Music Education Commons^™

The Link Between Meditation And Effective Practice: Increasing The Pace Of The Acquisition Of Skill In Musical Practice, Caleb Cole

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to explore the idea of effective practice as being meditative in nature. Effective practice and meditation are both viewed independently, and elements of both are discussed. Meditation, in the literature, is viewed in different lights and is defined in many ways. This makes it difficult to nail down a single definition of meditation. The process itself is debated and several different categorizations are offered. Some research shows Unwanted Effects (UE) to meditation, but these concerns are not widespread. Meditation appears to be a healthy practice that may have health benefits. Effective practice is viewed next; Grit, deliberate …

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 …

Experience In Action: Incorporating Somatic Education Into The General Music Classroom, Amy N. Melton

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to introduce principles of somatic education to children grades kindergarten through grade five in order to prevent future music-related injury and to promote free, wholebody movement. To do so, the principals of somatic education, specifically those of the Alexander Technique and Body Mapping, were combined with the current general music pedagogies by altering pre-existing lesson plans. Alterations include a variety of methods of integration, including, but not limited to: teaching about and exploring the different parts of the body, understanding the relationships between seemingly unrelated body parts, and engaging in student-led constructive rest in the semi-supine position. …

Finding Home: Creating A Video Game Soundtrack, Samantha Chase

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this lecture recital was to reflect on the characteristics of video game music, how those characteristics were shaped through technological advancements in the industry, and how to apply them to composition. Due to the limitations of early video game technology and memory space, video game composers were extremely limited. Composers worked through these limitations by composing with limited range and timbres, looping, and extensive use of ostinato. Even though modern day composers are not faced with this challenge, many still rely heavily on these techniques as they have become iconic of video game music. Video game composers …

Music For Caroline: Including Students With Autism In The Elementary General Music Classroom, Meredith B. Dayoub

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose ofthis paper is to research and analyze the history ofspecial education, special education in music, and Autism. The goal is to provide elementary general music educators with a detailed understanding ofthe history ofspecial education and ways to modify lessons to accommodate students with special needs, specifically Autism. Through an analysis of special education history and the legislation that has impacted special education, music educators may find new ways to teach students of varying learning levels. Understanding the medical definition and characteristics of Autism should help educators modify existing lessons or develop new lessons that allow all students, including …

Breaking; Mending- A New Piece For Oboe And Chamber Orchestra, Jonathan Andrew Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Breaking, Mending- A New Piece for Oboe and Chamber Orchestra is an original composition for oboe and chamber orchestra that explores the role of narrative and historical reference and quotation in contemporary music. In Breaking, Mending, J.S. Bach’s Double Concerto for Oboe and Chamber Orchestra is quoted, manipulated and transformed into a new piece of music driven by a central, all-encompassing narrative. The piece was written for and performed by Dr. Susan Tomkiewicz and an orchestra consisting primarily of members of the CSU Honors College.

Deconstructing David Lang's The Anvil Chorus, Brandon M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Usually, when a piece of music is taken out of context, that is, when it is learned and performed without studying the piece, the composer, the musical genre, or the historical significance, the understanding of it for the performer is narrow and limited and the performance is less than ideal. This leads to a substandard realization of the music. Contrarily, a musician should integrate research with the learning process as to enhance the comprehensive understanding of the piece, which ultimately results in a high level of performance. This idea is important for the complex and extensive musical repertoire of the …

Examining Middle School String Students' Sight Reading Processes, Natalie J. Deen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to document, analyze the strategies and techniques being used, and explore the feelings and perceptions often sixth-grade string students while individually sight-reading over the course of 11 weeks. The students were presented with a five lesson unit on sight-reading that focused on different musical elements and presented the students with strategies and techniques to be used as a class and during individual tests. Each student took the Watkins-Famum Performance Test, form A as a pretest and posttest to the unit. Between lessons, each student took an individual sight-reading test which reflected the musical element …

A Systematic Analysis Of Risks To Adolescent Vocal Health, Debra P. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze risks that threaten adolescent vocal health. Qualitative interviews revealed risks associated with vocal over-use, lack of scientific vocal pedagogy, poor tonal ideals, inadequate choral procedures, and vocal difficulties in high school musical theater productions. Anonymous student surveys (N=60) from two rural high schools in West Georgia revealed over-use and lack of knowledge about chest voice singing as risky to adolescent vocal health. Anonymous choral director surveys (N=2) from the same high schools indicated that choral directors may be uncomfortable teaching chest voice production, allowing students to use their chest voice …

Exploration, Language And Application: An Approach To Teaching Beginning Instrumental Jazz Improvisation, Jeremy Todd Pownall

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide preservice and inservice teachers with an alternative approach to teaching beginning jazz improvisation to instrumentalists in a classroom setting. It was determined that there exists a need for an accessible (to both teacher and student) method for teaching beginning jazz improvisation to instrumentalists. This is due to the lack of emphasis on jazz improvisation at both the public school and university level, as well as the inclusion of improvisation in both the national and Georgia state standards for music performance. The teaching method presented in this study is based on previous research, …

An Examination Of College Flute Professors' Approaches To Improving Students' Intonation Skills, Kelly Theresa Cato

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine what methods college flute professors use to improve their students intonation skills and to highlight resources to aid future practices on the subject of intonation. The research questions guiding this study were (a) Do college flute professors teach students how to improve intonation skills? (b) What methods do college flute professors use to improve students' intonation skills? (c) What resources do college flute professors use in conjunction with teaching intonation? Research was conducted using a researcher-created online survey that was distributed to college flute professors throughout the United States. Findings suggested a …

An Analytical And Educational Survey Of Howard Hanson's Dies Natalis For Band, Emily Anne Spradley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine Howard Hanson's composition, Dies Natalis for Band, from both an analytical and an educational perspective. To accomplish this objective, research on Hanson's personal and professional development as a composer, teacher, advocator, and otherwise contributor to the field of music was executed, information on and within Dies Natalis for Band was investigated, and suggestions were made for educational techniques to employ when teaching this composition. The author suggests that more analysis using Hanson's own theoretical system on intervallic relationships may yield additional information on his thought processes in composition. Biographical information on Howard …

An Analytical And Educational Survey Of The Sacred Harp By David Liptak, Joshua Payne Howard

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will explore analytical and educational domains of The Sacred Harp by David Liptak. Influenced by the history and compositional techniques of shape note singing, the composition is a tribute to the past and current Sacred Harp singing conventions nationwide and the exuberance expressed within the shape note tradition. The structure and unique style of The Sacred Harp will be examined within the history of shape note singing. Part I of this thesis addresses the history of the Sacred Harp tune book and the shape note singing schools; Part II is a formal analysis of the composition and Part …

Bedford: Sun Paints Rainbows On The Vast Waves - A Historical And Analytical Perspective, Christian Eden Merchant

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will investigate "The Sun Paints Rainbows on the Vast Waves" by David Bedford with consideration given to analysis of the work itself, historical perspectives, and educational conceptions. The work was commissioned by the Huddersfield Festival of Contemporary Music with additional financial assistance provided by the Hinrichsen foundation. Composed between June and August of 1982, this is the first piece by Bedford in the wind band medium. Part I of this written project is a short biographical sketch of the composer, Part II addresses influences on David Bedford's style while simultaneously elaborating on the historical significance of the musical …

Shifting Slides: The Effect Of John Cage's "Solo For Sliding Trombone" (1957-58) On Modern Trombone Literature And Pedagogy, Andrew Michael Shelton

Theses and Dissertations

The trombone has a limited history concerning literature and technique development. A turning point for the literature of the trombone was with John Cage's Solo for Sliding Trombone. This composition brought about new techniques that would permeate throughout subsequent literature. These new techniques would also impact trombone pedagogy and accepted technique. This paper explains the impact Solo for Sliding Trombone had on the development of the instrument including literature and pedagogy.

Historically Informed Performance Practice Of The Baroque Era, Amanda Beard

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, much debate has ensued regarding the level of consideration that should be given to the historical context of musical compositions that were written and performed during the Baroque era, which extends from 1600 to 1750 CE. The question arises as to how closely we should strive to emulate the performance conditions that would have been present during the Baroque era. Robert Donington, an English musicologist and author of two definitive texts on Baroque performance practice, suggests in his Performer's Guide to Baroque Music that we can meet the expectations of the Baroque composers to a greater degree …

Interdisciplinary Teaching And Learning, Adonna Clark

Theses and Dissertations

In the early 1600's, the Pilgrims and the Puritans brought their musical traditions with them to establish a new life. The survival of their families depended upon their ability to provide food, shelter and clothing. Despite the challenges they faced, the colonists recognized the importance of educating their children. In 1642, the Massachusetts School Law was passed. It required town leaders to require parents to provide their children with an elementary education. Music training was not part of this newly required education. Due to the demands of life, the colonists were unable to nurture their musical abilities. Those who had …

An Analytical And Educational Survey Of Roger Boutry's Métachrome, Kimberly Renée Perkins

Theses and Dissertations

This project is an analytical and educational survey of Roger Boutry's Metachrome, a French wind band piece written in 2003. Part I of this project explores the history of modem French music. Part II is an analytical perspective of the composition. Part III presents a teaching approach, including teaching materials such as lesson plans, assignments, and rubrics. Part IV includes student handouts that coincide with the teacher lesson plans. Additional resources for the conductor can be found in the Appendix section.

A Beginning Teacher's Guide To Beginner Violinists, Anjuli Coe

Theses and Dissertations

In the following pages, the beginning teacher will find a guide to establishing a studio and ideas for teaching students. These ideas are meant to be a springboard for developing personalized organization and teaching tools for the violin studio. Ability to play the violin is not the only ingredient for a successful violin studio. Teaching the violin requires skill in understanding students and how they learn. It also requires a significant amount of planning, preparation, organization, and the setting of goals and objectives.

Beginner violinists may vary from a four-year-old with highly involved parents, to a professional trumpet player who …

Bassoon In The Baroque Era, Emily Spradley

Theses and Dissertations

Good afternoon! Welcome to my lecture recital. I hope you will enjoy learning about the bassoon in the Baroque era. This lecture focuses on the origins and developments of the Baroque bassoon, elements of Baroque style found in music for bassoon, and the application of those elements through Antonio Vivaldi's composition for bassoon, Concerto in G minor, Op. No. 23.

In the 1901 edition of his book, The Holy Cross and Other Tales, Eugene Field states:

If you have never beheld or heard a bassoon you are to understand that it is an instrument of wood, of considerable more length …

An Analytical And Educational Survey Of Kenneth Hesketh's Vranjanka, Alisha Marie Wooley

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will explore Kenneth Hesketh's "Vranjanka" in both analytical and educational domains. Timothy and Hilary Reynish commissioned this piece in 2005 in memory of their son William. Tim Reynish is the former conductor of the Royal Northern College of Music's Wind Ensemble. He has also been deeply involved with the Commissioning Project of the Royal Northern College of Music (1982-2002), which produced over seventy compositions for wind band, and the William Reynish Commissioning Project (2002-2007) that has commissioned over twenty works for wind band. The piece is based on the Serbian Folksong Sano Duso. Vranjanka, literally translated, means "from …

An Introduction To Baroque Ornamentation For Solo Trumpet Literature (1638-1709): A Preliminary Guide For Applied Trumpet Teachers, Adam Seth Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

This graduate music project is designed to be a pedagogical supplement for high school trumpet teachers who wish to incorporate baroque music into their curriculum. This document addresses the interpretation and execution of select ornaments during the years 1638-1709. The chosen ornaments include the appoggiatura. mordent, inverted mordent, and trill. These notated ornaments were selected based on their relative frequent use in Italian Baroque music. These ornaments are defined via prose and supplemented with musical examples that illustrate their original notation and execution. In addition, musical excerpts from composers such as Jan Krutel Jiri Neruda and Dominico Gabrielli will be …

Classical Guitar Instruction For The Pre-College Classroom, Blake Wuestefeld

Theses and Dissertations

This project is a curriculum for secondary guitar instruction. It consists of eight levels of study and is designed for the beginning to intermediate student. It has repertoire selections and explanations of the pedagogical validity of the works. These works were selected due to their cumulative and didactic nature and because of the specific technical issues they utilize. These technical issues are introduced gradually to ensure a student's steady and incremental progress in both technical and musical aspects.

The student executes exercises from such sources as Aaron Shearers: Learning the Classic Guitar, the Royal Conservatory of Music graded repertoire series, …

A Two-Year Classical Guitar Ensemble For Pre-College Educational Settings, Andrew Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Forty-seven classical guitar ensemble works of various styles have been selected and ordered sequentially with regard to both right and left-hand technical, notational, and ensemble concepts. An evaluation of each work's representation of the aforementioned concepts is provided with illustrated excerpts from the music scores. This collection of works is presented in a logical and sequential order to form a two year, classical guitar ensemble curriculum for pre-college educational settings.

A Comparison Of The Kodaly Methodology And Feierabend's Conversational Solfege, Aimee Noelle Peek

Theses and Dissertations

This paper compares and contrasts Zoltan Kodaly' s music methodology with John Feierabend's Conversational Solfege. Both systems for teaching music are founded upon similar philosophies and goals and emphasize singing in the classroom. Solfege, rhythmic syllables, and movement are incorporated in both methodologies. The order in which these solfege syllables and rhythmic meters are introduced to students differs between the two methods. The reasons behind this difference are discussed in detail. Folk music, the primary musical material utilized by both methodologies, is also examined.

All concepts in either the Kodaly method or Conversational Solfege progress through specific stages to ensure …

A Singer's Perspective On Recruitment, Auditioning, And Vocal Technique In The Choral Program, Lindsay Patten

Theses and Dissertations

Choral singing has been a part of culture for centuries. Choirs are comprised of singers with a near endless variety of experience levels in terms of training and technique. Three problems that face directors of choirs are: 1) How to recruit and retain students for their programs, 2) How to audition and structure, and 3) How to incorporate vocal technique into the choral rehearsal. In this paper I address some suggestions for recruitment that will touch on the ideas of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations as well as the basics of group vocal technique - breathing, tone, and diction, and …

The "Choral-Vocal Conflict": Explorations On An Established Problem With Offerings Of New Means For Improvement, Laura Anne Foster

Theses and Dissertations

Many students are exposed to both solo and ensemble vocal activities throughout their music education opportunities. For many years, there has been an unspoken conflict between vocal ensemble directors and private voice teachers as to the self-proclaimed, perceived importance of one practice over the other. This graduate music project will attempt to explore the ways this conflict materializes. It will outline the players in this conflict, the actions that fuel the conflict, as well as possible solutions to eliminate the "choral-vocal conflict".

Integrating Vocal And Musical Techniques In The Choral Rehearsal, William W. Rayfield Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The vocal warm-up is an aspect of the choral rehearsal which is many times seen as nothing more than a brief period in which a singer in an ensemble "warms''' his or her vocal mechanism in preparation for singing. It is also considered by many to be separate from the review of literature to be performed. However, if a conductor plans carefully for the warm-up period, it can serve to teach both vocal technique and the repertoire to be reviewed. There are numerous aspects of vocal technique that should be addressed during the choral warm-up. Among these is posture, breath, …

Redefining Multicultural Education And Its Applications In The General Music Classroom, Emily C. Hardwick

Theses and Dissertations

"Understanding music in relation to history and culture" is the ninth standard for music education developed by the National Association for Music Educators (MENC) in 1994 (Mark, 1996, p. 50). This principle is very broad and it is up to individual teachers to make sure they include history and multiculturalism in their curriculum. The term multicultural education is extensive and because many teachers do not understand what all it entails, some students do not get a comprehensive multicultural education.

In the general music class for example, teaching students a Japanese folk song is a typical multicultural lesson. I do not …

Rock, Rhythm, And Rap, Wayne Helmly

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis suggests an alternative approach to teaching general music/music appreciation to students in grades 7-12 that incorporates the history of rock and roll and pop music. An approach to teaching rhythm reading skills through rap music is also suggested using Rockin ' Rhythm Raps by Cheryl Lavender (1998). Rare is the student that has not been saturated with popular culture during most of his or her lifetime. The case is made that teaching what is relevant to students, namely the history of vernacular music, can contribute significantly to the development of music appreciation. Sixteen lessons are provided. These lessons …