Music Practice Commons^™

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.

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 …

A New Method For Teaching Classical Improvisation In The Wind Band, Eric Anthony Brewer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT A New Method for Teaching Classical Improvisation in the Wind Band

In recent years there has been a renewed interest in the pedagogy of music improvisation taught in the eighteenth century Neapolitan Conservatories.  This project continues that interest by introducing concepts from that pedagogy to the wind band classroom at the high school and collegiate levels.  A new method for wind band that teaches basic concepts in music improvisation and trains students in elements of music composition is presented along with rehearsal techniques for implementing that method.      The method introduces students to the elements of major and minor keys …

A Survey Of Disability-Inclusive K-12 Public School Music Programs In The United States Where Best Buddies Friendship Programs Have Been Established, Geena Louise Jeffries Mattox

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the presence and structural characteristics of disability-inclusive band, orchestra, and choir programs serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) in K-12 public schools across the United States that implement the Best Buddies School Friendship Program. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is defined as group of chronic, lifelong conditions that originate before age 22, affecting physical, learning, language, or behavior areas. Despite federal legislation, peer reviewed scholarship specifically addressing access to performance-based music ensembles for students with IDDs remain comparatively limited. Employing a survey distributed nationwide within a defined population of schools implementing Best Buddies Programs, administered via …

Reimagining The Reduction: A Pianist’S Guide To The Piano Reductions Of Korngold’S Violin Concerto And Vaughan Williams’S Tuba Concerto, Zhongyue Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Piano reductions are an essential medium through which collaborative pianists work with orchestral concertos. However, many existing reductions, particularly of 20th century works, hinder effective performance in terms of orchestral fidelity and feasibility of execution. The problem is twofold: reductions may contain technically cumbersome passages with diminishing musical returns; they may also omit or misrepresent important orchestral effects and textures. For these problematic situations, this work presents pianistic revisions that aim to preserve essential orchestral sound characteristics. Using the first movements of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Violin Concerto and Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Tuba Concerto as examples, this work demonstrates a systematic …

A Method For Beginners Volume 1: The Intersection Of The Yaqui Tribe And Guitar Pedagogy, Daniel Preciado Arreola

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This dissertation is divided into four chapters. The first is an introduction explaining the project; the second describes the Yaqui Tribe's background, significance, and musical traditions, primarily based on three sources: the thesis Sones de Pascola by Cristian Salvador Islas Miranda, the biographical book El Viaje de Mechabili by Daniel Librado Luna, and the album Juya Ánia. The third chapter details the methodological framework and development process used to construct the guitar method presented in Chapter 4. This fourth chapter consists of the first volume of an ongoing multi-volume guitar method—authored by me—focused largely on the melodies from the aforementioned …

A Technical And Performance Re-Examination Of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’S Escarramán, Op. 177: Beyond The Angelo Gilardino Publication. A New Performance Edition Of Gallarda, Daniel Monroy Reyes

Theses and Dissertations--Music

This dissertation provides a technical and performance-oriented re-examination of the first four movements of Escarramán: A Suite of Spanish Dances from the XVIth Century (After Cervantes), Op. 177, by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. It argues that the suite embodies a fundamental tension between the composer’s original compositional and structural intentions and the ergonomic limitations of the guitar, and evaluates the proposed solutions by Angelo Gilardino in the 1979 Bèrben edition.

This research employs a comparative, practice-led framework to address the paradox of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s non-idiomatic writing. Its primary contribution is the development of a performance synthesis that maintains harmonic integrity while enhancing …

Cantate Fratres: Forming And Sustaining Traditional Catholic Music, Liturgy And Culture In The Institute Of Christ The King Sovereign Priest, Reyers P. Brusoe

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest is an understudied member of the Traditional Catholic and Latin Mass Communities whose unique approach to Catholic liturgy, culture, and formation offers a sustainable model for the Catholic Church's longevity and renewal. This study is the first of its kind, combining the theoretical positions of affect theory, ecomusicology/musical sustainability, and the musicology of religion to explore and explain the success of this growing classical community. This dissertation examines Church documents, theological literature, and multidisciplinary academic sources as a foundation for the study.             In studying the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, …

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 …

Stanislavski And Operatic Acting: What Caused The Divide Between Stanislavski’S Ideals And The Opera World?, Max Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

There is a difference between the realism of acting in opera and in other theatrical art forms. One reason for this might be due to theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski’s ideals not being readily adopted in the opera world. Due to translation and publication issues in both the West and in the USSR, his work on opera has been largely neglected by theatre and opera historians. Certain demands of opera as an art form limit or make more difficult the ability for realism in portraying a character, but Stanislavski and others show that it is possible. A look at literature reflecting …

What Musical Meaning Does Conducting Gesture Convey, Jacob Benson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research proposal explores the meaning behind conducting gestures and their impact on musicians' interpretations of a piece. The project aims to determine whether individuals, regardless of their musical background, can watch a silent conducting video and infer musical intent based on gestures alone. Inspired by conducting studies, particularly those by Dr. Brian A. Silvey, the researcher will investigate how different conducting styles influence perception and ensemble response. The methodology involves recording a professional conductor during rehearsal and then showing the footage to participants from various skill levels, including undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty members. Participants verbalize …

Preserving A Liturgical Identity: The Liturgical And Musical Heritage Of Roman Catholic Apostolic Women Religious In The United States Of America, Andrew G. Jennings

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

This thesis examines the liturgical and musical heritage of Roman Catholic apostolic women religious in the United States and argues that their contributions represent a significant yet understudied dimension of American Catholic life. As many communities face declining numbers, the preservation of their liturgical and musical traditions becomes increasingly urgent. Using an interdisciplinary methodology that combines historical research, liturgical theology, pneumatology, phenomenology, narrative inquiry, and qualitative interviews, the study explores how women religious have shaped and preserved communal identity through liturgy, music, and apostolic ministry.

The research traces the historical development of apostolic women religious from their emergence in the …

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 …

Emerging From The Cocoon: Strategies To Assist The Classical Violinist Develop Improvisational Fluency In A Range Of Musical Styles, Judith A. Iddison

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This autoethnographic practice-led research project documents the journey of expanding my classical violin practice with the aim of developing improvisational fluency in a range of musical styles. Building upon findings and strategies outlined in my honours thesis, which centred on the artistry of Australian cross-genre violinist Shenzo Gregorio (Shenton Gregory), this doctoral study is underpinned by an iterative cyclic process of critical observation, reflection and analysis and an examination of literature.

Knowledge gained through one-on-one, aural-based, practical violin-improvisation instruction with Gregorio was applied within collaboration with the evolving string ensemble, Sign of Four. Further, combining this tuition and collaboration with …

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 …

“My Voice Is Trauma, My Voice Is Healing:” A Feminist, Trauma-Informed Embodied Study On The Impact Of Gender-Based Violence In Classical Music Communities, Sarah Pearson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This Social Work doctoral dissertation explores the impact of gender-based violence (GBV) in classical music communities on survivor-artists. This is an intersectional feminist, trauma-informed, embodied study that draws on these three theoretical concepts to conceive of classical music as an institution of both colonial patriarchal power and a site of spirituality and meaning-making. The issue of systemic GBV in the performing arts has been a focus of headline news and sensational celebrity stories in the last decade following the MeToo hashtag and is slowly gaining some attention in academic research.

For this qualitative study, the sample consisted of 14 participants …

A Guide To The Style Of Domenico Scarlatti With An Analysis Of Six Sonatas, Joseph Mcdermott

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This document aims to inform pianists preparing to perform keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757). Readers will learn about Scarlatti's professional life and his compositional characteristics. Analyses of six sonatas, the influence of Spanish traditional music, and details on performance practices are used to illustrate his style. The six sonatas included in this study are Sonata in G Major, K. 63; Sonata in C minor, K. 22; Sonata in F minor, K. 238; Sonata in F minor, K. 239; Sonata in D Major, K. 490; and Sonata in D Major, K. 491. The influence of Spanish traditional music is discussed …