Music electronic theses and dissertations (MU)The electronic theses and dissertations of the Department of Music.https://hdl.handle.net/10355/53802024-03-28T11:14:24Z2024-03-28T11:14:24ZAmy Beach : the Victorian woman, the autism spectrum, and compositional styleLaemmli, Amyhttps://hdl.handle.net/10355/152762020-08-04T21:02:28Z2012-01-01T00:00:00ZAmy Beach : the Victorian woman, the autism spectrum, and compositional style
Laemmli, Amy
Celebrated American composer and pianist Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867-1944) became the subject of the dedicated interest of a number of scholars during the last decades of the twentieth century, but her idiosyncratic behavior and compositional style traits have not yet been analyzed in terms of a possible neurological condition. This document demonstrates Beach's behavioral idiosyncrasies that point to an Autism Spectrum Disorder effecting both her career and compositional choices. As Victorian mannerisms and culture faded in favor of the personality driven twentieth century, Beach attempted to change her compositional style and in doing so, incorporated elements that reflect her true nature and aspects common among individuals with an autism spectrum disorder.
Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on September 13, 2012).; The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.; Thesis advisor: Dr. Robert Shay; Includes bibliographical references.; M.A. University of Missouri--Columbia 2012.; "May 2012"
2012-01-01T00:00:00ZAnalyzing compositional strategies in video game musicBalthrop, Kara Daniellehttps://hdl.handle.net/10355/961452023-08-21T19:27:25Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAnalyzing compositional strategies in video game music
Balthrop, Kara Danielle
Composers of music for video games face a unique set of challenges, including issues of interactivity, non-linearity, diegesis, and versatility. This study explores several possible correlations among these challenges and the compositional strategies used to address them (i.e., thematic attachment, adaptive seaming, and deliberate silence). These approaches are analyzed across several popular gaming genres to determine how composers devise and implement a combination of compositional methods that most appropriately amplify the player's sense of immersion. With thematic attachment, for instance, the composer draws upon the player's feelings of nostalgia that are developed through their exposure to previous games within a franchise. To develop a greater understanding of the representation of musical genre, one-on-one interviews and written correspondence with selected game composers (Joshua Mancell, Martin O'Donnell, and Trevor Gureckis) working in targeted types of games provided evidence to suggest and explore specific techniques they used to develop greater diegesis and immersion. Current scholarship focuses primarily on the cultural and psychological implications and influences associated with video game music. Developing a greater understanding of these three strategies and their various forms of implementation expands and helps to standardize the field of ludomusicology within the broader discipline of musicology.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAntigone in Ferguson : the experience of seven members of the democratic chorus in a social justice musical productionWoodmore, Philip A.https://hdl.handle.net/10355/781682022-09-27T19:36:22Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZAntigone in Ferguson : the experience of seven members of the democratic chorus in a social justice musical production
Woodmore, Philip A.
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the experiences of seven of the auditioned chorus members in the five-week run of Antigone in Ferguson at the Off-Broadway theater, Harlem Stage in Harlem, New York in the Fall of 2018, through the lens of the theory of transformation (Cohen, 2007a). Antigone in Ferguson, an original musical production based on the ancient Greek drama Antigone (Sophocles, ca. 441 B.C.E./2016), was created in response to the young Black man in Ferguson, Missouri, who was killed by a police officer and whose body was left on the street for over four hours. The performance includes four actors, a democratic choir comprising singers representing various professions including police officers, and choirs from the community. After each performance, facilitators mediate a discussion with the audience members to address the social justice issues raised during the performance. Seven chorus members served as participants in this study, completing all requirements including a focus group session, pre-interview questionnaire, semi structured individual interview, blog about their experience throughout the production, and final reflection. Cohen's (2007a) theory of transformation, based on research about prison choirs, served as a framework for this research and the data analysis. The theory states that the complex relationships through the sung texts, the choir's social and cultural contexts, interactions with audience members, and enhanced self-perception of the performers afford the potential for positive transformational change in the performer (Cohen, 2007a, 2008). Findings suggest that the transformative power of music was displayed in the seven participants' responses to their experiences as chorus members in this production. Based on their spoken and written statements, all seven participants indicated that positive change occurred related to the music and the processes involved with putting on this show, including awareness and attitudes toward social justice issues and enhanced self-perceptions.
2020-01-01T00:00:00ZBefore the singing : the journey of an artistic directorWilliams Phelps, Cynthia A.https://hdl.handle.net/10355/781672022-09-27T19:36:21Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZBefore the singing : the journey of an artistic director
Williams Phelps, Cynthia A.
Reflective practices and teacher leadership development can be meaningful and integral components of music teacher education. The purpose of this study was to examine the professional journey and reflective practices of an artistic director of a large, nonprofit community children's choir organization in the Midwestern United States. The conceptual framework for this case study with narrative techniques included two main areas of practice: reflective teaching (critically reflective teaching and reflective practitioner) and teacher leadership. The overarching research question asked: How does a successful children's choir director enact effective teacher leadership through reflective practices? The related sub-questions were as follows: 1) How does the participant's life history inform her vision for the organization? 2) What characterizes the participant's views of teacher leadership and creative work as artistic director? 3) What characterizes the participant's views of learning and teaching in the children's choir context? Data collection included transcripts from three semi-structured interviews, a follow up interview, two rehearsal observation sequences with one video-stimulated recall iteration, field memos, and artifacts. I used a constant comparative method to examine the coded transcripts, memos, field notes, video observation logs, and artifacts. Trustworthiness was established through data triangulation, a follow-up interview, participant checking, and peer checking. Three main themes emerged from the analysis: building a scaffold for reflective teacher leadership, artistic director as leader, and the intersection of reflective practitioner and teacher leader. Findings suggested that the participant's well-defined philosophies of leadership and teaching, reflective rehearsal pedagogy, and pedagogical thoughtfulness had a significant, positive impact on the high quality, experiential opportunities provided to the choristers and the choir organization as a whole.
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