Music Dissertations Collection

Permanent URI for this collection

Browse

Recent Submissions

  • Publication
    Refugees’ Perceptions of Music Participation and Implications for the Music Education Profession
    (2024-05) Wiseman, Jessica Rae
    According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (2023a), at the end of the year 2022, over 108 million people were considered forcibly displaced from their homes. This number represents 1% of the world’s population. Of the displaced, 41% were under the age of 18 (World Vision, 2022). Children who are forcibly displaced witness terrible violence, suffer extreme loss, and experience starvation, insecurities, and traumas. Music participation can positively impact the well-being of displaced children. In this dissertation, I explore the phenomenon of music participation as experienced by refugee participants and its relationship to their journey. After exploring the phenomenon through data collection and analysis, I provide implications to support the development of appropriate practices in the music classroom. Using a phenomenological lens, I explored the nature of music participation for refugees who have relocated to the United States and their perceptions of the benefits they experience from these musical activities; advice refugees have for US-based PK-12 school music teachers specifically in relation to a) what they should know about refugee children and b) how they can support refugee children in the classroom; and the ways music educators can encourage and facilitate transculturation. Fifteen refugees and six experts were interviewed for this study. Findings showed refugees’ perceptions of the ways music participation benefited their well-being. Sample themes for this include music is therapeutic and music means benefiting others. Additionally, refugee and expert participants provided advice for music educators who work with displaced children. Examples of advice include how to overcome the language barrier and take time to understand students’ backgrounds. Implications of this study include building trusting relationships, harnessing transculturation, eliminating barriers, and the educator positioning themselves as a learner.
  • Publication
    "Finding the Proper Sequence": Form and Narrative in the Collage Music of John Zorn
    (2013-05) Kolek, Adam John
    This dissertation examines the linear sequence of segments in musical collages composed by John Zorn between 1988 and 1993. In addition to the use of processes and associations as unifying elements, these pieces present hierarchical organization and narrative structure. The presence of form and narrative in these works illustrates the capacity of postmodern music to be unified in novel and idiosyncratic ways. I examine Zorn's collage pieces using an adapted methodology of paradigmatic analysis and incorporate ideas of musical topics as signifiers of delineation in the works. The segmentation of these works, begun in chapter three, reveals a hierarchical organization where individual musical blocks are organized into larger structures that I call collage phrases. This reveals the presence of hierarchical form in the musical surface, showing that organization in the pieces is not limited to background processes. The collage pieces that utilize this structure are described as exhibiting episodic collage form. Collage phrases in such pieces may also be further grouped together into larger units. I examine narrative in the pieces through the idea of idiolects, which I conceive of as approaches and compositional philosophies that are identified through the careful examination of Zorn and his music. Chapter four examines how linear narrative in Zorn's string quartet Cat O'Nine Tails relates to an idea of visual organization that connects to his conception of cartoon music. Chapter five examines how Zorn's album Radio is organized through the idea of the "musical game," a concept in which borrowed materials and techniques are combined with Zorn's musical persona. Songs on Radio reflect this concept progressively over the course of the album. This study reveals several things about Zorn's music and about musical postmodernism. First, it illustrates the organization of the musical surface of these works. Second, it highlights linear musical narratives in the pieces. These elements of linear organization operate alongside other non-linear structures in Zorn's music. Finally, it demonstrates the capacity of postmodern music to contain innovative approaches towards musical organization.
  • Publication
    Harmony, Voice Leading, and Microtonal Syntax in Ben Johnston’s String Quartet No. 5
    (2017) Huey, Daniel
    This dissertation focuses on a new method for examining harmony, identifying consonance and dissonance through differential tones, and describing voice leading for pieces using just intonation, in particular for Ben Johnston’s String Quartet No. 5 (1979). Johnston employs microtonality in nearly all of his works, which contain more than the typical twelve equal-tempered pitches in the octave. This particular quartet features a great number (over 100) of pitches within the octave as is the case with many of his pieces up to his composition of String Quartet No. 5. This complex tuning system for microtonality requires a meaningful method for analyzing the novel harmonic syntax in order to model an analysis. The purpose of this analysis is 1.) to establish a scale for measuring consonance and dissonance in the sonorities (particularly those in the homorhythmic sections), 2.) to illustrate and explain the mechanism of the smooth transitions between tuning areas, and 3.) to examine the continuity among sonorities at the phrase level. The first level of analysis considers the consonant and dissonant qualities of the sonorities. This is measured by the resulting differential tones and is an extension of the theories of German physicist Hermann Helmholtz. The sonorities are then placed in context to their surrounding verticalities by observing the superparticular ratios of the melodic voice leading. These ratios yield a difference of one between the numerator and denominator, which signifies a common fundamental between the pitches. The focus of this writing is to show the levels of consonance and dissonance at phrase endings and crucial sections in the quartet. Generally, more stable sonorities begin and conclude sections of repose that feature the recurring “Lonesome Valley” theme. Smooth voice leading and consonant intervals between tuning areas provide a sense of continuity in the more turbulent transitional sections between sections of harmonic stasis. This dissertation examines these phrases in the form of the quartet.
  • Publication
    The Traditional Vocal Repertoire of Nova Scotia: A Classification of Pitch Space
    (2014) Fielding, Peter George
    The traditional vocal music of Nova Scotia is a collage of genres reflecting its population and distinct history. Serving as a historic nautical gateway between North America and Europe, the continuous influx of populations led to the formation of many communities ranging from the urban epicenter of Halifax to the smallest of rural communities and coastal outports. Though largely akin to the musical traditions of the Western European colonizers of the 17th-19th centuries (predominantly English, Irish, Scottish, German, and French), the combination of song variants, repertoires from other cultures and traditions, and original compositions led to the emergence of a uniquely Nova Scotian canon. Acknowledging that previous scholarship, economic, and editorial forces had a direct influence concerning what musics were explored, gathered, and promoted, this dissertation examines the published transcriptions of Nova Scotian traditional vocal repertoires spanning 1912-2005. I restrict this study to the repertoire encoded in conventional pitch labels of the Western European tradition, as that was the medium through which previous transcribers of these oral repertoires encoded this music. This repertoire is examined through quantitative inquiry, employing set-class theory and successive interval arrays. Through the creation of tonic-based successive-interval arrays for nearly two thousand melodies spanning twenty-seven publications, I present a meta-analysis of the pitch-spaces encoded by the transcribers of this repertoire and identify normative collection sizes, scalar patterns, and outliers. I also make new transcriptions, based on commercially available field recordings of attributed source materials, to enable a cursory comparison and audit of previous transcriptions in order to comment on the quality and issues surrounding differing interpretations. The pedagogical merits of using the tonic-based successive-interval array for teaching music spanning a limited number of pitches, containing chromaticism, and modal repertoire is also explored. As such, this work serves to assemble and present a detailed overview of transcribed materials in print.
  • Publication
    Form in the Preludes of J.S. Bach's Well Tempered Clavier
    (2023-05) Prindle, Daniel E.
    This dissertation analyzes the forms of the preludes in J.S. Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier. The prelude originated as an improvised genre in the mid-fifteenth century. Treatises of the period gave instruction on how to improvise and eventually compose preludes and that tradition informed Bach’s compositional practice. However, an additional genre, the invention, played a similarly important role in influencing the composition of the preludes in the Well Tempered Clavier, particularly in Book II. I analyze the forms of the preludes by proposing a new method: dimensional interplay. This method examines the form of each prelude in three musical dimensions: melody, tonal structure, and texture. Moments of change within each dimension create junctures that separate sections of music. The dimensions often change at different times, thus creating three different potential forms for each prelude. I combine these three forms to discover places where junctures in various dimensions align to create strong indications of a change of section. I then use the resulting forms to sort the preludes into types and subtypes. Most preludes fall into two broad categories: textural preludes (similar in many ways to the pattern prelude proposed by Jon Lester in 1998 and 1999) and melodic preludes (similar in many ways to Bach’s inventions). Despite the prevailing notion that the prelude is a highly variable and open-ended form, this dissertation shows that Bach’s WTC preludes operate within a formal framework.
  • Publication
    LGBTQ+ Safe Space and Inclusive Practices: Perspectives of Collegiate Music Education Majors
    (2023-05) Armentrout, Desmond
    The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and experiences of collegiate music education students’ perceptions and experiences in secondary U.S. music classrooms as they pertain to classroom climate, safe spaces, and academic/inclusive practices for LGBTQ+ students. Six hundred sixty-six emails were sent to music education coordinators and music department chairs inviting undergraduate music education majors to participate in the research study, which resulted in 143 participants. Findings from the study indicated that nearly two-thirds of the participants considered the secondary school music classroom a safe environment, and choice of concert uniform attire and use of personal pronouns were the two most discussed inclusive practices. Music educators need to continue to provide all students safe learning environments where they can discover their own personal identities without fear of repercussions, discover who they are through their own personal journey with creating and performing music, and know that they are seen, they are heard, they are valid, and they are never alone on their personal musical journeys.
  • Publication
    Rhythmic Complexity in Jazz: An Information Theory Approach
    (2023-02) Abrams, Douglas R.
    Many techniques of quantifying rhythmic complexity have been explored, including methods based on the concept of entropy. Roughly speaking, entropy measures a rhythm’s unpredictability. The primary goals of this study were to answer two questions: 1) Does rhythmic entropy correspond to perceived rhythmic complexity? and 2) Does entropy of a jazz solo depend on soloist? Additionally, I used entropy to study the relationship between sheet music and jazz versions of songs from the American songbook, and I used the concept of mutual information to study soloist-accompanist interactions in the music of Charlie Parker. I asked fifteen UMass music majors to rate short, eighth-note based jazz rhythms for complexity. Entropies were calculated by constructing distributions based on the inter-onset intervals (IOI’s) between notes. Using a mixed effects multiple regression model, I found, as expected, that higher entropy resulted in higher complexity ratings. Other factors did, too, namely: number of notes, syncopation, lack of periodicity, and the effects of each complexity rating on the following one. It is possible that entropy was mediated by lack of periodicity. I then transcribed (or compiled and checked) a corpus of 88 solos by Armstrong, Hawkins, Young, Christian, and Parker, and calculated entropies based on the IOI’s between stress-accented notes. I used the technique of estimated marginal means with number of distinct IOI’s and number of accents as covariates to show that entropy depends significantly on soloist: solos by Lester Young were significantly more entropic than those by Armstrong, Christian, and Parker. Stress accent density and contour accent density were used to explain the unexpected lack of differentiation between Parker and Hawkins in terms of entropy. I demonstrated that jazz renditions of popular songs had higher entropy than their sheet music counterparts. Finally, I used mutual information to show that interrelationships between Parker and his accompanists were stronger than those between Parker and a Charleston comping rhythm. This work demonstrates the utility of entropy-based methods in predicting a listener’s perceived complexity, in characterizing a soloist’s oeuvre, and in describing embellished versions of songs. It also demonstrates the utility of mutual information in describing soloist/accompanist interactions.
  • Publication
    Structure and Meaning in Fryderyk Chopin's Polonaises
    (2022-05) Helmcke, William M.
    Proposes the H-E-L-M-C-K-E hermeneutic to decode Historical, Extramusical, Linguistic, (intra)Musical, Correlational, Kingdom-of-Poland-related/Polish, and Era-specific meaning in Fryderyk Chopin's polonaises. Traces the origin of musical meaning-conveying signifiers on the musical surface via topical analysis to deeper recursive structures in the middleground via Schenkerian analysis (Ch. 1). Identifies and translates all known appearances of the polonaise/polonoise/alla polacca throughout the history of music theory from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century documents in German, Polish, French, and English (Ch. 2). Demonstrates the feasibility of the H-E-L-M-C-K-E methodology (Ch. 3). Applies the H-E-L-M-C-K-E methodology to produce close readings that correlate the intramusical causes (structures) of extramusical effects (meaning) (Ch. 4). Concludes with a quotation by Schenker and suggestions for possible applications to other repertoire and model composition (Ch. 5).
  • Publication
    Determination of Biases in Sight-Singing Textbooks Published between 1980 and 2018
    (2020-05) Huey, Beth
    In sight-singing classes at colleges and universities in the United States, there are various solmization methods in use, such as movable do, scale-degree numbers, and fixed do. Few sight-singing textbooks and other related books are willing to stake a claim of preference for one method over the other. Since many textbooks and other books are unwilling to take a pedagogical stance on a solmization system, instructors need to research each book in order to determine the biases in the book and how well it works for their classes. To aid them in that endeavor, this dissertation determines the biases in textbooks and reveals which textbooks work well for which systems. The dissertation begins with short descriptions of solmization systems as gathered from articles, textbooks, and other aural-skills related books along with a review of the literature. Then, it discusses elements of music to evaluate, reveals which elements receive an evaluation in the textbooks, and indicates why some were not chosen. From here, the dissertation lays out the expectations for each category evaluated using support from aural-skills related books and articles. After laying out the expectations, the dissertation describes the approaches of each textbook in select categories, reveals biases in the textbooks, and identifies textbooks that align more closely to movable pedagogical methods and others that align more closely to fixed pedagogical methods. The results of this dissertation reveal that most books use pedagogical methods of multiple solmization systems, but still have a bias for predominantly one method. About 64 percent of the textbooks (14 books) use more movable system approaches, whereas approximately 36 percent (8 books) use more fixed system approaches. When twentieth-century idioms occur, most of the books use fixed approaches for that material.
  • Publication
    Implicit Learning As A Means Of Tonal Jazz Pitch-Listening Skills Acquisition
    (2019-02) Mosher, David
    In this dissertation, I present a method for developing tonal jazz pitch-listening skills (PLS) which is rooted in scientific experimental findings from the fields of music cognition and perception. Converging experimental evidence supports the notion that humans develop listening skills through implicit learning via immersive, statistically rich exposure to real music from a particular musical idiom, such as tonal jazz. Therefore, I recommend that to acquire tonal jazz pitch-listening skills, learners should (1) immerse themselves in the real music of that idiom, (2) remediate their listening skills, where necessary, by listening to slowed-down versions with exaggerated features, and (3) organize their listening experiences with explicit theoretical labels for particular pitch structures, if they want to communicate about those pitch structures in speech or writing. In order to aid in the practical application of this process, I offer a four-semester learning sequence for the development of tonal jazz pitch-listening skills as well as a variety of formal assessment methods.
  • Publication
    DEVELOPING MUSICIANSHIP AND 21st CENTURY LEARNING SKILLS USING THE LISK “CREATIVE DIRECTOR” SERIES
    (2018-09) Reynolds, Thomas
    ABSTRACT DEVELOPING MUSICIANSHIP AND 21st CENTURY LEARNING SKILLS USING THE LISK “CREATIVE DIRECTOR” SERIES SEPTEMBER 2018 THOMAS E. REYNOLDS, B.M.E., NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC M.M.E. ITHACA COLLEGE Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Sara K. Jones The Edward S. Lisk “Creative Director” pedagogical techniques have been found to be invaluable in the instrumental music classroom for teaching overall musicianship skills. As educators address the teaching of 21st century learning skills through all of the academic disciplines, many of the Lisk techniques for teaching overall musicianship skills also foster the teaching of 21st century learning skills. Twenty-first century learning skills can help students to go beyond the simple acquisition of knowledge by enabling them to think critically and creatively about what they have learned, as well as collaborate and communicate with others. This collective case study was designed to examine the pedagogical strategies used to cultivate overall musicianship in the Lisk “Creative Director” band series and how these strategies facilitate the development of 21st century learning skills of instrumental music students. Teachers and selected students from band programs using the Lisk approach in three different school districts were observed in ensemble rehearsals and interviewed individually and in small groups. Students were able to identify and discuss the musicianship concepts and 21st century learning skills presented through their director's use of the Lisk approach. Teachers were able to describe how the Lisk approach enables them to effectively improve the expressiveness, sound and performance quality of their ensembles. Of the four learning skills, it was found that critical thinking skills received the most emphasis and creative thinking skills received the least attention from teachers and students alike. The teachers and students agreed that the Lisk approach is a philosophy and a process for preparing students in comprehensive musicianship and 21st century learning skills that goes beyond the techniques surrounding the circle of fourths. All participants emphasized that the Lisk approach was beneficial to the development of musicianship skills and 21st century learning skills in their band programs.
  • Publication
    Extrinsic Phrases in Early-Classical Sonata Forms
    (2018-09) Long, Rebecca
    This dissertation seeks to introduce, identify, and document a set of syntactic insertions in sonata forms that I call extrinsic phrases. At its most basic, “extrinsic phrase” refers to any phrase-length insertion between the transition and secondary theme of a sonata-form movement. This concept encompasses several terms (or examples thereof) from current writings about sonata forms. However, unlike those terms, I purposefully define extrinsic phrases broadly so that they act as a generic option for an analyst. Instead of attempting to create a long-range view of extrinsic phrases across the whole of sonata-form writing, this initial work on extrinsic phrases focuses on the early- and mid-eighteenth century. It examines two types of extrinsic phrases—those that change an exposition’s normative tonal trajectory and those that do not—in the works of Luigi Boccherini, Domenico Scarlatti, Joseph Haydn, and their contemporaries. The analyses show that the extrinsic-phrase concept creates several advantages for an analyst. Because they remain flexible in their definition, extrinsic phrases allow one to identify similarly-functioning passages that use disparate phrase and cadence structures. It also allows one to examine a variety of seemingly disparate compositional practices. This has the potential to reveal connections between composers and compositions of an equally wide variety of time periods.
  • Publication
    THE EXPERIENCE OF CHINESE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GRADUATE MUSIC EDUCATION DEGREE PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES
    (2018-09) Li, Kailimi
    The purpose of this study was to examine the experience of Chinese graduate students enrolled in music education master’s and doctoral degree programs in the United States. Specifically, it explored participants’ perceptions of (a) their educational experiences (past and present), (b) the challenges they faced, (c) their strategies for success, (d) the benefits they experienced as international graduate students in the United State, (e) the effect of this experience on their thinking, self-perception, and behavior, and (f) how they planned to move forward or move on following this experience. Participants were six native Chinese graduate students enrolled at the time of data collection in master’s and doctoral level music education degree programs within U.S. higher education institutions, including myself as participant-observer. Data included interview transcriptions, online discussion forum posts, personal statements from participants’ graduate school applications, and research notes. Qualitative techniques were used to analyze data and identify emergent themes and meta-themes, which were then used to address research questions and draw conclusions. From the results, models were generated of (a) Chinese music education graduate students’ experience in the United States. and (b) the three-stage cross-cultural adaptation process of Chinese music education graduate students in the United States. In a broad sense, this study will contribute to the growing body of literature on international students in U.S. higher education institutions. More specifically, results could help to provide understanding and insight into the experiences of Chinese students enrolled in graduate level music education master’s and doctoral degree programs in the United States. and may illuminate considerations for how these experiences might be improved. Results could also help U.S. educators and music educators in higher education institutions to better understand Chinese music education graduate students’ experiences at different stages and could provide new ideas concerning effective strategies for working with them.