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Description
Jane Austen’s depictions of musical performers and listeners in her novels suggest her belief that musical performances should strengthen intimacy between people, both between listeners and performers as well as among listeners. Austen commends music for its power to increase intimacy through honest expressions of taste, which more often arise in private performances, but she warns against its power to decrease intimacy through pretentious displays of taste, which more often arise in public performances. Austen’s belief that music allows for this healthy intimacy indicates that music has great significance in society. Austen suggests that music has a greater importance to everyday life than many may originally suppose, as it is a universal connection between people. Ultimately, Jane Austen’s perspective of music’s great power both to expose pretentiousness and to cultivate intimacy should lead all of her readers to recognize and respect music’s true power and to consider seriously the importance and role of music in their own lives.
ContributorsColliat, Chelsea Elyse (Author) / Tait, Dana (Thesis director) / Schildkret, David (Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies, Sch (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The study compares the pretest and posttest results of three groups of second-grade students studying a phonics rule to determine the effect of using music as an instructional aid. For two groups in the study, the teachers used melodies to instruct students, while the third group was held to direct instruction with no music to use for assistance. The study groups were three second-grade classes at Ishikawa Elementary School, where I was serving as a student teacher. Parental consent was received for each of the students participating in the study. The duration of the study was one week. The first test group was given a familiar melody with new lyrics to reflect the content of the phonics rule "I before E except after C." The second test group was given a melody composed specifically to accompany the phonics rule and to reflect the appropriate phonics content. On the first day of the study, students were given a pretest; these scores were recorded and then compared to the posttest scores from the end of the week. The data that were collected compared groups as a whole through composite scores from pretest to posttest to determine most effective methodology. The groups that were instructed using music demonstrated greater growth and had higher posttest scores.
ContributorsFrazee, Madison Marie (Author) / Schildkret, David (Thesis director) / Stauffer, Sandy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
Rainbow Connection is an integrated choir with members on and off the autism spectrum. It was founded in the spring of 2012 by Barrett students Ali Friedman, Megan Howell, and Victoria Gilman as part of an honors thesis creative project. Rainbow Connection uses the rehearsal process and other creative endeavors to foster natural relationship building across social gaps. A process-oriented choir, Rainbow Connection's main goals concern the connections made throughout the experience rather than the final musical product. The authors believe that individual, non-hierarchical relationships are the keys to breaking down systemized gaps between identity groups and that music is an ideal facilitator for fostering such relationships. Rainbow Connection operates under the premise that, like colors in a rainbow, choir members create something beautiful not by melding into one homogenous group, but by collaboratively showcasing their individual gifts. This paper will highlight the basic premise and structure of Rainbow Connection, outline the process of enacting the choir, and describe the authors' personal reactions and takeaways from the project.
ContributorsFriedman, Alexandra (Co-author) / Gilman, Victoria (Co-author) / Howell, Megan (Co-author) / Rio, Robin (Thesis director) / Schildkret, David (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
This thesis explores my experience in teaching a high school music class through composition. I detail pedagogical approaches that helped to shape my lesson planning including constructivism, informal learning, and project based learning. The music education theory is put into action in a real high school setting and I explain what happened: what worked, what didn't, and what can we learn from this?
ContributorsWhelihan, Brian Peter (Author) / Tobias, Evan (Thesis director) / Schildkret, David (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
There are many different methods of learning the guitar and teaching it to oneself. I explored classical methods as well as learned by tablature. I compared it to how I have learned the piano and other things in past such as languages and sports. This paper narrates the process but also give advise for someone teaching themself any subject matter. Here are the main points: (1) Choose something you are passionate about (2) Use what you already know, and apply strategies that have worked before (3) Try learning the subject in different ways (4) Build a strong foundation of fundamentals (5) Take advantage of various resources (6) Do not be afraid to make mistakes (7) Perseverance will pay off. I found that I preferred the tablature method but learned a lot from both. I plan on continuing to improve at both methods and want to expand my learning to songwriting.
ContributorsCoelet, Collin Patrick (Author) / Schildkret, David (Thesis director) / Halick, Mary (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
In light of the intensifying environmental, social, and economic challenges facing the world, sustainable development is more necessary than ever. Approaching sustainability problems through Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) programs involving music is unconventional, but holds potential for grand results. An examination of various existing community development projects, from the Playing for Change Foundation to the Arizona State University Barrett Choir, shows that music-related activities are highly effective at fostering community development. Once a foundation of community connectedness is created, other issues such as social injustices or natural disasters can be more effectively addressed and overcome. Music and other fine arts can contribute, in a variety of ways, to the health of communities. This should be recognized and utilized in the pursuit of sustainable community development to preserve the health of the planet and its inhabitants.
ContributorsPaonessa, Carlotta Colleen (Author) / Schildkret, David (Thesis director) / Manuel-Navarrete, David (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The piano-vocal scores of musical theatre songs often contain simplistic and uninspired piano writing. Characteristically, the scores have right-hand figuration that doubles the voice line, restricting the singer from having the rhythmic and melodic freedom that is an essential component of the style. In addition, the piano-vocal scores have shallow bass lines and thin textures, making it difficult for the pianist to offer the support and expression that the music deserves. Editors may choose this writing style to make the score pianistically accessible for voice teachers accompanying their students, or to provide melodic assistance for less experienced singers. Conductor-vocal scores do exist and more closely resemble what an orchestra might play, but they are expensive, at times only available as rental scores, or highly inconvenient to locate. Therefore, I have designed twelve techniques to enhance piano-vocal scores, and will demonstrate those techniques through seven songs selected from the canon of musical theatre repertoire. The project is intended to be a teaching tool for advanced collaborative pianists working with advanced musical theatre singers, as many of the techniques create virtuosic piano writing and are designed for use with little to no prior rehearsal, which could potentially distract, rather than benefit, a beginning singer. The ultimate aim of enhancing the piano-vocal score is for the finished product to be creative and inspiring. Further objectives include: the creation of orchestral textures, allowing the singer more freedom, the creation of a piano part that is technically rewarding, and piano writing that inspires the singer. Through my descriptions of the techniques and discussions of the piano-vocal score enhancements, I hope to demonstrate that the singer, pianist, and audience all benefit when collaborative pianists enhance the piano-vocal score of musical theater repertoire.
ContributorsNamminga, Jaime (Author) / Campbell, Andrew (Thesis advisor) / Carpenter, Ellon (Committee member) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Committee member) / Ryan, Russell (Committee member) / Schildkret, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
This research paper recounts the work done in founding an opera company and putting on its inaugural show. It also provides some of the insights acquired during the process, which may be helpful for other future opera producers in creating a framework and guideposts for starting their own companies. The paper consists of two main sections followed by several short appendices.
The first section methodically reconstructs the process by which Windy City Opera's La Bohème was brought to the stage. It covers the background experiences that prompted the author to found her own company, the research and decisions involved, and the interplay between the company's overall goals and the resources available for a first production. The business, casting, rehearsing, and marketing aspects are reviewed in detail, as well as several mistakes that were made during the process that afforded valuable learning opportunities.
The second section follows up on these and other opportunities by sketching an ideal plan that opera startups might follow; the principal topics are timeline, budgeting, fundraising, venue selection, personnel selection, and marketing.
The appendices consist of worksheets and materials meant to illustrate and supplement this written how-to guide, as well as a video of the Windy City Opera production of La Bohème.
The first section methodically reconstructs the process by which Windy City Opera's La Bohème was brought to the stage. It covers the background experiences that prompted the author to found her own company, the research and decisions involved, and the interplay between the company's overall goals and the resources available for a first production. The business, casting, rehearsing, and marketing aspects are reviewed in detail, as well as several mistakes that were made during the process that afforded valuable learning opportunities.
The second section follows up on these and other opportunities by sketching an ideal plan that opera startups might follow; the principal topics are timeline, budgeting, fundraising, venue selection, personnel selection, and marketing.
The appendices consist of worksheets and materials meant to illustrate and supplement this written how-to guide, as well as a video of the Windy City Opera production of La Bohème.
ContributorsO'Shaughnessy, Catherine (Author) / Dreyfoos, Dale (Thesis advisor) / Schildkret, David (Thesis advisor) / Oldani, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
The symphonies of Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911) constitute an essential element of the orchestral repertory; they are therefore essential for young conductors to understand and for instrumentalists to play. Yet they are impractical in many school situations because they call for large orchestras. One solution to this problem is for the conductor to study the original, full version of the works as Mahler composed them, but to consider performing one of the reduced instrumentations now available. A smaller-scale version provides an opportunity for both the conductor and the instrumentalists to confront the challenges of performing Mahler's music and to explore Mahler's musical language and style in a more manageable setting.
This project focuses on Mahler's Fourth Symphony, which is available in two reduced orchestrations: one by Erwin Stein made in 1921 and another by Klaus Simon from 2007. This paper is part of a larger project that includes a lecture-recital with commentary and a performance of the symphony in the more recent Simon arrangement (documented on video). It presents some background on Mahler's Fourth Symphony and compares the two reduced instrumentations to Mahler's original and to one another. Taken together, the parts of this project demonstrate an approach to learning and performing Mahler's music in a more accessible and practical setting for student conductors.
This project focuses on Mahler's Fourth Symphony, which is available in two reduced orchestrations: one by Erwin Stein made in 1921 and another by Klaus Simon from 2007. This paper is part of a larger project that includes a lecture-recital with commentary and a performance of the symphony in the more recent Simon arrangement (documented on video). It presents some background on Mahler's Fourth Symphony and compares the two reduced instrumentations to Mahler's original and to one another. Taken together, the parts of this project demonstrate an approach to learning and performing Mahler's music in a more accessible and practical setting for student conductors.
ContributorsKwon, JungHwan (Author) / Schildkret, David (Thesis advisor) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / Oldani, Robert (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes, preferences, and practices of Arizona high school choral directors towards sight-singing skills, and student success in group sight-singing evaluations, the teaching of sight singing including preference for a specific sight-singing system, and the instructional practices employed in daily rehearsals. High school choral directors from the state of Arizona (N = 86) completed an online researcher-designed questionnaire that gathered demographic information as well as information regarding directors' attitudes towards sight-singing instruction, which exercises are used for sight-singing instruction, and directors' self-perceived ability not only to sight sing but also to teach sight singing. Independent variables such as teaching experience, level of education, the system they were trained to use as a student, the system they currently use in the classroom, their self-perceived ability to sight sing, their self-perceived ability to teach sight singing, their choir's sight-singing rating at festival, and their daily instructional practices (as measured by minutes per week of sight-singing instruction) were used to investigate potential differences in attitudinal responses. Multivariate analyses of variance were conducted to investigate potential differences in responses according to various independent variables. Significant differences were found in responses to statements of the importance of sight-singing instruction according to level of teaching experience and time spent on sight-singing instruction in the classroom. No significant differences were found for statements of directors' attitudes toward sight-singing instruction according to level of education or prior training. Results indicate that Arizona high school directors are a seasoned and highly education group of professionals who understand and believe strongly that sight-singing instruction should be a part of their choral music rehearsals. These directors use a variety of systems and resources to teach sight-singing and all dedicate time to sight-singing each week in their rehearsals. Despite the overwhelming support for teaching sight-singing in daily choral rehearsals, there is a lack of participation in choral adjudication festivals where group sight singing is assessed. Further research is suggested to investigate the lack of participation of Arizona high school choral teachers in the group sight-singing component of the state choral adjudication festivals.
ContributorsFarenga, Justine (Author) / Sullivan, Jill (Thesis advisor) / Stauffer, Sandra (Committee member) / Tobias, Evan (Committee member) / Scmidt, Margaret (Committee member) / Schildkret, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013