Music Pedagogy Commons^™

Polyrhythmic Pathways: Using Bimanual Coordination Research To Develop A New Framework For Practice, Performance, And Pedagogy, Christian Swafford

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This study reviews and compares percussion literature pertaining to polyrhythms and scientific literature pertaining to bimanual coordination. There exists a gap in the pedagogical approach to polyrhythms, and there is much disagreement between common instructional methods, especially when considered against the findings of several bimanual coordination studies. The purpose of this study is to reveal insight to the percussion community that the learning of polyrhythms is facilitated by the brain in novel ways, and the uniqueness of this learning process requires a rethinking of the current pedagogical approach. Percussion articles, method books, popular literature, and music scores are surveyed alongside …

From Words To Grammar And Grammar To Speech: A Practical Analysis Of Charlie Parker, University Of Denver

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Today, there exists a respectable body of work analyzing the music and life of Charlie Parker. Parker left behind around 900 recordings, a prolific body of work. There remains a great deal of solos to be transcribed and studied although there is much research examining hundreds of Parker solo transcriptions and proffering pedagogy to be used by the student of jazz improvisation in order to learn how to improvise within the musical language of Charlie Parker. Scholars have not paid a great deal of attention to how to synthesize the various research and pedagogies into a methodical guide for the …

Adult Recreational Music-Making And Its Place In Piano Pedagogy: An Examination Of The Value Of Rmm To Both Student And Teacher, Jen Bowlds

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

This project aims to answer the following research question: How can the piano pedagogy community embrace the Recreational Music Making movement to expand its reach among adults and transform the piano teacher’s sense of professional satisfaction and career sustainability? I will examine the opportunities that exist within piano pedagogy and the growth potential for RMM as a valuable pedagogical approach for adult group piano classes. As is routinely used in strategic business planning, a SWOT analysis will be conducted to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the RMM movement within the piano pedagogy field. A relatively new (and …

The Kodály Method: Valid Or Missing The Mark For Developing A Musicking Musician?, Maggie Johnston

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

In the ever-evolving world of music education, a handful of “methods” have been identified as favorites, mainly Orff, Suzuki, Dalcroze, and Kodály. These are used in whole or in part in classroom and private music instruction, based on an expected understanding that they produce results. However, these methods are often used without regard for the quality of their delivery, and are relied upon without consideration for the context in which they are delivered. Many music educators are speaking up and analyzing their own teaching, conducting studies, and bettering their understanding of the principles behind these methods. It is from this …

Observed Internal Mechanisms Of Clarinet Performance: Annotated Bibliography, Michael Dirnberger

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Woodwind instrumental pedagogy is a complex and broad field of study, and its traditions and misconceptions of teaching and playing are deeply ingrained in our modern methods of instrumental pedagogy. These lingering misunderstandings within our teaching traditions turn people away from the practice of instrumental music-making and hold others back from reaching their true potential. Comparing the observed physical realities of performing musicians with the physical effect produced by some of the most popular tools in clarinet pedagogy has revealed that the syllabic guide to pedagogy is not always using the most optimal syllables to guide students in the right …

How Theories About Instrumental Practice Strategies In Western Music Evolved Since The 1700'S: A Select Annotated Bibliography, University Of Denver

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

As music teachers, we introduce our students to a variety of methods for learning their instrument. In addition, it is necessary to impart wisdom on how to practice those methods and strategic ways to approach the learning and preparing of pieces for performance.

This paper will endeavor to compare and contrast how those strategies and techniques have evolved over the past 300+ years to better understand what practice strategies are “tried and true”, which have been discarded over time, and what has been added to the pantheon of strategies and scientific studies as performance practice and our understanding of psychology …

Addressing Negative Conditions In A Voice Studio: How Could Mindfulness Be Used As A Pedagogical Method Of Voice Teaching In The Context Of The Master-Apprentice Relationship?, University Of Denver

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

The proposed research paper will evaluate the negative aspects of the master-apprentice model in voice studios. The master-apprentice relationship has been a traditional style of teaching since the bel canto school of Italy in the 16^th century and continues to be a foundation of voice teaching today. However, with the development of education and technology, vocal instruction/pedagogy has evolved tremendously. Offering new approaches and philosophies of teaching in the field of music. The teaching of mindfulness in the voice studio has become a popular topic in music education. Along with awareness, mindful practice has given students the opportunity to …

Belonging And Banding Together: Perspectives And Insights Of Newly Recruited Ell Musicians, Edward Luckey, Edward Luckey, Edward Luckey

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to bring forward the lived experiences of English Language Learner (ELL) musicians who were new to the band program as of the Spring of 2021. This study was born out of previous coursework and reflection where it became apparent that more must be done to provide access to our band program for students who are in our ELL program. Therefore, the research question that guides this study is “What are the lived experiences of ELL band students?” The methodology is primarily a pursuit of the stories and lived experiences of the ELLs via a …

The Significance Of Sonic Branding To Strategically Stimulate Consumer Behavior: Content Analysis Of Four Interviews From Jeanna Isham’S “Sound In Marketing” Podcast, Ina Beilina

Student Theses and Dissertations

Purpose:
Sonic branding is not just about composing jingles like McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It.” Sonic branding is an industry that strategically designs a cohesive auditory component of a brand’s corporate identity. This paper examines the psychological impact of music and sound on consumer behavior reviewing studies from the past 40 years and investigates the significance of stimulating auditory perception by infusing sound in consumer experience in the modern 2020s.

Design/methodology/approach:
Qualitative content analysis of audio media was used to test two hypotheses. Four archival oral interview recordings from Jeanna Isham’s podcast “Sound in Marketing” featuring the sonic branding experts …

A Poet's Voice: Music In Service To Poetry: Elements Of Text Painting In Juliana Hall's Song Cycle "How Do I Love Thee?", Hayley Z. Coughin

Dissertations, 2020-current

American composer Juliana Hall has established a reputation as one of the leading composers of contemporary American art songs, having composed over 60 song cycles, totaling over 300 works for the voice. Hall’s song cycle How Do I Love Thee? expresses a narrative arc told through five selections from Victorian-era poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese. The poems selected include Sonnet 3: “Unlike,” Sonnet 43: “How Do I Love Thee?,” Sonnet 37: “Pardon,” Sonnet 21: “Say Over,” and Sonnet 41: “Thank You.” Hall’s cycle describes the relationship between the lover and the object of their love, including …

Remedial Rhythm Reading: A Semester-Long Project In Sixth Grade Band, Hannah Fisher

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted student outcomes in all disciplines, but especially in the performing arts. As I began clinical teaching, I found my sixth-grade band students, particularly the students not involved in choir (my “small band”), lacked the music literacy and fluency expected for second-year band students. I designed a one semester rhythm-reading unit to address this issue. The overall objective for the unit follows:

“Students will be able to read, write, perform, and compose rhythms containing whole notes, half notes, dotted-half notes, dotted-quarter notes, quarter notes, paired eighth notes, single eighth notes, paired sixteenth notes, and corresponding rests …

A Performance Practice Guide For :Only.Just.Almost.Never For Solo Vibraphone By Jay Alan Yim, Dustin Ray Haigler

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

Currently, there exists little scholarship on Dr. Jay Alan Yim’s percussion music, and none exists for :only.just.almost.never for solo vibraphone. Establishing a performance practice guide will allow future percussionists a glimpse into the compositional process of Yim and allow them to expand their repertoire to include this challenging music. The purpose of this project is to create a comprehensive performance practice guide for :only.just.almost.never for solo vibraphone by Jay Alan Yim.

Resources Required

This project relies mainly on the score of :only.just.almost.never for solo vibraphone. I have also conducted multiple interviews with Yim regarding his compositional process, sketches, and …

A Synthesis Of Contemporary Music Composition Pedagogy Practices For The Undergraduate And Graduate Level Sequences, And An Exploration Of Time, Sound, And Space: An Aleatoric Event Score In Collaboration With The Lsu Museum Of Art, Jeremi Wayne Edwards

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two parts. The first part consists of a synthesis of contemporary music composition pedagogy practices for the undergraduate and graduate level sequences. A conversation of the study of music composition pedagogy is used to investigate current pedagogical practices in music composition and present those findings as a resource guide for new and future teachers. The second part presents an Exploration of Time, Sound, and Space, an Aleatoric Event Score Collaboration with the LSU Museum of Art. This event score is a product of the development of this dissertation commenced with a straightforward question; can we experience/consume …

Music Is The Intervention: The Intersections Of Music As A Therapeutic Activity In At-Risk Youth, Gladys H. Gonzalez Landaverde

Senior Honors Theses

Across the United States, public schools face many discrepancies in the quality and caliber of education that a student can expect to receive. While schools try to address the vast needs of students, many children and adolescents are unfortunately faced with choosing between prioritizing their education and the circumstances faced outside of the school day. The discrepancies in schooling range from the quality in the commonly accepted core curriculum like English and mathematics to the opportunities offered outside of traditional academia like music. Unfortunately, at-risk students are unlikely to have access to music education in the same ease as their …

Impact Of A Puppet On Music Performance Anxiety In Elementary Students, Jessica Nohner

Graduate Research Showcase

Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) is a common problem among musicians and has been shown to impact young children. There are many factors that may contribute to student feelings of MPA including perfectionism. Music educators are in a unique position and have a responsibility to assist students with MPA. While some strategies have been used to help individuals cope with feelings of MPA, music educators do not have researched strategies available to them which are easily implemented in general music classrooms. In music therapy and psychology, puppets have been used in work with children. In this study I research the use …

“This Rigid Curricular Way”: Evaluating Expectations In Collegiate Music Education, Sophie Ailsa Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conversations surrounding curricular reform are abound in music education today. Much of the literature on this topic explores how professors can adapt their teaching practices to the presumed needs of students in the classroom, but student voices are infrequently centered in these discussions.

This thesis examines the study of music in the collegiate setting from the student perspective. Using a survey which I designed and interviews that I conducted, I examine the disconnect between student values and those of the institutions they attend. I then put these student perspectives in conversation with existing literature.

I discovered that student experiences revolve …

Music Artists’ Online Streaming Business Strategies, Angela S. Arnold

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Music artists’ incomes are directly affected by online music streaming technology advancements. A lack of business strategy, when faced with online music streaming, can lead to an inability to maintain a steady revenue stream among music artists. Rooted in the conceptual framework of disruptive innovation, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore online streaming business strategies music artists use to maintain a steady revenue stream. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with six music artists in the New York City area who maintained a steady revenue stream in the past 5 years and focus group responses …

Tradition, Pedagogy, And Internet Open-Access Music Libraries, Erin Tallman

Pomona Senior Theses

In this paper I take up the topic of open-access digital music libraries, specifically the ways performance and pedagogical traditions interact with and are impacted by open-access or public domain sheet music libraries on the internet. I first consider how traditions of performance and pedagogy have become misaligned in the case of viola repertoire and its historical context. I then turn to questions of copyright on the internet and copyleft practices as they relate to internet open-access libraries such as IMSLP, finding that they often are simply a new medium through which to uphold existing patterns, despite their apparent potential …

Youth Musicians’ Executive Functioning And Its Impact On Emotional And Behavioral Health, Michael A. Tate

Dissertations and Theses

A growing body of neuroscience literature shows that music promotes brain development, as learning a music instrument involves multiple brain regions and neurocognitive systems. In partnership with a non-profit organization with a mission to strengthen New York City communities through music education programs, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of music training on children’s executive functioning (EF), as well as emotional and behavioral outcomes. We hypothesized that (i) children’s EF would develop more rapidly with exposure to the program; (ii) the intensity of practice would be associated with rate of growth of children’s EF, emotion regulation and behavior; (iii) …

Administrative Support For Music Education As Predictor Of Music Teacher Motivation, Tamara Myles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public school policies that prioritize the growth and success of core academic subject areas can lead to the neglect or devaluation of other subjects, including music education. Because school administrators act as enforcers of such policies, music teachers may perceive administrators as unsupportive, which may influence these teachers’ motivation. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which music teachers’ perception of principal support for music education predicted their self-reported motivation for teaching music. Maehr’s personal investment theory, which states that individuals exert greater effort on tasks that exhibit a higher likelihood of equal return, was the …

Introduction To Special Issue, Music In World Religions: A Response To Isabel Laack, Heather Maclachlan

Department of Music Faculty Publications

This article serves to introduce a special issue of Religions, titled Music in World Religions. A 2015 article by religion scholar Isabel Laack claimed that the study of music and religion has been neglected by Laack’s peers in the field of religions. Responding to Laack, I argue that scholars of music have been making important contributions to the study of music and religion and, indeed, have been addressing the twelve specific topics she highlights for decades. After summarizing academic works which respond to Laack’s twelve categories of inquiry, I introduce each of the articles in this special issue, showing that …

Editorial: Eudaimonia And Music Learning, Gareth Dylan Smith, Marissa Silverman, Dylan Van Der Schyff

John J. Cali School of Music Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

A Practical Theoretical Analysis Of Vincent Persicheti’S Serenade No. 12 For Solo Tuba, Davis Erickson

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

A document analyzing American composer Vincent Persichetti’s 1961 work for solo tuba titled Serenade No. 12 for Solo Tuba. The document comprises eight chapters. One each for the six movements of the work, an introduction providing biographical information on the composer and context for the work within art music of the mid twentieth century, and a conclusion connecting the analyses of the six movements. Within each chapter on the six movements of the work there are theoretical analyses of the music as well as practical considerations for performers of the work to observe.

On Five Degrees: For Voice, Flute, Cello, Vibraphone And Piano, David Patterson, Tenbroeck Davison

Compositions of David Patterson

On Five Degrees (do si la sol fa - fa sol la si do) musically develops TenBroeck Davison's poem, The Five Degrees. Her song, Melancholy Nights, is an inlay at the composition's center.

The Five Degrees

The glance, the look.
The arms that open wide
to hold the moment - Melancholy Nights - and the kiss
in time. And then beyond. 
To glance, to look. Again.

Melancholy Nights

City lights they all astound me, 
and the noises still confound me 
since you've gone, it's been so long 
I can't recall a single song to take— 
nights that always …

Beyond The Notation: Developing Tools To Guide Artistic Decisions Of Performers In The Wind Ensemble, Brent Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Music is a subjective art form that is enhanced by emotional connection and understanding of the relationship of line and phrasing to both the performer and the audience. Performers and conductors are charged with making artistic decisions about the expressive qualities of a phrase within moments of seeing the notation for the first time. In the development of wind ensembles, there is often a disconnect between the technique and accuracy of a musician’s performance and the emotional connection and understanding required to perform a lyrical melody or phrase within a piece of music. As musicians progress, often the attention is …

The Effects Of Improvisation In Beginning Musical Instruction On Music Literacy, Brandon Tyson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Teaching is a skill that has many different techniques and strategies. Each instructional strategy is valid for giving the student the opportunity to learn. In the 1993 article “Improvisation is the Manifestation of Musical Thought,” Azzara states that improvisation is a spontaneous expression of musical concepts. Many have used improvisation to bring knowledge together and synthesize the content. Improvisation is a tool that can be utilized at any point in the educational process. Opportunities for improvisational play gives students personal experiences on leading to skill development in listening and performing of the skills. After a solid foundation of performance ability …

Fostering Music Performers In The 21st Century: A Contemporary Professional Perspective Toward A New Curricular Agenda For Graduate Study In Music, Andre Januario

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

What if the core curriculum for graduate students in music performance were designed to prepare students to succeed in the world of the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

This dissertation offers a hypothetical answer: a structured and systematic academic curricular framework for music graduate students of performance of concert music (especially those in terminal degrees, such as doctoral students), along with music instructors, professional music performers, school administrators, and college professors, seeking to prepare such students for achieving and maintaining a music career more in keeping with the current work environment, especially those skills demanded by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the …

Touching Light: A Framework For The Facilitation Of Music-Making In Mixed Reality, Ian Thomas Riley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Drawing upon the historical development of analog and digital technologies alongside the proliferation of computer-assisted performance practices, this research seeks to develop a framework for integrating Mixed Reality applications to live musical performance, specifically through the creation of a Microsoft HoloLens 2 Mixed Reality application in order to facilitate a live performance of an original musical composition for percussion and real-time Mixed Reality environment. Mixed Reality enables a performer to interact with virtual (holograms, VSTs, etc.) and physical (vibraphone, tuned drums, microphones, etc.) objects simultaneously. Tandem to the development of the conceptual framework was the composition of an original score …

The Future In Their Imaginations: Music And Robotics School Holidays Program For School-Aged Children, Adam Manning, Amelia Bessenyei, Helen English

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This report reflects on an exploratory STEAM workshop at the University of Newcastle, School of Creative Industries, Conservatorium of Music, Australia. Twenty-six middle school-aged students attended the two-day workshop. On the final day, students presented an immersive concert for parents and friends, showcasing creativity, innovation and teamwork. Interestingly, Lego robots were employed as a physical tool through which music-making students interacted with each other and built attributes of creative engagement. These attributes were measured via the Six C’s established by Bers comprising: (1) Collaboration; (2) Community Building; (3) Communication; (4) Content Creation; (5) Creativity; and (6) Choices of Conduct. This …

Revamping The Guitar Curriculum: Adapting Piano Methods And Theory To Apply To The Guitar, Brian Cummings

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In this paper I will discuss the importance of a well rounded pedagogy for beginning guitar students. The existing piano pedagogy has courses outlining lessons and appropriate pieces correlated with lessons in technique, theory, ear training, sight reading, as well as other disciplines; the guitar has nothing like it to compare. I will also include a creative project including examples of piano lessons adapted for the guitar, including theory ideas using the fretboard, finding intervals on one string using half steps represented by the frets, and example pieces that offer a variety in genres, among other things. I will draw …