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Articles 1 - 30 of 39
Full-Text Articles in Composition
God In The Margins: Exploring The Intersection Between Christian And Secular Music, Christina Barnes
God In The Margins: Exploring The Intersection Between Christian And Secular Music, Christina Barnes
Composition/Recording Projects
This recording project paper explores the intersection between Christian theology and secular popular music through a practice-led investigation into how faith-informed themes can be communicated authentically within mainstream musical contexts. Drawing on scholarship surrounding Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), popular music studies, authenticity, and lament theology, this study examines how Christian ideas emerge within secular music through both explicit and implicit forms of expression. Case studies include Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” Selena Gomez’s “Nobody,” Lauren Daigle’s “You Say,” and U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” each representing different approaches to integrating spirituality into mainstream culture. Through …
The Invisible Hand: Narrating Wildlife Through Hybrid Scoring, Weiyi Li
The Invisible Hand: Narrating Wildlife Through Hybrid Scoring, Weiyi Li
Composition/Recording Projects
This paper explores the creative and theoretical processes involved in composing the original score and sound design for "Ningxia Yellow River: The Home for the Avian," a wildlife documentary centered on the Ningxia wetlands in China. The research addresses the challenge of creating a "sonic bridge" between silent natural imagery and a human audience by balancing documentary realism with musical persuasion. The methodology utilizes a hybrid scoring approach that integrates Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) orchestration with organic sound elements, guided by three core pillars: cultural semiotics, acoustic ecology, and technical synchronization. By applying traditional Chinese pentatonic modes alongside Western orchestral …
To Speak In Your Voice: An Exploration In Improvisational Technique, Ezekiel E. Meyer
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 …
Off The Rails: A Fusion Project Combining Bluegrass And Celtic Fiddle Music, Kate Ward
Off The Rails: A Fusion Project Combining Bluegrass And Celtic Fiddle Music, Kate Ward
Composition/Recording Projects
The American culture of fiddle playing is rooted in fiddle styles from Ireland, Scotland, and England as a result of fiddle tunes being brought to America via immigrants from the British Isles. Despite many of the fiddling styles prevalent today being rooted in the same traditions, each has unique technical and compositional distinctions. This paper explores the technical, compositional, and cultural components of bluegrass and Celtic music and how they can be fused together. This project combines elements of both styles in unique ways to create a natural fusion born out of submersion in each genre.
The Searcy Story, Elise S. Spinder, Sheeva Chourazghi-Azad, Nate Krammerer, Anna Blubaugh, Sarah Brewer
The Searcy Story, Elise S. Spinder, Sheeva Chourazghi-Azad, Nate Krammerer, Anna Blubaugh, Sarah Brewer
SPARK Symposium Presentations
This presentation explores the planning and execution of our Honors project: a documentary highlighting local Nashville activists Joyce and Walter Searcy. It outlines our research process, the development of timelines documenting their lives, our collaboration with Fisk University, and the production of the documentary. Housed within the Belmont-Fisk Social Justice Collaborative, our work examines strategies that contributed to the systemic change during the Civil Rights Movement. This inquiry sparked deeper engagement with the Nashville community and illuminated the Searcys’ vital role in fostering community organizing and leading meaningful change. This documentary reflects on what it means to be a selfless …
Shadows And Stars: How To Bring Student Compositions To Life, Dylan K. Ahrens
Shadows And Stars: How To Bring Student Compositions To Life, Dylan K. Ahrens
SPARK Symposium Presentations
Student composer Dylan Ahrens will present a session titled 'Shadows and Stars: a Symphony for Band,' premiered by the Belmont University Wind Ensemble on April 17, 2026. The composer will provide an analysis of the piece, discuss compositional processes, and outline the experience of learning to conduct one's own work with a collegiate ensemble. This presentation will include audio and video sample of rehearsal and performance, as well as images from the score.
Opposites Attract: The Melding Of Jazz Harmony And Pop Songwriting Sensibilities In The Music Of Norah Jones And Jamie Cullum, John Paciga
Composition/Recording Projects
Modern commercial songs have become increasingly difficult to categorize within a singular genre. This trend, as well as my own mixed musical background, inspired me to investigate the ways in which the seemingly disparate styles of pop and jazz can be synthesized. My research focuses primarily on how this synthesis is achieved in the musical works of Norah Jones and Jamie Cullum, two of the most successful crossover artists of the early 21st century. Drawing on musical elements from each of Jones's and Cullum's catalogs, I wrote and recorded five original songs. My analysis of these songs will help to …
An Analytical Study Of The Sound Design And Production Techniques Of Idm Artists, Robert C. Stevens
An Analytical Study Of The Sound Design And Production Techniques Of Idm Artists, Robert C. Stevens
Composition/Recording Projects
This paper analyzes the sound design and production techniques of IDM artists, and how these techniques can be incorporated into the process of writing commercial music.
Telling Stories Through Music—Music Without Words, Isabella Thomas
Telling Stories Through Music—Music Without Words, Isabella Thomas
Composition/Recording Projects
This paper explores the study of listening modes associated with music with lyrics and instrumental music without words. Studies are explained in depth with explanations to current culture and society. The history of Neoclassical and Minimalist music in discussed in relevance to American culture. This background information leads into the creation of my own original compositions and how i have been inspired by life and culture around me.
Modern String Writing In Various Styles, Se Young Ko
Modern String Writing In Various Styles, Se Young Ko
Composition/Recording Projects
The purpose of this project was to demonstrate the use of modern string writing in various styles. The project includes over 25 minutes of recorded original compositions, four pieces written for a string quintet (with bass) and one piece written for a piano quintet. The paper is organized in two parts. The first part discusses the composers and works that influenced this album. The second part is a compositional analysis of the album and how the influences for the music were appropriately used while the artist maintained his unique musical language. A production note is provided to explain the recording/mixing …
Compositional Practices In The Accompaniment Of Celtic Trad Music, Mason Taylor
Compositional Practices In The Accompaniment Of Celtic Trad Music, Mason Taylor
Composition/Recording Projects
n this research paper, I look at how traditional Irish folk musicians—“Trad” as it is commonly referred to by musicians in the style––approach, think of, and perform accompaniment, specifically the contrapuntal style that is common amongst mandolin and bouzouki players. Trad has evolved greatly over the years. Originally, Trad was performed without any form of accompaniment—no guitar, no piano, no cello. Many solo instruments, such as the flute and the fiddle, would play the same melody with the only harmony occurring at moments where performers would momentarily diverge from the melody with an improvised ornament. Somewhere along its varied history, …
Indistinct Personalities: The Threads Between Modern Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, And Gospel Guitar And Production, Tahina A. Fiaferana
Indistinct Personalities: The Threads Between Modern Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, And Gospel Guitar And Production, Tahina A. Fiaferana
Composition/Recording Projects
As a guitarist in the world of commercial music, part of the job is to be able to play and cover as many styles and genres as possible. In a world in which the lines between genres are continually being blurred, this skill becomes even more valuable. Modern hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and gospel music are perfect examples of this. While these genres are constantly bringing new innovations to the music scene, they are also very clearly influencing and collaborating with each other. When looking at modern artists such as Robert Glasper, Tye Tribbett, H.E.R, Victoria Monet, Butcher Brown, Flying Lotus, …
Aardvark: A Solo Guitar Album, Jeffrey W. Buchanan
Aardvark: A Solo Guitar Album, Jeffrey W. Buchanan
Composition/Recording Projects
In this production paper, I discuss the entire process of creating my debut solo guitar album, Aardvark. There are ten songs on the albums, eight of which are originals and two of which are arrangements of existing music for solo guitar. Each chapter focuses on a specific song and dissects all elements that went into its creation, including the composition process, the type of guitar used, theoretical analyses, and any technical roadblocks I had to overcome. Several of my influences for the music on this album include Ted Greene, Bill Evans, Francisco Tárrega, Dream Theater, and music from the video …
Effect Of Selective Memory And Use Of Triangulation To Critique Songwriting, Maxwell A. Ramsey
Effect Of Selective Memory And Use Of Triangulation To Critique Songwriting, Maxwell A. Ramsey
Recital Papers
The cowriting of three successful popular songs is reconstructed through blind interviews with each of the contributors. In addition to insights into the actual compositional aspects, the interview questions were designed to reveal what role music industry executives may have played in arranging, inspiring, or promoting the songs throughout their journey to find success. The process of triangulation was applied to the interview answers in accordance with previous successful qualitative research methods to uncover the decisions and techniques that proved pivotal in best serving the respective song idea. The ultimate success of the songs is examined through chart and sales …
Creativity And Organic Songwriting: A Deconstruction Of Original Songs, Pramuk Mohanlal-Vargas
Creativity And Organic Songwriting: A Deconstruction Of Original Songs, Pramuk Mohanlal-Vargas
Composition/Recording Projects
Creativity and organic songwriting define uniqueness and are the building blocks of artistic self-expression. This paper consists of a deconstruction of eight original song recordings including the organic songwriting methods and creative ideas which led to the end result. The formulation of each recording is discussed in chronological order and in detail as well as influential ideas and songwriting styles of well-known contemporary artists such as Damien Rice, Passenger and Bon Iver. Along with individual and psychological approaches to songwriting, production elements are mentioned which indicate how the digital world influenced the final version of each song. This area relied …
The Influence Of Strings In Gospel And Contemporary Christian Music: The Role Of The Instrument And The Producer, Kelsei Peppars
The Influence Of Strings In Gospel And Contemporary Christian Music: The Role Of The Instrument And The Producer, Kelsei Peppars
Composition/Recording Projects
This paper will examine the use of strings (with an emphasis on the violin) in early Gospel music, contemporary Gospel music, and Contemporary Christian Music. The purpose of this research is to analyze the role of the violin and strings in these genres of music, while also analyzing the technical and melodic aspects of the instrument and music that are present within these specific genres, both historically and presently. Furthermore, the technical aspects and processes of production (writing and arranging, booking, creating, contracting, producing, and performing) will be explored and discussed. This project will Display and describe the use of …
Creating A Seven-Track Project In Diverse Commercial Styles, Steven Schumann
Creating A Seven-Track Project In Diverse Commercial Styles, Steven Schumann
Composition/Recording Projects
This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the production process for a commercial instrumental album featuring the cello as the prominent instrument. The project includes over 25 minutes of recorded material, with approximately half recorded in a home studio setting and the other half recorded in a professional studio environment. The paper covers various aspects of music production and audio technology, geared towards musicians who have received formal performance training but may lack similar education in music production.
A History Of Bass Guitar Effects Pedals: Liner Notes, David Lloyd
A History Of Bass Guitar Effects Pedals: Liner Notes, David Lloyd
Composition/Recording Projects
This project examines bass effect-pedal technology and the lineage of recordings that have made use of such equipment. The timeline of bass pedal recordings and artists that used them range from modern day session players to The Beatles. A well rounded list of effects most frequently used on bass guitar include octave, fuzz/distortion, chorus, phaser, and envelope filter based processors, and this paper examines multiple songs from commercial music history that utilize one or more of these effects on bass guitar. These songs include ‘Think For Yourself’ by The Beatles, ‘For the Love of Money’ by The O’Jays, ‘Something About …
Windows Into Jazz, Nicholas T. Bilski
Windows Into Jazz, Nicholas T. Bilski
Composition/Recording Projects
This project is a culmination of multiple different genres of jazz music in multiple different stylistic arrangements. Each chapter tells the story of its respective piece and how that piece came into existence.
An Analysis Of Common Music Production Elements From The 1980s: Highlighting The Musical Influences Of Michael Jackson, Prince, And Madonna, Marcus Perry
Composition/Recording Projects
This production paper analyzes the impact the music technology used in the music productions of Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna has had on today's music. The history and application of music technologies such as the Yamaha DX7 and LinnDrum are discussed at length. The music of the 1980s era played a significant role in inspiring how music sounds in the 2020s decade, and the music production elements used by Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna can still be heard today
Cello In Film And Television Music, Annastasia M. Yoshida
Cello In Film And Television Music, Annastasia M. Yoshida
Composition/Recording Projects
Throughout the ages, the cello has had a specific role in symphonies, operas, musicals, and pop concerts. In the last century, one of the fastest-growing music practices has been soundtracks to film and television shows. String instruments and specifically the cello hold an integral role within this type of music. In this project I present a study on the use of the cello in film and television show music, using eight representative soundtrack cues. In this project, I seek to do an extensive study of the use of cello within film and TV show music. I have chosen a selection …
Same As It Ever Was: An Exploration And Demonstration Of Techniques For Repurposing And Modernizing Advanced Musical Vocabulary In Mainstream Commercial Music, Aidan Scrivens
Composition/Recording Projects
In the market for tertiary level commercial music education, educators find themselves pulled between students' commercial stylistic interests and the seemingly incommensurable genres better suited to exploring advanced theoretical concepts and vocabulary. This divide can lead to a motivational deficiency in a student that, in turn, can hinder their development and render their collegiate experience less worth the expense. In the interest of combating this potential motivational deficiency, this recording project and accompanying paper explores and demonstrates the process of modernizing and recontextualizing material found in these less commercially mainstream genres. By adapting vocabulary and approaches learned from the transcription …
Co-Writing Nashville Style: A Recital Of Selected Country Songwriters, Joseph H. Wandass Iv
Co-Writing Nashville Style: A Recital Of Selected Country Songwriters, Joseph H. Wandass Iv
Recital Papers
Country music and songwriting have been hallmark features of the Nashville music scene for well over a century. Due to the development of the concept of "the Nashville Dream," the idea that one can "make it" in music by moving to Nashville and writing songs, migratory patterns to Nashville from across the United States have changed the ways in which Nashville-based music is created and disseminated. In the thesis and accompanying recital, these trends are analyzed through the lens of ten selected active Nashville songwriters who have seen these trends. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree …
Production As Analysis In Commercial Music Recordings, Simeon P. Church
Production As Analysis In Commercial Music Recordings, Simeon P. Church
Composition/Recording Projects
Since the 1960s, scholarship of popular music in the fields of musicology and music theory has blossomed (Kajanová 2013). The inclusion of the social sciences and humanities in music analysis has allowed for new methodologies in commercial music analysis. Although new methodologies have been developed around popular song analysis, they are notably absent in the field of music production (Blake 2012, 1). In this thesis, I will assert that music production is an under-explored facet of commercial music that offers abundant opportunities for analysis.
Reborn: The Documentation And Processes Of A Fusion Project, Natalie Merrill
Reborn: The Documentation And Processes Of A Fusion Project, Natalie Merrill
Composition/Recording Projects
Many musicians aim to create something new, fresh, unprecedented, unpredictable. They seek uniqueness, attempting to create a sound that will be traced back to their work as music history progresses. As they work to find their distinct voices, musicians spend years trying to find their right sound, hoping it will leave a legacy of music tied to their original creativity. Composition, when based on various musical influences, is an incredible tool for the musician because it can bring together styles – and more importantly, people and cultures – from all over the world. The chapters of this paper tell the …
Exploring The Chromatic Harmony And Tonal Organization Of Casey Crescenzo, Nicholas Veine
Exploring The Chromatic Harmony And Tonal Organization Of Casey Crescenzo, Nicholas Veine
Student Theses
Much of western music harmony study considers repertoire only from the classical canon and so-called "jazz standards." While this pursuit is noble, much more can be gleaned from musical theoretical study expanding the repertoire into progressive rock. "Prog" has pioneered the modern usage of chromatic harmony, especially 4ths-based movement, and subdominant harmony, as well as the natural expansion of the ideas of chromatic mediants and transformational theory. This paper specifically highlights the usages of these extended harmonic techniques in the music of Casey Crescenzo, primary writer/composer for the rock band: The Dear Hunter.
Grrrls, Grrrls, Grrrls: Incorporating Feminist Theory Into Punk Rock Composition, Bryan M. Waring
Grrrls, Grrrls, Grrrls: Incorporating Feminist Theory Into Punk Rock Composition, Bryan M. Waring
Composition/Recording Projects
This project argues that one can make rock music with anti-sexist values by incorporating feminist criticism and gendered performance into the composition of punk rock music. To test this thesis, the history of feminism and its implementation within musical discourse were examined. Using feminist music theory as a lens for observation, several songs from female artists and mix-gender bands within the punk genre were analyzed. This was done in order to find similarities in compositional practices and to explore punk rock’s symbolic representations of gender. Areas covered were the expression of jouissance by the proto-punks, the use of détournement by …
The “Sing Me A Story” Project: A Study Of Songwriting And Its Impact On The Disabled, Camden M. Diver
The “Sing Me A Story” Project: A Study Of Songwriting And Its Impact On The Disabled, Camden M. Diver
Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects
The “Sing Me a Story” project is an initiative with the purpose to explore the therapeutic effect of songwriting on young adults with disabilities. With sessions taking place over the course of several weeks, the project is inspired by my own experience and incorporates research on the ever-growing field of music therapy. Participants are invited to join me for co-writing sessions where they will help write a song that expresses their original ideas and emotions. As we get to know one another and the songs are written, the goal is for participants to experience greater confidence in conveying and communicating …
Hard Feelings: A Musical Exploration Of Plutchik's Primary Human Emotions, Sarah Killian
Hard Feelings: A Musical Exploration Of Plutchik's Primary Human Emotions, Sarah Killian
Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects
The purpose of this project was to explore Robert Plutchik’s eight primary human emotions - joy, sadness, trust, disgust, fear, anger, surprise, and anticipation - through three musical lenses: key selection and chord/rhythm choices; lyrics; and production and arrangement choices made for each of the eight demo recordings.
Teaching Songwriting And Incorporating Popular Music In Beginning Group Piano, Sarah Andrews
Teaching Songwriting And Incorporating Popular Music In Beginning Group Piano, Sarah Andrews
Student Theses
This thesis examines how incorporating popular songwriting is an effective way to teach keyboard skills to music majors in a traditional undergraduate music school. Basic keyboard skills taught in group piano are similar to the skills used in writing and performing a popular song. Connecting students to popular music inspires students and keeps them motivated to practice keyboard skills that are more tedious but considered necessary for learning the instrument. This thesis is divided into two parts. Part I offers the history of pedagogical trends in group piano from the eighteenth century until present day, focusing specifically on practicality, improvisation, …