Music Pedagogy Commons^™

Performing Methods Of Beethoven’S Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 61, Third Movement: “Rondo: Allegro”, Zike Qi

Dissertations, 2020-current

This document examines the third movement “Rondo: Allegro” of Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 by Ludwig van Beethoven, focusing on how structural relationships in the score are transformed into auditory experience through performance methods. Rather than treating performance as a direct reproduction of the text, this research understands it as a process in which structure becomes perceptible in time.

Combining structural analysis, recording comparison, and self-recording practice, the study interprets the movement within a rondo–sonata framework (A–B–A–C–A–B–A). It demonstrates that the rondo theme assumes different functions—presentation, transition, and development—depending on its structural position.

Through comparison of recordings by …

Measuring Administrative Hiring Confidence Of Music Teachers In The Context Of Shallow Hiring Pools, Aaron M. Strum

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and measure the confidence of K-12 administrators in hiring music faculty. This study also aimed to analyze administrators’ perspectives and confidence in key stages of the hiring process, including defining job expectations, posting, advertising, interviewing, and selecting highly specialized music teachers in K-12 settings. Confidence of K-12 administrators can be gauged through their understanding of how well an applicant aligns with the specific needs of the school’s program. Three research questions guided this investigation: (1a) How confident are K-12 administrators in their understanding of music teaching pedagogy when interviewing music teacher candidates …

From Osbcurity To The Stage: A Stylistic And Pedagogical Exploration Of The Four Concert Etudes By Mikhail Bukinik, Luis Bernardo Castro

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research examines Mikhail Bukinik’s 4 Konzertetüden (concert etudes) for solo cello through both a stylistic performance and pedagogical approach. Despite Bukinik’s historical presence as a cellist and composer, these specific works have fallen into obscurity and remain largely absent from the standard pedagogical and performance canon. The research has two primary objectives. The first is to reintroduce these works to the modern repertoire, focusing on dissemination and performance practice. This involves a stylistic analysis of the four etudes, culminating in a recorded live performance during the lecture recital and the creation of a professional studio recording to serve as …

Teaching Through Sound: Approaches To The Use Of Fixed Media In Pedagogical Viola Etudes, Roberto C. Mochetti Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the pedagogical possibilities of fixed media in newly composed viola etudes. While fixed media is commonly treated as accompaniment or as a performance medium, this project argues that it can also serve as an active component of technical and musical training. By providing stable and repeatable sonic environments, fixed media can support forms of listening, intonation, sound production, and performer awareness that are difficult to cultivate through traditional etudes alone. This argument responds to a broader pedagogical gap in string training, where long-established etudes and models of technical development remain central even as contemporary viola performance increasingly …

Counted In: Including Female Composers In Orchestral Horn Audition Repertoire, Hope K. Ayers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Institute of Composer Diversity and the Boulanger Initiative focus on music written by composers who have been historically excluded from the profession. The focal point of the Institute of Composer Diversity is discovery, study, and programming of such composers through its database and reports, while The Boulanger Initiative advocates for women and all gender-marginalized composers. Because of limited exposure, incomplete records, difficulty of procuring music, and identified bias, female composers’ orchestral works are underrepresented in orchestral programming. Professional orchestral horn audition repertoire is no different, with professional orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, only very recently including a …

Ai As A Creative Collaborator In Music: Exploring Human-Centered Innovation In Large Musical Contexts, Nicholas Caluori, Noah D. Taylor

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

AI-driven audio tools are reshaping musical creation, yet the most consequential shift is not automation of artistry but reconfiguration of collaboration, metacognition, and quality control within large ensembles. This paper examines how generative audio models, vocal synthesis platforms, and stem-splitting technologies can function as creative partners in music arranging and composition workflows, particularly in musical contexts where artistic coordination and interpretive judgment remain paramount. We position AI in music creation as analogous to the calculator in mathematics: widely available, efficiency-enhancing, and therefore unavoidable, while still requiring disciplined human oversight to preserve intent, style, and accountability. The paper surveys practical implementation …

H. C. Robbins Landon (1926-2009): A Brief, But Grateful Tribute, David Wyn Jones

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

Tribute honoring H. C. Robbins Landon on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Haydn’S Creation Challenge: A New Hypothesis About The Genesis Of Beethoven’S Ninth Symphony, Stefan Romanó

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

The article hypothesizes that Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was the product of his decision to take up the challenge that Haydn’s Creation had confronted him with since his youth.  Haydn’s oratorio was immensely popular in Vienna and Germany during Beethoven’s time, more popular than Beethoven’s own music.  It represented the golden standard of musical perfection for Beethoven himself, who strove to equal it, but repeatedly felt that he had not yet jumped over the Creation hurdle.  He took up the challenge in the years 1816-18, when he began designing the first movement of his Ninth, as a replica to the …

The High School Piccoloist: A Resource Guide, Rebecca Needham

Dissertations, 2020-current

This project aims to curate a piccolo resource guide for high school music educators and their students. Currently, there are limited pedagogical materials available for beginning piccoloists or their music educators, and these materials are primarily scattered across decades of The Instrumentalist and the now-defunct Flute Talk journals. In addition, future band directors are rarely required to study auxiliary instruments like the piccolo in their collegiate coursework. These two factors combine to create a detrimental situation: frequently, neither teacher nor student in a typical high school setting has appropriate resources to understand the instrument and its essential differences from the …

A Description Of Zhao Zhang’S Nature No. 2 And Xiaoxuan Xu’S An Unusual Feast Of East, Sicheng He

Dissertations, 2020-current

This research presents a new path in the development of Chinese music by aiming to incorporate both modern Western and ancient Chinese influences in form, texture, tonality, topic, and other dimensions of style and structure. Two Chinese composers whose recent compositions for the piano share similar characteristics: Zhao Zhang (b. 1964; Nature no. 2, 2013) and Xiaoxuan Xu (b. 1990; An Unusual Feast of East, 2022). The research will discuss how Zhao Zhang and Xiaoxuan Xu accomplish this fusion of old and new in their recent piano works Nature no. 2, (2013) and An Unusual Feast of East, 2022. …

The Effects Of Visual Supports On The Acquisition Of Guitar Chords, Cole S. Jahna

Thesis Projects

There is a current literature gap in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and music-based leisure activities. This study utilized a multiple-probe design to evaluate the effects of visual supports on the guitar fretboard combined with behavioral skills training (BST) to teach correct strumming and finger placement of three guitar chords (i.e., E, C, and G) to a neurodivergent adult. By using a task analysis, the strum and each individual finger placement were scored as correct or incorrect during each chord trial. Three chords that were under 50% accuracy in baseline were selected for the intervention. The intervention was introduced sequentially to …

Undergraduate Voice Students’ Understanding Of The Vocalize And Its Purpose, Natalie H. Bazemore

Honors College Theses

This research discusses undergraduate voice students' understanding of vocalizes and their purpose. To discuss this subject, a vocalize has been defined along with its purpose analyzed. By discovering what methods voice teachers are using to prescribe vocalizes tells us how they are educating their singers on developing technical singing skills. This research was collected through a survey conducted in Qualtrics and was shared via social media voice teacher forums and collegiate music settings. This 5-10 minute long survey included participants that are either undergraduate voice students or undergraduate voice teachers. The teachers and students completed different surveys, both asking about …

Embracing Versatility: A Guide To Preparing Undergraduate Saxophonists For The Modern Job Market, James B. O'Donnell

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Instrumentalists who enter their undergraduate degrees in music performance often spend most of their degree focusing on their primary instrument with the hope of finding a career in their chosen discipline. However, a review of current job vacancies (university positions, military bands, and pit orchestras) show that saxophonists are often expected to have ample experience in not only jazz and classical saxophone performance, but also a working knowledge of multiple woodwinds (flute, clarinet, and occasionally double reeds) to be competitive for work. This reality can be daunting for students who enter their undergraduate program with only a basic knowledge of …

The Essence Of The Heart: Layered Human Experience In Eva Jessye’S My Spirituals, Jessica Brunet

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Much of the spiritual repertory has been transcribed as documentation of purely melodic and lyrical content, and many songs have been arranged by some of the greatest figures in twentieth- and twenty-first century music history, including Harry T. Burleigh, Hall Johnson, Margaret Bonds, and Jacqueline B. Hairston. On this roster of luminaries is Dr. Eva Jessye (1895-1992).

If Eva Jessye is remembered at all, it is typically in the context of her role as choral director for the original production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (1935). Among a litany of other accomplishments, however, Dr. Jessye also published a collection of …

Analytical Commentary And Performer's Guide To Carlos R. Martinez's Four Pieces For Trombone, Bailey Jean Hardy-Price

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Musicians with hearing loss are documented in prominent figures, such as Ludwig van Beethoven. In the age of developing medical technology, hearing aids can turn the course for many musicians. Music can serve as an audio medium for this journey.

Carlos R. Martinez (b. 1978) is an active composer and pianist commissioned to create a piece that explores the journey of hearing loss in a musician. Martinez’s Four Pieces for Trombone and Piano illustrate a musician’s discovery of their hearing loss, its consequences, and joy in implementing the use of a hearing aid. The detailed discussion of the composer and …

Graded Repertoire For Violin By Latin American Composers: Pedagogical Analysis And Categorization Of Selected Pieces, Irene Guerra Rudas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Repertoire sequences have evolved from a collection of technical studies into a comprehensive educational framework. This research aims to enhance the integration of innovative pedagogical materials by identifying, analyzing, and categorizing works originally composed for violin by Latin American composers. These works are assessed for their suitability within a structured violin curriculum and organized into graded levels, ranging from elementary to advanced.

Each selected piece is evaluated according to pedagogical parameters commonly used in established violin teaching traditions. These parameters include pitch range, rhythmic complexity, bow strokes, length, stylistic diversity, musical language, and the historical and cultural relevance of both …

Challenges And Opportunities In Adult Group Piano Pedagogy, Sarah Faulk

Student Scholar Symposium

Poster presentation describing one teacher's experience and observations of adult group piano teaching. This addresses challenges and making the most out of the opportunities presented.

Corporeality In Choral Sound: Elements Of Consonant Diction Shaping Pre-Expressive Presence, Perceived Clarity, And Expression In English-Language Choral Music, Addison Walton

Dissertations, 2020-current

The genesis of this project stems from a lived experience performing with a professional choir, whose sung physical shaping of the English language—its crystalline clarity, profound expressivity, and the pre-expressive elements inherent in the delivery—was deeply and viscerally compelling. This overwhelming reaction was in response to their bodies; specifically, the sound their bodies produced that evoked a sense of corporeality, or tangible bodily presence. There was beauty to be found in the way their mouths physically formed the language, both within and removed from the semantic context.

This study sought to acknowledge those fleeting, pre-expressive moments in choral music and …

Haydn's Canonic Minuets, James S. Mackay

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

Haydn composed many hundreds of minuets during his long career, enriching the courtly dance with compositional skill and ingenuity. One of the ways in which he sought to elevate the minuet genre was through contrapuntal artifice, including canon. The famous “Hexenmenuett” (“Witches’ Minuet”) from his “Quinten” Quartet, Op. 76 no. 2, dating from 1797, is the most famous of these works, in which the viola and cello duplicate the leading voice of violins I and II at the distance of an octave. Haydn’s interest in canonic minuets dates back to the early 1760s, however. Minuets from three early symphonies (Nos. …

Learning How To Practice Takes Practice, Micah Killion, Robert Duke

John J. Cali School of Music Scholarship and Creative Works

Effective music learning depends on effective music practice. Although time spent with teachers is an important component of young musicians’ development, time spent alone practicing is perhaps even more consequential. Researchers and teachers have offered many prescriptions about effective music practice, yet observations of young musicians’ actual practice reveal that their behavior in the practice room is often quite unlike what teachers envision. The most important aspects of effective practice are the thinking, perceiving, and decision-making that serve to organize how musicians spend their time. We discuss how to help students focus their attention in ways that lead to the …

Tradition, Individuality, And Innovation In Western Classical Music Performance: A Quantitative Analysis Of Bach’S Fourth Cello Suite Prelude, Clare Monfredo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Why do we seek out new performances of a commonly performed piece of music? An essential tradition of Western classical music (WCM) is the performance of canonical works by composers, an activity that requires the interpretation and execution of written scores by individual performers. In this practice, performers are not only expected to determine the composer’s “intentions,” but also somehow (paradoxically) share these in a “unique” performance interpretation. In musical education, performers are trained by teachers to create these “unique” interpretations by learning how to intuit composers’ intentions in a system that passes down interpretative traditions through master-apprentice one-on-one lessons. …

Integrating World Percussion Into Graduate Jazz Training: A Practitioner Reflection, Eugene Seow

Publications and Research

This reflection explores the pedagogical and artistic impact of a non-traditional instructional choice made during the author’s final semester of graduate study at Queens College (CUNY). Initially enrolled in the Jazz Studies: Performance Track (Drum Set), the author elected to substitute formal principal study lessons with a personalised programme of world percussion study under Professor Michael Lipsey. This decision, initially motivated by artistic restlessness, led to foundational experiences in frame drumming, South Indian rhythmic structures, gamelan ensemble, and classical snare etude work. The outcomes of this shift have since permeated the author’s teaching, performance, and curriculum development practice, including the …

Reimagining Musical Collaboration: Ai And Music Real-Time Communication (M-Rtc), The Future Of Musical Creativity, Dana Kemack Goot

Journal of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction

This project explored the intersection of Music Real-Time Communication (M-RTC), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) in online musical collaboration. Presented at the 2023 National CMS/ATMI conference, the project served as a preliminary inquiry into how online musicking technologies impact human-to-human interactions and sought out the capabilities in creativity in music technology. The live performance featured three musicians performing from different geographic locations using an AI-generated composition and an AI-powered accompaniment application. The project demonstrated the creative potential of integrating AI and ML into M-RTC, expanding the possibilities for remote collaboration, composition, and performance. The musicians navigated both the …

Friends And Family: How To Prepare A Themed Recital, Henry Broughton

University Honors Theses

Recital preparation is an essential part of being a successful musician that can be very challenging to students that are unfamiliar with the process. A recital that revolves around a theme can lead to greater audience engagement and make a sense of continuity to multiple pieces on a recital. Though there are countless method books to brass playing, very few of them discuss a method or process for organizing recitals, especially recitals revolving around a theme.

In this paper I will discuss the methods that I used to prepare my senior thesis recital: the techniques I used to practice difficult …

Kevin Bobo's Boboland: A Performer's Guide, Tyler D. Whitehead

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Kevin Bobo is an active American percussionist, educator, and performer that continues to leave a lasting influence in the percussion community. His works for chamber percussion ensemble and solo marimba continue to push the limitations for percussionists in terms of technical ability, new compositional methods and techniques for expanded timbral effects. Bobo’s compositions such as Boboland, a marimba solo with percussion quartet, present technical and musical challenges that are generally unaligned with traditional performance practices in percussion and especially the marimba. This document aims to provide detailed guidance and instruction for the performance of Boboland and will cover all aspects …

A Discussion Of Rodion Shchedrin’S Ten Piano Pieces, Op. 20, Wei Mo

Dissertations, 2020-current

Russian composer and pianist Rodion Shchedrin (b. 1932) is considered one of the most successful contemporary Russian composers. He established his reputation at a young age. This document will discuss Shchedrin’s early musical style as reflected in his Ten Piano Pieces, Op. 20, a collection of ten pieces composed between 1952 and 1961. By analyzing the structure, harmony, and character of these pieces, this document aims to explore the commonalities among them and explore the distinctive appeal of Shchedrin's music.

Elements Of Greek Identity In The Eight Dances From The Greek Islands By Yiannis Constantinidis, Afroditi Mitsopoulou

Dissertations, 2020-current

The purpose of this research is to present elements of Greek style and identity in the composition for solo piano, Eight Dances from the Greek Islands (Οκτώ Νησιώτικοι Ελληνικοί Χοροί, για πιάνο) (1954) by Yiannis Constantinidis. What is regarded as Greek national identity? How was it formed and developed throughout the centuries, and what compositional techniques did Greek composers before Constantinidis use in their works to define Greek identity? A topic examined in this document was the construction and deconstruction of Greek identity, and the question addressed was whether Greek identity can ultimately be defined. Constantinidis (1903-1984) was …

Move It! The Percussionist’S Guide To Developing Performance Skills And Emotional Connection, Shelby N. Shelton

Dissertations, 2020-current

What is this?

The primary goal of this book is to enable students to be more comfortable projecting emotionally to an audience through their body movement and touch while also providing lesson plans and support for the front ensemble instructor. We want this collection to be useful for a student alone in a practice room as well as in a large ensemble setting. There are 10+ activities with examples that encourage the student to dive deeper into the emotion of their piece. Each etude has curated exercises that develop necessary techniques used in the tune. Program/performance notes aid the student …

Don V Moses: In Memoriam, Michael Deane Lamkin, Michael E. Ruhling

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

The Haydn and music communities are saddened by the passing of Don V Moses on March 12 at age 88. Dr. Moses was a tireless conductor, scholar, and ambassador of Haydn music performance, and encouraged the forming of the Haydn Society of California and its expansion into the Haydn Society of North America. His legacy continues with the Eisenstadt Classical Music Festival which he founded in 1975 and which will celebrate its 50^th anniversary this coming August.

Idiosyncratic Approaches To Electronic Music-Making Through Mobile Technologies, Nick E. Wilson, Martin K. Koszolko

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

This paper examines the transformative impact of mobile technologies on electronic music-making, highlighting how portable apps and hardware enable idiosyncratic approaches beyond traditional live and studio setups. Drawing on the authors’ extensive experience within and beyond Clan Analogue—Australia’s longest-running electronic music collective—the research contrasts conventional configurations with innovative mobile instruments and apps. By analysing a range of tools, from budget-friendly synthesisers to advanced smartphone and tablet apps, the paper explores how mobile technologies foster new creative possibilities. Using qualitative methods, the authors integrate personal experiences and a broad examination of music equipment to investigate the setting-based mobile music creation model, …