carson Mullins, Oboe; April 4, 2026, Carson Mullins, Lu Witzig

School of Music Programs

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

Kemp Recital Hall

April 4, 2026

Saturday Afternoon

12:30 p.m.

Senior Recital: Ya'natika Morgan, Soprano; April 4, 2026, Ya'natika Morgan, Olesia Pupina

School of Music Programs

This is the one hundred and forty-second program of the 2025-2026 season.

Kemp Recital Hall

April 4, 2026

Saturday Evening

9:00 p.m.

Bass Studio Recital: April 4, 2026, Illinois State University School Of Music

School of Music Programs

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

Kemp Recital Hall

April 4, 2026

Saturday Afternoon

12:00 p.m.

Sophomore Recital: Thomas Jamero, Clarinet; April 4, 2026, Thomas Jamero, Momoko Gresham

School of Music Programs

This is the one hundred and forty-first program of the 2025-2026 season.

Kemp Recital Hall

April 4, 2026

Saturday Evening

7:30 p.m.

The Banjo: A Dive Into The Creation And Rise Of Bluegrass’S Favorite Instrument, Hans E. Deaton

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This study examines the creation and development of the banjo and its cultural transformation from its West African origins to its role in modern American music. The banjo originated from instruments native to West Africa and was brought to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade, where it evolved within enslaved African communities. It was later performed by 19th-century American minstrels, leading to its widespread adoption by the Appalachian South. In the 20th century, the banjo became a defining instrument in bluegrass music, shaped by performers such as Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs. Today, the banjo maintains a lasting influence …

Senior Recital: Stacy Schroeder, Clarinet; April 3, 2026, Stacy Schroeder, Thaddeus Spencer, Ryan Rubio, Kaden Filson, Momoko Gresham

School of Music Programs

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

Kemp Recital Hall

April 3, 2026

Friday Evening

9:00 p.m.

Senior Recital: Charlie Machamer, Jazz Piano; April 3, 2026, Charlie Machamer, Darius Botley, Diego Martinez, Jameel Stephens

School of Music Programs

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

Kemp Recital Hall

April 3, 2026

Friday Evening

7:30 p.m.

Convocation Recital: April 3, 2026, Illinois State University School Of Music

School of Music Programs

This is the one hundred and thirty-fourth program of the 225-2026 season.

Kemp Recital Hall

April 3, 2026

Friday Afternoon

1:00 p.m.

Senior Recital: Brandon Campos, Cello; April 3, 2026, Brandon Campos, Zeph Mussman

School of Music Programs

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

Kemp Recital Hall

April 3, 2026

Friday Evening

6:00 p.m.

2025-2026 Master Of Music Recital - Dj Combs (Bass Trombone), Dj Combs, Sheng Yuan Kuan

Master of Music Recitals

No abstract provided.

2025-2026 Master Of Music Recital - Juan Diaz (Trumpet), Juan Diaz Quijano

Master of Music Recitals

No abstract provided.

2025-2026 Ppc Recital - Ay Kawasaki (Flute), Ay Kawasaki, Sheng Yuan Kuan

PPC/PSDP Recitals

No abstract provided.

Sophomore Recital: Cassis Floyd; April 2, 2026, Cassie Floyd, Lu Witzig

School of Music Programs

This is the one hundred and thirty-third program of the 2025-2026 season.

Kemp Recital Hall

April 2, 2026

Thursday Evening

7:30 p.m.

Rock On! Examining The Relationship Between Armed Conflict And Rock Protest Music, Dylan Conner Dunn

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between rock protest music and wars, armed conflicts, and other related events. The purpose of this research is to explore how such specific events, or war and conflict in general, influence rock songwriters. This paper examines a series of nine rock songs ranging across five decades, from the Vietnam War to the 2010s. A variety of artists wrote and recorded these songs, ranging from hard rock to classic rock, to folk rock and beyond. Some are more audially intense, lyrically visceral, and featuring explicit language, whereas others are much more stripped-back and “family-friendly.” Each of …

We're All Ramblers, Here: American National Identity As Articulated Through The Sounds And Stories Of Bluegrass Music, Greyson M. Sherman

Senior Theses

This creative thesis argues that bluegrass music, through its multicultural origins and its central "Rambler" archetype, articulates a distinctly American negotiation between freedom and rootedness — one that extends far beyond the genre's narrow popular image. Drawing on musicological scholarship and cultural history, the paper first recovers bluegrass's suppressed origins in the convergence of West African, Anglo- Celtic, and broader European traditions, complicating narratives that position the genre as exclusively white and Appalachian. It then introduces the Rambler — the restless, longing figure who haunts bluegrass lyrically and structurally — as both a product of that history and a metaphorical …

Cedarstone Arts Foundation Marketing And Media, Emmy-Kate Arnett, Amelia Bailly, Charlie Condra, Lorelai Lysaght

SPARK Symposium Presentations

For our project, we collaborated with Cedarstone Arts Foundation, a non-profit centered on providing free music education and instruments to childhood cancer patients. Our goal was to create social media platforms for the foundation and develop a key marketing strategy via said platforms, with the desired outcome of increased exposure and donations. To achieve our goal, we researched the most relevant media outlets for advertising. We helped create high-quality content that would raise awareness for their cause. We developed a general template for posting so that the foundation could confidently continue this strategy for the foreseeable future. We consulted with …