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• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global (AKA Dissertation Abstracts) Full text of graduate works added since 1997, along with selected full text for works written prior to 1997 and citations for dissertations and theses dating from 1743-present.
• DASH (Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard) A central, open-access repository of research (including dissertations and scholarly articles) by members of the Harvard community.
• Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology - Online (DDM) A bibliography of completed dissertations and proposed topics in musicology, music theory, ethnomusicology, and related disciplines. Maintained by the American Musicological Society.
• MTO Dissertation Index An index of dissertations in music theory, with abstracts and tables of contents, maintained by the Society for Music Theory.
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Dissertations and Theses

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. The database offers full-text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full-text coverage for older graduate works. It includes the more than 28,000 Yale PhD and MD theses (1861-present). Of these, more than 18,500 are in full-text: almost all since 1960, and selected dissertations back to 1868. It also includes PQDT UK & Ireland content.
• Articles+ Dissertations It can be easier to locate a known dissertation by author and title using Articles+ (which searches against ProQuest Dissertations & Theses) and limiting to dissertations. The link above has already been limited to dissertations.

Search for dissertations in Quicksearch:

The Music Library has purchased many copies of dissertations from other universities.  Most Yale dissertations that are not full-text in ProQuest (above) are available in paper or microfilm for reading, scanning, or printing.

Dissertations can be located in Quicksearch by: (1) Entering the author or title in the Basic Search box. Remember to enclose exact word-by-word phrases in quotation marks.

(2) Using the Quicksearch Books+ Advanced Search:

• To browse all dissertations & theses, leave the search rows empty, enter All fields: music, or enter your search terms in the search boxes
• Limit by Format: Dissertation & Theses
• Limit by Location: Music Library (optional) 

(a) The example below shows a blank search limited to Dissertations & Theses format and Music Library location: 2,713 results.

 (b) Refine your search using the facets on the left of the results screen.

3) If you do not locate a Yale dissertation in Quicksearch, check the card catalog at Manuscripts and Archives. Except for some early dissertations that are not available, the originals of all Yale dissertations are held at Manuscripts and Archives.

Finding Dissertations Online - Additional Resources

• Dart-Europe E-Theses Portal
• Dissertation Express
• Dissertationsmeldestelle der Gesellschaft fur Musikforschung
• Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology
• EDT Digital Library
• Music Theory Online Dissertation Index
• OhioLink ETD Center
• Theses Canada Portal
• WorldCat (OCLC)
• Archive of Dissertation Abstracts in Music (Europe).
• Finding Dissertations on Music (Indiana U guide)

How to get a copy

If you find a dissertation that you need, but there is not a full text link, there are several options: search for it at Yale, borrow a copy through Borrow Direct or Interlibrary Loan (ILL) , or request that the library purchase a copy.  You may also purchase a copy in various formats.

Citing Electronic Resources

There are three major citation styles used in the humanities, social sciences, and some scientific disciplines. Consult one of the following official style manuals :

• APA Style The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is the style manual of choice for writers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences.
• MLA Style Center Website with updates and tips for the Modern Language Association's 8th edition of the MLA Handbook (see entry below). Includes a Quick Guide to works cited, an FAQ, and posts on topics such as URLs and citing ebooks.
• The Chicago Manual of Style online With state-of-the-art recommendations on editorial style and publishing practices in the digital age, The Chicago Manual of Style is the must-have reference for everyone who works with words.
• The Columbia guide to online style Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor. A guide to locating, translating, and using the elements of citation for both a humanities style (i.e., MLA and Chicago) and a scientific style (APA and CBE) for electronically-accessed sources. Access is available to the Yale Community. Often preferred in history and many other disciplines.
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Dissertation and Thesis Research and Writing Guide for Music Students

Getting started.

• Conducting Your Research
• Writing Your Thesis or Dissertation
• Citation Resources
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Music & Performing Arts Library

This is a guide to library resources for graduate students in the School of Music working on a thesis or dissertation.

Use the tabs to the left to navigate the guide and see what resources we have available.

If you have questions about the Library or accessing resources related to your thesis or dissertation work that we didn't cover in this guide, please let us know! You can contact the librarians at [email protected] or by clicking the "Email Me" button on the left.

***Please note: the information included in this guide regarding graduation and dissertation requirements is intended as a guideline only. Always check with the School of Music or the Graduate College Thesis Office if you have questions about these requirements as they will be best able to provide up to date information.

Getting Help

Need research help.

If you need help with your research or are having trouble tracking down the sources you need, you can make an appointment with a librarian to discuss your research one-on-one. Don't hesitate to reach out or schedule an appointment if you need help! You are also always welcome to ask for assistance at the service desk at MPAL.

Questions About Graduate Requirements?

If you have questions about graduate requirements, you can reach out to the School of Music Graduate Academic Affairs for clarification. They can be reached via email at [email protected]

We are also including links to the Graduate College Handbook and the Thesis Office below in case you want to consult policies or requirements yourself.

• Graduate College Handbook of Policy and Requirements
• Thesis Office
• School of Music's Student Resources

Guides to Researching & Writing About Music

• Research Guides
• Writing Guides

As you conduct your research, you may find it helpful to consult some of the handbooks below to help guide you through the research process. For help with writing about music - including selecting the right terminology as well as general style tips - be sure to check out the next tab of this box!

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• Last Updated: Jan 26, 2024 11:39 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.illinois.edu/musicdissthesis

Home > USC Columbia > Music, School of > Music Theses and Dissertations

Music Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Comprehensive Method for Clarinet Latin American Music Heritage Case Study – Venezuela , Carmen Teresa Borregales

A Pedagogical and Analytical Study of the Carnatic Saxophone Performance Tradition of Kadri Gopalnath , Caleb James Carpenter

Symphony No. V: Elements (Julie Giroux, 2018); An Overview Of Programmatic Elements and Performance Devices , Zackery Augustus Deininger

A Conductor’s Guide to Lucrecia Roces Kasilag’s Misang Pilipino (1965) , Denise Ysabel Ellis

The Theory of Intonation: Boris Asafiev and the Russian Piano School Tradition , Polina Golubkova

A Comparative Analysis of Samuel Barber’s Third Essay for Orchestra, Op. 47 , David Abrams Gordon

Injury Prevention Exercise Guidelines for Flutists , Ziqing Guan

Luis Abraham Delgadillo: A Rediscovery of His Piano Music , Fanarelia Auxiliadora Guerrero López

A Holistic Approach for Neurodivergent Learners In the High School Choral Classroom , Peter Allen Haley

An Analysis of Selected Vocal Works by George Walker , Ginger Sharnell Jones-Robinson

An Investigative Analysis of Fernando Sor’s Introduction and Variations on “O Cara Armonia” From Mozart’s The Magic Flute , Luke James Nolan

The Film Score Music of John Williams: A Guide to Selected Works for the Principal Percussionist , Andrew Charles Crozier Patzig

Appalachian Dreams: Traditional Folk Songs in Concert Literature for Classical Guitar , Jackson Douglas Roberson

“Everything Old Is New Again”: The Rise of Interpolation in Popular Music , Grayson M. Saylor

How Do They Do It: A Narrative of Disabled Public School Instrumental Ensemble Conductors and Their Positive Working Relationships With Their Administrators , Lia Alexandria Patterson Snead

The Post-Tonal Evolution of David Diamond: A Theoretic-Analytical Perspective , William John Ton

Fourth-Grade and Fifth-Grade Cover-Band Classes: An Action-Research Project Inspired By Popular Music Education and Music Learning Theory , Julia Turner

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Social Music Interactions and Vocal Music Improvisations in a Serve and Return Music Community , Kathleen Kaye Arrasmith

Comfort Food for the Ears: Exploring Nostalgic Trends in Popular Music of the Twenty-First Century , April K. Balay

A Performance Guide to “Four Piano Pieces, Opus 1” By Evgeny Kissin , Andrew Choi

Timeless Light: A Singer’s Compendium of Art Songs for Tenor By Black Composers , Johnnie J. Felder

Negotiating Nationalism: Camille Saint-Saëns, Neoclassicism, and the Early Music Renaissance in France , Joshua Arin Harton

An Analysis of the Compositional Technique and Structures Of Nikolai Kapustin’s Piano Sonata No. 6, Opus 62 , Hyun Jung Im

Adapting North American Fiddle Bow Technique to the Double Bass , Spencer Jensen

Approaches to Teaching Music Counting to Piano Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Sunghun Kim

Redefining Ornamentation as Formal Functions in 21 st -Century Popular Music , Matthew Kolar

Lost in Translation: The Largely Unknown Life and Contributions of Johann Joachim Quantz , Kayla Ann Low

Broadway Quodlibets as Hybrid Music , Spencer Ann Martin

Redistributing Cultural Capital: Graduate Programs In Wind Conducting at Historically Black Universities; Toward an Alternate Future , Jamaal William Nicholas

Analysis of Selected Pieces Influenced by Taiwanese Aboriginal Music for Solo Violin and String Quartet , Isabel Hsin-Yi Ong

Margaret Rowell: Pedagogical Approach and Teaching Style , Robert-Christian Sanchez

A Performance Guide to Hyo-Geun Kim’s Art Pop for Korean Art Songs , Taeyoung Seon

Examining Sixth-Grade Students’ Music Agency Through Rhythm Composition , Robert Zagaroli Spearman

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Pedagogical Solo Piano Nocturnes: A Progressive Leveling With Annotations on Stylistic, Technical, and Musical Challenges and Benefits , Michaela Anne Boros

Disparities in Programming African American Solo Vocal Music On College Campuses Across the United States , Ramelle Brooks

Quantitative Data Collection on the Fundamental Components Of Saxophone Tone Production , Matthew Troy Castner

Music as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapy: An Exploratory Literature Review , Amy Arlene Clary

The Music Festival: A Case Study on the Establishment, Development, and Long-Term Success of an Instrumental Music Education Event From a Logistical Perspective , Dakota Corbliss

An Orchestral Conductor’s Guide to the James/Daehler Edition Of The Hinrichs and Winkler Compilation Score to the 1925 Silent Film The Phantom of the Opera , Hayden Richard Denesha

An Annotated Bibliography of Flute Repertoire by Iranian Female Composers , Roya Farzaneh

Composers and Publishers of Parlor Songs and Spirituals from Civil War Richmond: 1861 – 1867 , Michael Gray

A Comparison of Approaches to Pianoforte Technique in the Treatises of Lhevinne, Leimer, and Neuhaus , Louis S. Hehman

The History and Influence of Tim Zimmerman and The King’s Brass , Eric Tyler Henson

A Stylistic Analysis of Edvard Grieg’s Slåtter , Norwegian Peasant Dances, Op. 72 , Zhiyuan He

Transcribing Baroque Lute to Marimba: Viability, Techniques, and Pedagogical Possibilities , Cory James High

One Elementary General Music Teacher’s Uses of and Experiences With Gordon’s Music Learning Theory: A Case Study , Allison Elizabeth Johnson

Cancion Y Danza, Fetes Lointaines, Paisajes By Federico Mompou: A Stylistic Analysis , Qiaoni Liu

The Apprenticeship Structure and the Applied Pedagogical Methods Of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Trumpeters’ Guild During The 17 th and 18 th Centuries , Noa Miller

Survey of Four North American and Malaysian Theory Methods for Young Pianists , Wen Bin Ong

A Conductor’s Guide to J. N. Hummel’s Forgotten Oratorio: Der Durchzug Durchs Rote Meer , Rebecca J. Ostermann

A Practical Approach for the Applied Voice Instructor Utilizing Limited Piano Skills in the Studio Setting , Lee Whittington Ousley

Adele Aus Der Ohe: Pioneering Through Recital Programming At Carnegie Hall, 1895 , Grace Shepard

Ten Years of Japanese Piano Pedagogy (2009-2018) Through a Survey of Educational Resources , Natsumi Takai

A Comparative Analysis of Selected Works by Chen Qigang: Wu Xing, L’éLoignement, and Luan Tan , Isaac Ormaza Vera

A Pedagogical Analysis of Henglu Yao’s Microkosmos From Chinese Nationalities , Yanting Wang

A Stylistic and Pedagogical Analysis of Select Classical Pieces In Alicia’s Piano Books by Ananda Sukarlan , Karen Kai Yuan Yong

Co-Constructive Music Improvisers: An Ethnographic Case Study , Emma Elizabeth Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Performance History of Mahler’s Das Lied Von Der Erde Focusing on Bruno Walter and Leonard Bernstein , Nisan Ak

The Mathematics of Rubato: Analyzing Expressivetiming in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Performances of Hisown Music , Meilun An

Electronic Learning: An Educator’s Guide to Navigating Online Learning in a Collegiate Horn Studio , Michelle Beck

The Clarinet Music of Dr. Austin Jaquith: A Performance Guide , Zachary Aaron Bond

Young Children’s Behaviors During Favorite-Music Repertoire And Other-Music Repertoire , Vanessa Caswell

Five Pieces for Piano by Isang Yun and Piano Etude No.1 by Unsuk Chin: An Analysis , Inhye Cho

Natural Reed Enhancement: Establishing the First Universal Reed Break-In Process Through Hydro-Stabilization , Steven Isaac Christ

Performance Edition of Franz Simandl’s 30 Etudes for the String Bass With Critical Commentary , Austin Gaboriau

A Legacy Preserved: A Comparison of the Careers and Recordings of Stanley Drucker and Karl Leister , Peter M. Geldrich

An Index of Choral Music Performed During the National Conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (1991-2019) , Jonathan Randall Hall

A Stylistic Analysis of Reinhold Glière’s 25 Preludes for Piano, Op. 30 , Sunjoo Lee

The Singing Voice Specialist: An Essential Bridge Between Two Worlds , Rebecca Holbrook Loar

A Pedagogical Analysis of DvořáK’s Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85 , Nathan MacAvoy

Focal Dystonia Causes and Treatments: A Guide for Pianists , Juan Nicolás Morales Espitia

Cultivating Socially Just Concert Programming Perspectives through Preservice Music Teachers' Band Experiences: A Multiple Case Study , Christian Matthew Noon

The Clarinet Repertoire of Puerto Rico: An Annotated Bibliography of Compositions Written for the Clarinet During the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries , María Ivelisse Ortiz-Laboy

A Stylistic Analysis of Alexander Tcherepnin's Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 78, With an Emphasis on Eurasian Influences , Qin Ouyang

Time’s Up: How Opera Is Facing Its Own Me Too Reckoning , Craig Price

A Trumpet Player’s Performance Guide of Three Selected Works for Trumpet, Cello, and Piano , Justin Wayne Robinson

The Early Piano Music of Richard Wagner , Annie Rose Tindall-Gibson

A Conductor’s Guide to the Da Vinci Requiem by Cecilia McDowall , Jantsen Blake Touchstone

Composition of Musical and Visual Devices to Create Moments of Resolution in Marching Arts Production Design , Ryan John Williams

Romanticism in Nineteenth-Century Russian Nationalistic Music: Case Studies of Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila and Cui’s Mystic Chorus , Jeffrey Crayton Yelverton Jr.

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Communicative Language in the Compositional Output of Kirke Mechem , Kirstina Rasmussen Collins

Vladimir Pleshakov: A Historiography And Analysis of his Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom , Andrew Cameron Pittman

An Analysis of the Compositional Technique and Structures of Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 22 “Nordic” , Eunseok Seo

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Serial Techniques in Works for Unaccompanied Trumpet , William Anonie

Examining Professional Music Teacher Identity: A Mixed Methods Approach with Stringed Instrument Teachers , Elizabeth A. Reed

Guided Music Play Between 2-Year-Old Children and a Music Play Facilitator: A Case Study , Kathleen Kaye Arrasmith

Parents’ Observations Of Their Young Children’s Music Behaviors During Music Classes After Completing The Children’s Music Behavior Inventory , Julia Beck

A Theoretical and Stylistic Analysis of Paul Ben-Haim’s Five Pieces for Piano, Op. 34 and Piano Sonata, Op. 49 , Rachel Bletstein

The Influence Of Mindful Movement On Elementary Students’ Music Listening Enjoyment And Comprehension , Jean Louise Boiteau

Delphine Ugalde: Defying Gender Norms Both On And Off The Stage In 19th Century Paris , Michael T. Brown

A Guide for Playing the Viola Without a Shoulder Rest , Chin Wei Chang

Tertian Relationships In Three Choral Selections By Dan Forrest: A Conductor’s Analysis , Lindsey Cope

Translucent Voices: Creating Sound Pedagogy And Safe Spaces For Transgender Singers In The Choral Rehearsal , Gerald Dorsey Gurss

Seventeen Waltzes For Piano By Leo Ornstein: A Stylistic Analysis , Jared Jones

The Kingma System Flute: Redesigning The Nineteenth-Century Flute For The Twenty-First Century , Diane Elise Kessel

The Effects Of Learning By Rote With La-Based Minor Solmization On Memory Retention For Pre-College Piano Students , Duong Khuc

Diction For Mandarin/Chinese Singers: A Methodology To Achieve Resonant Tone And Vowel Unification In Western Choral Music , Chien-Yi Li

Attitudes And Thoughts On Tone Quality In Historic Piano Teaching Treatises , Jeongsun Lim

A Conductor’s Guide to Camille Saint-Saëns’s Messe de Requiem Op. 54 , Thomas R. Matrone

The Tie That Binds: The History, Conductors, And Music Of The Mystic Area Ecumenical Choir Festival , Mark Daniel Merritt

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Music Dissertations, Theses, and Recording Projects: a guide: Get Started

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MUSICAL EXAMPLES

Students must license copyrighted music for use in their dissertation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Find resources on how to cite resources for your bibliography, in-text citations, or footnotes.

RECORDING PROJECT

Resources for students submitting a recording as thesis.

TABLES, GRAPHS, AND CHARTS

Tips on how to place data in your document.

FORMATTING THE THESIS

Templates from the UI Graduate College that make your life easier.

OPEN ACCESS

Iowa dissertations and theses are made available as open access documents. What does that mean?

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• Last Updated: Dec 14, 2023 10:42 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/musictd

Collins Memorial Library

Music 222: music of the world's peoples.

• Getting Started
• Research Questions
• Developing a Thesis
• Writing & Citing

Argumentative Paper Thesis

• Proposed answer to a research question
• Should make a claim and argue it
• Thesis = Topic + a claim (attitude or opinion) + major points (specifics about the points you will use to explain your claim)
• A good thesis has a definable, debatable claim
• Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.
• Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is not a statement of fact. It is an assertive statement that states your claims and that you can prove with evidence. It should be the product of research and your own critical thinking. There are different ways and different approaches to write a thesis statement. Here are some steps you can try to create a thesis statement:

1. Start out with the main topic and focus of your essay.

Example:  youth gangs + prevention and intervention programs

2. Make a claim or argument in one sentence.

Example:  Prevention and intervention programs can stop youth gang activities.

3. Revise the sentence by using specific terms.

Example:  Early prevention programs in schools are the most effective way to prevent youth gang involvement.

4. Further revise the sentence to cover the scope of your essay and make a strong statement.

Example:  Among various prevention and intervention efforts that have been made to deal with the rapid growth of youth gangs, early school-based prevention programs are the most effective way to prevent youth gang involvement.

Thesis Examples from Published Research

Take a look at the following articles and identify the thesis statement. Why is it an effective or not effective thesis?

1. White, Theresa Renee. “Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliott and Nicki Minaj: Fashionistin' Black Female Sexuality in Hip-Hop Culture—Girl Power or Overpowered?”  Journal of Black Studies , vol. 44, no. 6, 2013, pp. 607–626.  JSTOR ,  http://ezproxy.ups.edu/login?url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24572858 . Accessed 30 Nov. 2020.

2.  McNally, James. "Azealia Banks's "212": Black Female Identity and the White Gaze in Contemporary Hip-Hop."  Journal of the Society for American Music  10.1 (2016): 54-81.  ProQuest,  http://ezproxy.ups.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.ups.edu:2443/docview/1882381971?accountid=1627 . Accessed 30 Nov. 2020.

Thesis Statement Tutorial

Good Thesis Tips

• Ensure your thesis is provable.  Do not come up with your thesis and then look it up later. The thesis is the end point of your research, not the beginning. You need to use a thesis you can actually back up with evidence.
• First, analyze your primary sources . Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication. Ask questions about the sources.
• Anticipate the counterarguments.  Every argument has a counterargument; if yours doesn't, it's not an argument (may be a fact or an opinion). If there are too many arguments against it, find another thesis.
• Communicate a  single, overarching point  rather than multiple points that may be too difficult or broad to support

Examples of Non-Debatable and Debatable Thesis Statements

Example of a non-debatable thesis statement:

Pollution is bad for the environment.

Example of a debatable thesis statement:

At least 25 percent of the federal budget should be spent on limiting pollution.

The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different.

While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

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Home > FACULTIES > Music Research and Composition > MUSICETD

Music Theses and Dissertations

This collection contains theses and dissertations from the Department of Music, collected from the Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Theses/Dissertations from 2024 2024

Concerto for Piano Duet , Edgar R. Suski

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Musical Behaviours, Dispositions, and Tendencies: Exploring Church Music-Making Through a Theory of Practice , Laura E. Benjamins

A Comparative Analysis of the Early Twentieth-Century Music Appreciation and Community Music Movements in the United States , Andrew J. Blimke

Moments of meeting: 'Intersubjective encounters' and ‘emancipatory’ experiences of individuals with (intellectual) disabilities in inclusive musical contexts , Caroline Blumer

"That's the Way I Am, Heaven Help Me": The Role of Pronunciation in Billy Bragg's Music , Mary Blake Bonn

Singing Our Stories: Building Community and Developing Self-Empowerment in the Childless Voices Choir , Laura Curtis

Non-Directed Time , Danial Derakhshan

Soundcurrents: Exploring sound’s potential to catalyze creative critical consciousness in adolescent music students and undergraduate music education majors , Jashen i. Edwards

The Effect of Coping Verses Mastery Models on the Level of Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Music Learning, Self-Efficacy for Classical Guitar Playing and Guitar Achievement for Undergraduate Non-Music Majors , Patrick K. Feely Mr

A Study of Art Song Composition and Interpretation by Three Female German Composers in the Mid-Nineteenth Century , Churan Feng

Music Making in Elderly Community Program for Korean Immigrants in Canada , H. Elisha Jo

The Maker - A Multi-Media Opera in Two Acts , Aaron Lee

Vibes at the Village Vanguard: Hauntings, History, and the Construction of Jazz Place , Mark McCorkle

Transference Music: For Electric Guitar Soloist and Amplified Orchestra , Andrew Noseworthy

Prokofiev and the Soviet Dilemma: Censorship, Autonomy, and the Piano Transcriptions , Connor O'Kane

Changing Minds And Changing Practice: Barriers And Facilitators To The Use Of Methods Associated With Popular Musicianship, And Strategies Music Teachers Use To Navigate Them , Rhiannon Simpson

The Collective Unconscious , Yixuan Wang

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Seeing Thro the Musical Eye: Santo Daime, Fuke-shū, 1960s Psychedelia, and the Antipodes of Musical Experience , Forest Anthony-Muran

The Contrabass Tuned in Fifths: Towards an Understanding of Past and Present Applications. , Stephen T. Bright

Sound Judgements: Music Education Framework for Guiding Digital Mixing Practice , Artur Kapron

Musical Signification in Biber's Rosary Sonatas , Frangel Lopez Cesena

The Classical Sonata Forms of Franz Schubert’s Great C-Major Symphony: Exploring Tonal Structure in the New Romantic Style , Liam J. McDermott

Secondary Instrumental Ensemble: A Shift Towards Non-Normative Learning Practices , Kristine Musgrove

Gesture in Steve Reich's Music and its Signification: A Referential Approach to His Process, Stylistic, and Postminimalist Works , Martin Ross

Voice Image: developing a new construct for vocal identity , Bethany R. Turpin

The Tale of Rowan O'Shera (A Musical Drama) , Emma T.L. Verdonk

The Ghosts of Madwomen Past: Historical and Psychiatric Madness on the Late Twentieth-Century Opera Stage , Diana Wu

Exploring Musical Knowledge Within One Canadian School Of Music: Ideology, Pedagogy, And Identity , Kyle Zavitz

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Re-imagining Brazilian Portuguese IPA: A practical guide utilizing Paulo Maron’s new opera Lampião , Jorge Luiz Alves Trabanco Filho

Music Sounds Better With You , M Gillian Carrabre

Coloquio entre dos Perros, Comic Chamber Opera in Nine Scenes , Sandra Rocio Fuya-Duenas

Waves of Lament , Kennedy Kimber-Johnson

Mood, Music Choices, and the Emotional Outcomes of Music Listening: An Examination of the Moderating Role of Rumination using Experience-Sampling Methodology , Elizabeth E. Kinghorn

Speaking Songs: Music-Analytical Approaches to Spoken Word , Chantal D. Lemire

Music for Self-Attention , Jeffrey A T Lupker

Music of Peace and Protest: U.S. Composers and Musical Activism during the Vietnam War (1965-1971) , April P. Morris

A Thematic Analysis Of Nicolas Martynciow’s "Impressions Pour Caisse Claire Et Deux Toms" And A Dissection of the Extended Techniques Required For Performance , Joe Moscheck

A Narrative Approach to the Barcarolles for Solo Piano by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) , Matthew T. Pope

Motivic Metamorphosis: Modelling Intervallic Transformations in Schoenberg’s Early Works , Adam Roy

The Integration of the Style Hongrois into Brahms’s Musical Language in His Chamber Works , Raymond D. Truong

Ann Southam's Solo Piano Music: A Performance Guide , Amelia G. Yates

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Critical Border Crossing: Exploring Positionalities Through Soundscape Composition and Critical Reflection , Kelly Bylica

See It and Believe It: An Investigation into Singers' Imagery Use , Brianna DeSantis

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Article Contents

I. kania's definition, ii. intuitions and norms, iii. close enough for jazz, iv. motley music, v. facing the folk versus facing the music.

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What Is Music? Is There a Definitive Answer?

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Jonathan Mckeown Green, What Is Music? Is There a Definitive Answer?, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism , Volume 72, Issue 4, November 2014, Pages 393–403, https://doi.org/10.1111/jaac.12127

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Philosophers frequently defend definitions by appealing to intuitions and contemporary folk classificatory norms. I raise methodological concerns that undermine some of these defenses. Focusing on Andrew Kania's recent definition of music, I argue that the way in which it has been developed leads to problems, and I show that a number of other definitions of interest to philosophers of art (and others) run into similar problems.

Philosophers often develop and defend definitions of kinds of things by enlisting intuitions about what it takes for something to be of the kind and appealing to empirical facts about society's classificatory practices. They consider the implications of these data and posit necessary and sufficient conditions for kind membership that they support by reflecting on the evidence as a whole. Andrew Kania employs this strategy to advance his preferred definition of music. 1 I evaluate that definition and highlight methodological dangers that threaten projects of this sort, arguing that definitions like his cannot be successfully defended in this way. Exclusive appeals to intuitions and classificatory practices only work if the nature of the thing being defined is determined by our conception of it, that is, by the way we construe it—the features we take it to have in virtue of being the thing it is. Even if this condition is met, hurdles remain for Kania and others.

Section I presents Kania's account. He defines music in terms of intentions to manifest particular sonic properties or to promote experiences characterized by reference to those properties. Sections II to IV introduce difficulties for this proposal as well as for an earlier one by Jerrold Levinson to which Kania is responding and, indeed, for any definition of music that foregrounds sonic or experiential properties. Assuming that it is an analysis of the folk conception of music , any such definition tells us, at best , what we currently take to be music, and this information proves to have little practical value. Section V examines what happens if the assumption is suspended. It explores alternative approaches to the business of defining things, but, for these, a defense reliant on intuitions and classificatory practices is insufficient. Consequently, definitions like Kania's must either be defended differently or rejected.

Kania defines music as: “(1) any event intentionally produced or organized (2) to be heard, and (3) either (a) to have some basic musical feature, such as pitch or rhythm, or (b) to be listened to for such features.” 2 He thinks many avant garde works flout (3a). His examples are “John Cage's Williams Mix (1952)—a tape composition painstakingly spliced together out of a variety of sound sources, without regard to their basic musical features—[and] Yoko Ono's Toilet Piece/Unknown (1971)—an unedited recording of a flushing toilet.” 3 Yet these are music, if they satisfy (3b): “one can listen to sounds under a particular concept without the sounds actually falling under that concept. Thus we can admit as music sounds intended to be listened to for basic musical features that everyone is aware they do not possess.” 4 (3b), though, is violated by melodic or rhythmic events—like the practicing of scales to improve dexterity—that are not intended to be listened to for such features but that Kania takes to be music. Hence, his third condition is a disjunction: “Condition (3a) should capture most music across history and the globe, while (3b) should capture the remaining modernist and postmodern musical experiments, such as Ono's Toilet Piece/Unknown and Cage's Williams Mix .” 5

Basic musical features are crucial for determining what counts as music, on Kania's view. His list is open ended, but they are clearly features from which there has been only comparatively recent or sporadic departure in the traditions where Western commentators normally think music occurs. Music that lacks, and is not intended to have, such features qualifies derivatively by being heard against a background that frames listening in terms of them.

Considering potential counterexamples may help to elucidate Kania's definition. Morse code is not music, but Kania cannot easily exclude it without defining rhythm in a way that also excludes some metrically irregular music. 6 Somebody who intentionally produces or organizes sound for artistic purposes might not intend it to have, or be listened to for, basic musical features but may nonetheless produce something tuneful. (Imagine a bank of pipes arranged to face the wind, broadcasting pleasant tones. Imagine that by chance the sound produced when air blows through them is an arresting, hummable melody.) (3) is violated here, but some might think music happens. The solitary drummer wearing earplugs while practicing rudiments violates (2), since he or she does not intend that anything be heard. Yet one might think he or she makes music, if one agrees with Kania that pianists practicing scales do. The sole relevant difference is that the drummer endeavors to render the material unheard.

Arguably, some avant garde works that Kania would happily call music actually flout (3b): it is not obvious that they all were, or are, intended to be listened to for basic musical features. The intentions of many creators who depart from, but somehow still belong to, a tradition centered on basic musical features are surely indeterminate on this matter, and others may have intentions that are contrary to the one Kania ascribes to them. Appreciating and classifying John Zorn's challenging game pieces might be facilitated, no matter what anybody intended, by bearing in mind that in other works Zorn references grunge and that he writes uncontroversially tonal and rhythmic music for conventional forces. Kania is right to think that some works lacking all basic musical features can and perhaps should be appreciated against a conventional musical tradition and that many of these can reasonably be counted among the music. But plausibly, in his eagerness to admit some but not too much arrhythmic, unpitched, contemporary, or otherwise outlying material, Kania fastens on an arbitrary criterion.

[T]here are works of sonic art that will not count as music according to my definition. These are works such as Toilet Piece/Unknown that lack basic musical features but (unlike Toilet Piece/Unknown ) are not intended to be listened to for such features. (It could be argued that Williams Mix is in fact such a piece.) This is an advantage of the definition I have suggested, since there does seem to be just such a division in contemporary art practice between music and sound art. 7

It is indeed widely accepted that a lot of material can be helpfully called sound art. 8 Yet influential people think some events lacking basic musical features are both sound art and music. Andy Hamilton, recounting a telephone conversation with Philip Samartzis, says: “Though happy to call himself a sound artist, [Samartzis] is ambivalent about dividing avant garde musical exploration from sound art. He concedes that he thinks in musical terms.” 9 Karlheinz Stockhausen wrote that “nowadays any noise is musical material.” 10 Edgard Varèse said: “When I was … giving concerts of modern music, I got sick of the stupid phrase ‘Interesting, but is it music?’ After all, what is music but organized sound—all music! So, I said that my music was organized sound and that I was not a musician, but a worker in frequencies and intensities.” 11 Sympathizers with these standpoints may propose counterexamples to Kania's definition: events that they take to be music, either on the basis of their own reflection, or because they recognize that the community has so decided, even though the events lack all basic musical features and are not intended to be listened to for such features.

I delay assessing counterexamples until Section IV, but they raise a methodological issue that is worth remarking on now. I am not sure what resources Kania would rally in response to them. If he brandishes intuitions, his opponents can too. If he appeals to institutional practice, as he does when dividing music from sound art, his opponents can insist that the practice is equivocal. If he prioritizes some data over others, seeking reflective equilibrium, on what grounds does he decide which data to prioritize? It is unclear what additional evidence Kania would adduce to defend his definition. This becomes important in the final section.

Intuitions and classificatory practices form Kania's evidence base. These bear on what people take music to be . Since Kania is proposing a definition of music , he can only be fully vindicated by these data if the nature of music is settled by our conception of music . I assume throughout the next three sections that it is. But I argue that what counts as music according to our folk conception is so controversial and dependent on historical accident that we must doubt the extensional adequacy and usefulness of Kania's definition, assuming it is taken to specify our conception of music. Section II examines how intuitions and social norms constitute folk conceptions. Section III, a case study, investigates our folk conception of jazz, prefiguring the worries raised subsequently for Kania's definition of music. Section IV raises those worries: when construed as specifications of our folk conception, Kania's definition and others that appeal to sonic and experiential properties or intentions to produce them are controversial and not future proof. This severely constrains their usefulness. Section V considers ways of defining music (and other things) that are not hostage to folk conceptions.

Hunches, gut feelings, and sober judgments about which pegs fit which holes fix on various features of the items they concern. Some of these intuitions , as we shall call them, are about what something is made of: cottage pie contains mince and potato. Some are about how we perceive things—always, typically, or ideally: rainbows present as bands of specific colors in a specific order, arched across the sky. Some are about what something does or is for: banks store and lend money. Some are about procedures involving a thing, such as its connection with an institution or its creator: banks are accredited by governments. Some intuitions are criterial: part of what makes something a bank is that it lends money. Others are evidentiary: a rainbow is the kind of thing that we identify by observing colors, whether or not those colors help to make something a rainbow.

Many factors influence the development, maintenance, and updating of classificatory intuitions. Different people generalize differently from similar exemplars—of music, mental states, or moral rectitude—depending on, inter alia , which heuristics they adopt for recognizing new instances, what authority figures say, which aspects of culture they think are universal, which states of affairs they take to be unchanging, their capacity for imagining alternative pasts and futures, their metaphysical proclivities, and how reflective they are. One informant may intuit that music always has a tune or a beat. Another suspects that nothing constrains the principles of organization or the sonic elements that can generate music. One may judge that bananas are well qualified to be fruit because of their constitution or function and that tomatoes only just qualify or are clearly on the border between fruit and nonfruit. Another may regard the status of tomatoes as unclear or indeterminate. A third may distinguish a botanical from a culinary kind of fruit. No one need be intransigent; they just have different starting points.

Agents’ intuitions and any reflecting they do fuel the furnace that emits communal classificatory practices. Such practices are subject to norms that likewise address various features of objects—perceptual, functional, and so on, and they too may distinguish central cases from vague, controversial, or hybrid cases. The norms constitute folk conceptions of kinds of things. These manifest psychologically among community members as dispositions to lump roughly the same things together, perhaps for roughly the same reasons.

When unfamiliar objects surface or fresh insights are gained, communally sanctioned taxonomies are often sorely tested. Is heavy water water? Is unauthorized downloading theft? Such questions prompt decisions about which unfamiliar cases to include under existing categories. There may be tentativeness, disagreement, or indifference about marginal cases and arbitrariness in the ways practices accommodate unprecedented phenomena. These need not undermine a classificatory practice's coherence or utility. An indignant carnivore can argue with a waiter about whether some vegetarian dish is a cottage pie without anybody doubting that rules govern what counts as one. Whales are classed as mammals, though they might not have been. This precisifies the criteria for being a mammal along one trajectory rather than another, but those criteria are still consistent and handy.

Nevertheless, extensive uncertainty or disagreement about how to classify marginal cases may imply a lack of consensus about why even central cases clump together. And where there is much arbitrariness in the way categories stretch to subsume new cases, maybe loud voices, rather than coherent, serviceable rules, are calling the shots. One off uses of old words to cover new, marginal instances sometimes penetrate public discourse and affect the way the folk classify those instances thereafter. Bloggers, broadcasters, lobbyists, legislators, arbiters of fashion, and pundits disproportionately influence updating of classificatory norms in new circumstances, perhaps because of their public profile rather than because their views are uncommonly well informed. Hence, the assortment of cases satisfying a folk conception can become hard to subsume under a single principle. (This is one story about why our conception of sport, for example, invites a family resemblance style analysis.)

The prospect of unprincipled conceptions is increased by the prevalence of conceptual conservatism. This ensures that if something counts as a clear instance of a concept at some time, it counts as an instance of that concept at all subsequent times, regardless of how far the concept gets warped to cover new cases. (“Greensleeves” will always count as music, no matter what newfangled stuff does or does not.) Where there is conceptual conservatism, extending a folk conception to cover new cases is like building new rooms on a house. When the loudest voices are not the most reasonable, there is no guarantee that the resulting structure conforms to a plan. 12

Unmoderated conceptual drift sometimes signals that, despite appearances, multiple folk conceptions are in play, simultaneously or in succession. Close attention to language may reveal this. ‘Breakfast’ currently has at least two meanings: first meal of the day (as in: I haven't had breakfast yet) and the kinds of food typically eaten as the first meal of the day (as in: we serve all day breakfast). So the fact that we use the same word to describe two things does not always mean that our intuitions incline us to regard them as kind mates satisfying a single conception of something. Meanwhile, ‘nice’ once meant fastidious, but seldom does nowadays. So the fact that a new case comes to fall arbitrarily within the extension of an old word might signal an old folk conception giving way to a new one rather than a single conception updating. Yet, conceptual disorder cannot always be thus described. Intuitions and classificatory tendencies often harbor evidence that the folk (however untidily) regard multiple conceptual norms, diachronically and synchronically, as bearing on the same notion. When diversity of opinion (as with the vegetarian cottage pie) is routinely interpreted as disagreement, when an institution (like the American Society for Aesthetics) coordinates activity across a wide spectrum, when there is conceptual conservatism, or when a term subsumes sundry cases without checking out as ambiguous, we have (defeasible) evidence of a single conception. Both ‘jazz’ and ‘music,’ for instance, tick all of these boxes.

Analysts of folk conceptions gather intuitions and postulate societal norms to explain verdicts on particular cases. Some data may be discarded and some prioritized in the hunt for a coherent principle that summarizes and perhaps explains all, or most, verdicts. If the items falling uncontroversially under a folk conception differ greatly in their constitution or perceptual properties, either at a time or over time, they might still turn out to perform, or be meant to perform, the same function. Banks and letterboxes are like this; their functions unify our conceptions of them. Alternatively, all the items falling under some conception may turn out to be mandated in similar ways by similar institutions. Legal rights and duties might be like this. If all else fails, a conception that applies to new things in an apparently ad hoc manner might evolve in a recursively describable fashion: new instances are always causally connected with slightly older ones in the same way, even if they end up differing markedly from very early ones. 13

Sometimes, though, the analyst might reasonably conjecture that no principle at all subsumes the things picked out by a particular folk conception. Given the way practices evolve, this is not surprising. In the next section, I illustrate this situation by documenting the haphazard evolution of our conception of jazz. Then, in Section, I argue that some of the lessons we learn about jazz apply to music. Specifically, I argue that if there is any unity and practical utility to be found in our conception of music, we will only find it by examining features—perhaps functional, institutional, or recursively describable ones—other than the sonic, experiential, and intentional features that Kania invokes in his definition.

Bebop, swing, and Dixieland count as jazz. Rock ’n’ roll does not. Most Broadway songs do not, though jazzers routinely improvise on them. There are areas of doubt, disagreement, and indifference. Some Third Stream music might be borderline jazz, or maybe people disagree about whether some of it is borderline or most of it is hybrid. Disputes rage about whether Miles Davis stopped playing jazz and whether Kenny G started.

We are hard pressed for criteria distinguishing even central cases of jazz from most nonjazz. Much canonical jazz does not emphasize improvisation; much country and folk music does. People who enjoy central cases of jazz from one subgenre are not especially likely to enjoy jazz from other subgenres. Such disunity is easily explained historically. For example: influential swing soloists invented bebop; their experiments influenced swing performance style; since swing was jazz, it was natural to authorize bebop. Rock ’n’ roll, despite sharing many features with swing, had roots in rhythm and blues and country. By covering some styles more than others, DownBeat and other jazz journals steered readers toward those styles.

No rigorous constraints govern the evolution of the criteria for identifying instances of jazz. No Academie de Jazz arbitrates. Nor does jazz, like atoms and mammals, play a well defined causal role in some theory about the world's workings. Thus, the story of jazz could easily have gone differently. The beboppers might have left jazz critics behind, attracting new listeners. Bebop might then not have been regarded as jazz. Fledgling rock ’n’ roll might have occupied more space in DownBeat . Nothing in the previous practice signaled that certain styles, and not others, would count as jazz later. Nor is it likely that actual jazz history reflects a more principled, strategic, elegant, or otherwise defensible program than all counterfactual ones.

Nevertheless, suppose that I successfully characterize our current folk conception of jazz in terms of experiential and sonic properties and intentions to manifest them: I accurately distinguish jazz, nonjazz, and penumbra. My definition would exploit classificatory facts not available to a definer circa 1920. I, in turn, lack access to data about future stylistic innovations and the unforeseeable tendencies of our heirs to dub or disqualify them. Like one from 1920, my definition would not be future proof . Mine would only specify the extent to which an item counts as jazz now. It might be sociologically interesting, but arguably no other benefits accrue.

Consider four purposes for which a definition of a kind of thing might be consulted. Not every definition whatsoever need meet all four expectations, and there are other rewards that definitions can deliver, but, I suggest, quadruple failure strongly indicates a dearth of practical applications.

First, one might want a definition to illuminate the shared nature of the kind mates. We expect this from a definition of a natural kind. Maybe jazz lacks a shared nature. Anyway, a successful characterization of our current conception like the one we envisage supplies none. It yields a procedure for generating the current extension of our conception, but the folk treat jazz as a persisting kind, and we cannot trust our definition to foretell its fortunes.

Second, one might want a definition to state criteria used in practice to identify whether (or the extent to which) something is of the kind. A good definition of a mother in law obliges: you identify mothers in law by identifying spouses’ mothers. Our envisaged specification of our conception of jazz will not yield identificatory criteria. These are likely to include a network of defeasible heuristics associated with subgenres, central cases, and individual careers: “This is jazz because it's hard bop; that's jazz because of the breathy sax solos; those are jazz because Monk wrote them.” Heuristics vary from person to person, even for central cases where there is no disagreement about whether there is jazz.

Third, one might want a definition to isolate the criteria implicit in decisions about which marginal or novel things are of the kind. We expect this from a legal definition of malice aforethought. We do not find it here. Jazz evolves desultorily, and some of the relevant decisions are in the future, where the definition cannot reach.

Finally, one might want a novice to efficiently learn which things belong to the kind by applying the definition. This works for mothers in law. 14 But, for a start, our specification of our conception of jazz will probably be a complicated cluster definition or an opaque lengthy disjunction. Expect hedge clauses, reflecting doubt, disagreement, and indifference. Also, since it is confined to what currently counts as jazz, the definition might misleadingly reveal transitory, adventitious orderliness. Our newcomer can do much better. If he were quite interested in discovering jazz, he should learn some history. That will acclimatize him to what counts as jazz and when. It will demonstrate why some kinds of drift occur but not others. If he is only mildly interested, he should sample canonical instances so that he realizes what people mean when they allude to jazz. Suppose that, instead, another newcomer learns my hypothetical specification of what our conception currently licenses. Then she learns only some of what she ought to know, together with arbitrary facts peculiar to the period on which the definition reports. Had she known enough history or central cases to match her curiosity, my definition would have been superfluous.

Perhaps a serviceable, accurate, future proof characterization of our folk conception that respects the fuzziness of the boundaries is recoverable from our intuitions and classificatory trends, but surely it would invoke properties other than sonic and experiential ones. It might be a recursive historical definition that details how an event gets to be jazz if it is suitably related to prior jazz. A successful definition of this kind would plot a pattern through the evolution of our conception, revealing either deep stability in that conception or a network of different, but related, conceptions that change and cross fertilize in ways that can be explained systematically. Alternative characterizations would say that an event gets to be jazz just when or to the extent that it performs a particular function in our cognitive or social lives or is accepted as jazz by a relevant institution . Because of the unruliness and consequent unpredictability of jazz's development, I doubt that any definer could reliably discern a recursively describable historical pattern or diachronically stable function. Perhaps an institutional definition would fare better, but such definitions are subject to well known difficulties, and I will not speculate here about the prospects of characterizing our conception of jazz in this way. What matters for what follows is that, because of border skirmishes and especially future uncertainties, we cannot usefully define our conception of jazz solely in terms of sonic or experiential properties or intentions like those that Kania invokes in his definition of music.

Not every folk conception is as unruly as jazz, but our conception of music is unruly enough to warrant skepticism about the utility of definitions like Kania's. As with jazz, there is doubt, disagreement, and indifference about what counts as music and how borderline or hybrid various cases are. Much that is routinely treated as music by the elite, Western artworld or by metallers is apparently not music to the public's ears (except in movies). As noted in Section I, some of it is not music according to Kania's definition, though it would be included by many sonic revolutionaries who regard themselves and are often regarded as music makers. Securing broad agreement about what counts as music is unlikely when commentators differ not merely over where to draw the boundaries but over what makes something music. Nor can one say uncontroversially that there are just different conceptions of music in play: some might insist that there is one core notion that fragments around the edges.

Moreover, as with jazz, institutional decisions about what is music and what is not seem no more coherent or inevitable than some alternative histories. Just as bebop might not have been regarded as jazz, material by Cage and Varèse could easily not have been regarded as music. Much of it eschews the tonal, rhythmic, and timbral resources of their native tradition, and they celebrated this discontinuity. However, they took their work to signal an expansion and liberalization of that tradition and influenced many, including musicians working primarily in more established styles. Maybe that helps to explain why their work is often regarded as music. Furthermore, just as rock ’n’ roll might have been regarded as jazz, foley—the addition of sound effects to a film after shooting—might have counted as music. The foley artist's inventive manipulation of assorted objects and the resulting play of sound are akin to much twentieth century percussion work. However, foley did not emerge from that tradition and differed sufficiently from mainstream music to be distinguished from it in studio postproduction. Maybe that helps to explain why it is not regarded as music. In short, the sequence of decisions of the communities in which a conception of music is used to classify things could easily have gone differently but just as coherently.

All of this controversy and haphazardness is bad news for definitions of music in terms of experiential and sonic properties and agents’ intentions to generate them when those definitions are defended by appeals to current intuitions about what counts as music together with past and present institutional classificatory facts. There are potentially two flavors of bad news. The first is boundary controversies. In the previous section, we imagined a hypothetical characterization of our conception of jazz in terms of sonic and perceptual properties and related intentions that took boundary disputes to be just that. Perhaps a characterization of our conception of music in similar terms could do likewise, but Kania's does not. As we have seen, it passes confident verdicts on some cases about which the folk are noncommittal or ambivalent, categorically excluding some avant garde offerings that sonic revolutionaries regard as music and including others that most people, including many music lovers, exclude. This prevents that particular definition from being extensionally adequate. The other bad news item was fatal even to our hypothetical definition of jazz, and I think the sort of definition of music we are discussing cannot avoid it either. Any such definition can only aspire to specifying what currently gets counted as music. Given conceptual conservatism, we can expect it to include among the music most if not all of what clearly counted as music in former times. However, if the definition accurately identifies criteria that always will track what gets counted as music, this is a fluke.

To see why, suppose Kania's definition was anticipated 180 years ago by a columnist in Robert Schumann's Neue Zeitschrift für Musik . Only fortuitously could this visionary produce a definition of music in terms of its real or intended sonic or experiential properties, whose extension includes Ono's Toilet Piece/Unknown . There were insufficient clues in the musical landscape of mid nineteenth century Europe to motivate the inclusion of any material that lacks all basic musical features. A columnist who was musically, philosophically, and anthropologically capable enough to diligently reflect on music as it was and could be might have pictured a future in which such items were regarded as music. But even if this prevented him or her from discarding the possibility that those items should count as music, categorically including them would mean riskily predicting, beyond the mandate of prevailing intuitions and practices and perhaps contrary to the definer's own intuitions, that the criteria for delineating music would follow a particular path. So even if Kania's definition accurately captures the folk's conception of music at the beginning of the twenty first century, his anticipator's success in describing that same conception is lucky, not prescient.

If Kania has aspirations beyond his time, he faces the same plight: he cannot be expected to rule in everything that might count as music 180 years hence. By then, there might be a tradition of performing, in front of an audience, works that resemble Western concert music, except that they are not intended to be heard. When they are performed, by dropping feathers onto cushions or blowing ultrasonic whistles, aficionados appreciate the performers’ skill, the intricacy of the motivic development (revealed by the details of their actions), the nuanced effect of the recital on canine spectators, or the play of sounds (clicking keys, furtive breaths) attendant on the realization of the inaudible content. Such works violate Kania's second condition and perhaps also his third. But, given that some present day commentators believe in silent music, we can coherently envisage futures in which these works are regarded as music. Equally, given present day unease about whether there can be silent music, we can envisage futures in which they do not.

Another scenario reinforces the point. One hundred eighty years hence, deaf people might routinely make and appreciate music, taking advantage of sophisticated enhancements of current technology that enables them to monitor vibrations tactually. Suppose this mode of perception turns out not to be a form of hearing: it is processed very differently from the way auditory signals are processed. If this is part of our future, there will one day be music that violates condition (2): it will not be intended that it be heard; yet we can also envisage futures from which this scenario is absent.

So even if Kania is right about what gets counted as music now, he cannot, except flukily, predict what else will get counted as music in the future. Maybe posterity will require additional disjuncts in condition (3) and a retraction of (2).

An earlier definition to which Kania is responding shares his difficulties. Jerrold Levinson defines music as “sounds temporally organized by a person for the purpose of enriching or intensifying experience through active engagement (e.g., listening, dancing, performing) with the sounds regarded primarily, or in significant measure as sounds.” 15 Like Kania, Levinson has difficulties negotiating the boundaries of our conception: he gleefully excludes Muzak, but surely many people, even on reflection, think Muzak is music and Kania cheerfully includes it. 16 In the imagined futures of the previous paragraph, the music will not be captured by Levinson's definition.

Perhaps there are analyses of our conception of music that do not rule unsafely on marginal or future cases. A theorist in any period, reflecting on our intuitions and classificatory norms, might propose a historical recursive, functional, or procedural analysis. This is still risky, given the definer's ignorance about the future. 17 Still, for all I have argued, such definitions might accurately and nonflukily inform us about a temporally stable folk conception of music (with fuzzy edges) that is manifested differently at different times or about conceptions that succeed one another in accordance with a pattern. They would do so without being as specific as Kania's proposal is about the causal, experiential, and contextual features in virtue of which we regard something as music, at a given time, but, as we have seen, proposals like his are sensitive to the indeterminacies and transformations of societal norms.

Boundary disputes and expiry dates are not automatically slights on a definition. Yes, our criteria for identifying music are awkwardly controversial at the margins, and they evolve, but puzzling concepts that play a role in classifying items need not be fully determinate or stable to be worth understanding, and a partial understanding could be better than nothing. However, our discussion of jazz illustrated how our conception of something can be at the mercy of haphazard development to such an extent that the question of what currently counts as falling under it is of mainly sociological import. This cap may or may not fit our conception of music, but it does if that conception can be analyzed only in terms of the kinds of features to which Kania alludes in his definition. Recall the four potential benefits of definitions from our jazz discussion. Definitions of music of the kind under scrutiny satisfy none of them.

First, a specification of our current folk conception, couched in terms of sonic and experiential features and related intentions, cannot illuminate the shared nature of all that counts as music. Like jazz, the folk regard music as a kind with a future. Whatever the definition says, we cannot know what counts as music in the future. (Kania's proposal also represents boundaries as more settled than they are.) So we cannot even confirm extensional adequacy.

Second, this sort of definition does not state the criteria used in practice to identify whether something counts as music. In central cases, people might fasten on Kania's basic musical features: “This, I can sing”; “That's got rhythm.” 18 Further out, other desiderata often hold sway. For you, Penderecki's Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima is music because he prescribes a string orchestra. For me, it is music because it sounds like something I studied for a music exam. A specification of an aggregated folk conception will not be this idiosyncratic.

Third, a definition like Kania's, construed as analyzing a current folk conception, will not isolate the criteria implicit in decisions about which novel stuff counts as music. As with jazz, some of these are decisions about the future.

Finally, a beginner would not efficiently learn what counts as music by encountering this sort of distillation of what we currently take to qualify. It would provide, at best, a potentially misleading snapshot of a turbulent, evolving practice. And, as with jazz, an interest in the issue of what gets regarded as music should cue a history lesson.

The pitfalls outlined above presumably affect definitions of many kinds that are defended in large part by appeals to intuitions and past and present classificatory decisions about what is of the kind. I have drawn particular attention to analyses of our conceptions of jazz and of music that make claims about actual or intended sonic or experiential properties. However, we can expect similar allegations of extensional inadequacy and lack of utility to dog any characterization of a folk conception that rules unequivocally on contentious cases or only reliably tells us the story so far about an undisciplined bundle of evolving features.

Kania might insist that his definition is not a report of what the community takes music to be: he has a different take on how to define music. If so, he may need to consider which sorts of evidence should be used to support his definition, and this will depend on what kind of thing he takes music to be.

Proposed definitions that are answerable only to intuitions and community norms should be regarded primarily as attempts to unpack our conceptions of things. If it is adequate, a definition of a rainbow supported by such data reveals what we take rainbows to be. It only reveals what a rainbow is if the nature of rainbows is settled by our conception of them. Knowledge and games may be like this, and jazz almost certainly is. Plausibly, defining them amounts to specifying what we take them to be. Rainbows are not like this. To discover what a rainbow is or to define rainbows, one must do physical science. Even so, Frank Jackson argues that to know which physical science matters here, we must know what we take rainbows to be. 19 We must know which situations count for us as ones with rainbows, which do not, which are borderline, and which are contested. Only thus equipped can we discover which kind of thing or which phenomenon typically occurs in the rainbow laden situations (and perhaps with an attenuated profile in the penumbra), playing the rainbow role in our lives. Only something like that can be a rainbow because wondering about rainbows is wondering about things that we can identify and distinguish from other things. If Jackson is right, conceptual analysis, the specification of the criteria that constitute our conception of a thing or kind of thing, illuminates not only stuff like jazz, whose nature is determined solely by our conception of it, but also things like rainbows, whose natures are settled at least partly by facts distinct from our conceptions of them.

It is controversial whether every phenomenon whose nature is scientifically or philosophically interesting must be investigated in the light of conceptual conclusions. Some have argued that when Noam Chomsky theorizes about I languages and when Ruth Millikan explores representational states, they are simply inquiring scientifically into the nature of objective reality and are not constrained by our conceptions of things. 20 Chomskian I languages are posited to explain certain phenomena that are informally described as linguistic: chiefly, deep similarities among syntactic descriptions of diverse languages and the rapidity of children's language acquisition. For this role, perhaps I languages need not accord with the everyday conception of a language.

What is music? Is it like jazz in that its nature is plausibly exhausted by our conception of it? Is it like a rainbow, on Jackson's story, in that its nature is at least partly determined by factors beyond our conception of it but constrained by that conception? Is it like I language is sometimes taken to be in that it could turn out rather different from any current folk category—a theoretical posit that helps to explain widespread phenomena? 21

Consider definitional endeavors that seek to vindicate our intuitions about possible cases and our past and present classificatory practices. How they fare turns on how the nature of the definiendum—music, say—relates to our conception. If music is like jazz, its nature is plausibly determined entirely by our conception of it, and then, as detailed above, care is needed to avoid defining music in ways that make contentious (including future) cases seem uncontentious. To produce a more promising account of our conception, and, hence, of music, one should probably investigate the conditions that determine the evolution of our shifting classificatory practices. A recursive, functional, or procedural account might illuminate these. Perhaps Kania's definition of music, understood as an attempt to characterize music by characterizing our conception of it, should be revised in this direction.

If instead, music is like a rainbow and Jackson is right, one must explore our conception in order to target the aspect of reality we aim to describe. Conceptual untidiness might not be fatal here, since the definition is not a restatement of our conception. Our conception merely constrains our search so that it pinpoints features of the world that are typically present when we claim there is music and typically absent when we claim there is not. To find out what those are, expect to import other evidence, perhaps about commonalities in neural responses to audible stimuli, evolutionary functions of music related behavior, cross cultural social norms associated with music, material heard in music venues, or curricula delivered under the heading ‘music’ (rather than, say, ‘physics’ or ‘sculpture’). We can also expect this evidence to be gathered and tested rigorously against scientific standards. Maybe we will eventually rule that music is best defined in terms of Kania's basic musical features as all and only the events meeting conditions (1), (2), and (3a). This hypothesis might cover all the cases that the folk regard as paradigmatic. Of course, it departs from important tenets of our folk conception, but it might be called for by an objective assessment of which kinds of stuff truly belong together and hence of which natural aspect of the world is tracked (imperfectly) by our musical thought, talk, and behavior. 22 If Kania's definition is supposed to conform to this picture, according to which our conception of music is a reference point for the investigation of the nature of music, he owes us an account of the kind of evidence that must supplement data about our folk conception in order to vindicate the definition.

Finally, if music is like I language, on the view entertained above, our intuitions and communal norms need not constrain our definition at all, since we are not interested in what people are trying to fix on when they enter into thought or talk about music. We simply want to understand the world around us in its own terms. Again, this raises the possibility of a revisionary definition: music might be characterized as a scientific posit that helps to explain many interesting phenomena, like cross culturally similar responses to small ratio intervals. In that case, music is whatever plays that explanatory role rather than something whose nature is determined by our folk conception of it. Again, some things that some folk call music might turn out not to be. 23 If Kania's definition is supposed to fit this mold, according to which music is independent of our folk conception, he should not only explain what sort of theoretical role music is meant to play and what kinds of evidence are required to determine what realizes it but also eschew the sorts of evidence relied upon in his defense thus far.

Maybe none of these three options captures the relationship between the folk conception and the nature of music. Maybe more methodological reflection on this relationship is needed. But I hope to have shown that Kania and others who mount similar campaigns must find new ways to argue for their definitions. 24

Andrew Kania, “Definition,” in The Routledge Companion to Philosophy and Music , eds. Theodore Gracyk and Andrew Kania (London and New York: Routledge, 2011), pp. 1–13. See also Andrew Kania, “Music,” The Routledge Companion to Aesthetics , 3rd edition, eds. Berys Gaut and Dominic McIver Lopes (London and New York: Routledge, 2013), pp. 639–648, especially p. 640, and “Silent Music,” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 68 (2010): 343–353.

Kania, “Definition,” p. 12.

Kania, “Definition,” p. 9.

Kania, “Silent Music,” p. 348.

Kania, “Definition,” p. 11.

See Stephen Davies, “On Defining Music,” The Monist 95 (2012): 535–555, at p. 538.

See Andy Hamilton, Aesthetics and Music (New York: Continuum, 2007), chap. 2. Like Kania, Hamilton distinguishes music from sound art. He postulates a conceptual difference between them, due to music's reliance on “tone.” Hamilton's view is not one of my targets: he is not proposing a definition of music in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions; also, his argument is not especially beholden to intuitions or existing institutional rulings.

Hamilton, Aesthetics and Music , p. 62.

Karlheinz Stockhausen, Stockhausen on Music: Lectures and Interviews , ed. Robin Maconie (London and New York: Marion Boyars, 1989), p. 109.

Alfred L. Copley, “Edgard Varèse on Music and Art: A Conversation between Varèse and Alcopley,” in Leonardo 1 (1968): 187–195, at p. 194.

Conceptual conservatism may not always have been active in our conception of jazz: arguably, Al Jolson should no longer be called a jazz singer.

Jerrold Levinson, “Defining Art Historically,” British Journal of Aesthetics 19 (1979): 232–250 offers a recursive definition of art.

And fugues: a good definition is complex, but a neophyte who masters it knows what fugues are.

Jerrold Levinson, “The Concept of Music,” in Music, Art, and Metaphysics: Essays in Philosophical Aesthetics (Cornell University Press, 1990), pp. 267–278, at p. 273.

See Levinson, “The Concept of Music,” p. 274, and Kania, “Definition,” p. 10.

In “On Defining Music,” Davies is gloomy about the prospects for functional and recursive definitions of music.

Kania, “Definition,” pp. 7–8.

Rainbows succinctly illustrate Jackson's methodology, though he himself does not mention them. See Frank Jackson, From Metaphysics to Ethics: A Defence of Conceptual Analysis (Oxford University Press, 1998).

Justine Kingsbury and Jonathan McKeown Green argue that this is how we should understand Chomsky's and Millikan's projects, but that Jackson's view accommodates rainbows and much more. See their “Jackson's Armchair: The Only Chair in Town,” in Conceptual Analysis and Philosophical Naturalism , eds. David Braddon Mitchell and Robert Nola (MIT Press, 2009), pp. 159–182.

Even on this construal, which things are music might still be determined, at least in part, by facts about human intentions, responses, or purposes.

The sociohistorical program for characterizing music sketched by Davies in “On Defining Music” is probably of this “rainbow” type.

One might, for instance, argue that we process auditory signals with basic musical features in an encapsulatedmental module (see Isabelle Peretz and Max Coltheart, “Modularity of Music Processing,” Nature Neuroscience 6 [2003]: 688–691) and that signals with these features form an interesting class: music. The evidence supporting this hypothesis might include evidence of musical universals or experimental findings about systematic variations in responses to audible signals.

Thanks to Stephen Davies, Maite Ezcurdia, Justin Horn, Justine Kingsbury, Phillippa McKeown Green, Glen Pettigrove, Aness Webster, an anonymous referee, and the editors of this journal for extensive help with earlier drafts.

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A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Arsis and Thesis

From volume 1 of the work.

When applied to beating time, arsis indicates the strong beat, and thesis the weak: for the ancients beat time in exactly the reverse way to ours, lifting the hand for the strong beat and letting it fall for the weak, whereas we make the down beat for the strong accents, and raise our hand for the others.

When applied to the voice, a subject, counterpoint, or fugue, are said to be 'per thesin,' when the notes ascend from grave to acute; 'per arsin' when they descend from acute to grave, for here again the ancient application of the ideas of height or depth to music was apparently the reverse of our own.

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Music Learning and Teaching in Culturally and Socially Diverse Contexts pp 23–41 Cite as

The Relationship Between Music, Culture, and Society: Meaning in Music

• Georgina Barton 2  
• First Online: 14 August 2018

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Music is inextricably linked with the context in which it is produced, consumed and taught and the inter-relationship between music, society and culture has been researched for many decades. Seminal research in the field of ethnomusicology has explored how social and cultural customs influence music practices in macro and micro ways. Music, for example, can be a core feature of social celebrations such as weddings to a means of cultural expression and maintenance through ceremony. It is this meaning that can alter across contexts and therefore reflected in the ways music and sound is manipulated or constructed to form larger works with different purposes. Whether to entertain or play a crucial role in ceremonial rituals music practices cannot be separated from the environment in which it exists.

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Barton, G. (2018). The Relationship Between Music, Culture, and Society: Meaning in Music. In: Music Learning and Teaching in Culturally and Socially Diverse Contexts. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95408-0_2

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Home > CCA > School of Music > School of Music Graduate Theses and Dissertations

School of Music Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

A Case Study Analysis of the Experiences and Perceived Learning Outcomes of Former Non-Music Majors in Applied Horn Lessons , Jordan Bennett

Unconventional Wisdom in Resonating Echoes of the Past: A Memoir on the Life and Music of royal hartigan , Joseph Elias Boulos

Composers at War: A Study of Composers Who Fought in World War I and World War II , Jason T. Hoffmann

Adventures in Flute Playing: A Literature Survey and Anticipated Beginning Flute Method , Sammy Holloman

American Art Songs in the 21st Century: A Catalogue of Selected Works , Islei Mariano Correa Hammer

Pedagogical Piano Works by Four Contemporary Composers: Emma Lou Diemer, Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee, Karen Tanaka and Chee-Hwa Tan , Manuel Alejandro Molina Flores

A Selective Guide to Solo Bass Trombone Repertoire from 1961 to Present , Andrew Amadeus Ortega

Analysis and Performance of Osvaldo Golijov’s Hebreische Milonga , Gerardo Sanchez Pastrana

Challenges and Solutions for Native Mandarin-Chinese Speakers in Singing German Lieder , Fei Xia

Developing Collaborative Skills in Piano Students , Linxi Yang

A Guide to Chinese Art Songs from 1970 to 2010 , Tingyu Yan

A Study of Six Selected Piano Variations by Czerny , Hao Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Investigating the Marketing Language among Online Retailers of Violin Strings to Determine the Implied Aesthetic , Kira Kay Browning

Stylistic Changes in the Music of Ruth Crawford Seeger , Xinlei Chu

The Most Common Vocal Fault in the Baritone Voice , Matthew Derek Cyphert

Diversifying Piano Literature: East Asian Music for Piano Study and Performance in the United States , Akina Kondoh

Playing-Related Medical Injuries and Health Conditions in Collegiate Saxophonists: A Survey of Saxophonists in North American Universities , Michael Anne Tolan

The Purpose and Process of Commissioning New Music for Low Brass Instruments: A Guide , Michael Kennard Waddell

Evocations of Nature in Selected Piano Works by Debussy , Heah Zi-Ling

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

A Survey of Musical Expectations in the Marine Forces Reserve Band stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana , Brandon Paul Carbonari

A Selected Analytical Bibliography of Works for Saxophone by Composers Associated with the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music: 1946-2021 , Christopher Mark DeLouis

"A Long Life in Music:" The Career and Legacy of Ann Schein , Anthony William Gray

Jerome Franke’s “Architectural Practice” Exercises for Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 62 and Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21 , Yaniv Gutman

Fostering Music Performers in the 21st Century: A Contemporary Professional Perspective toward a New Curricular Agenda for Graduate Study in Music , Andre Januario

Francis Poulenc: The Compositional Influences of Les Six and Sergei Prokofiev on the Poulenc Oboe Sonata (1962) , Evan Klein

The Three Piano Sonatas by José de Almeida Penalva , Heron Alvim Moreira

Chamber Music Fundamentals and Rehearsal Techniques for Advancing String Students , Gabrielle Padilla

Touching Light: A Framework for the Facilitation of Music-Making in Mixed Reality , Ian Thomas Riley

The Joyful Path of Lifelong Mastery of the Piano , John Alan Rose

Hearing Ourselves Speak: Finding the Trans Sound in the Ohio River Valley , Gwendolyn Patricia Saporito-Emler

#Canceled: Positionality and Authenticity in Country Music’s Cancel Culture , Gabriella Saporito

The Memorization, Preparation, and Performance of Piano Music: Cognitive Foundations and Current Neuro-Music Research , Amy M. Simpson

Selected Principles of Practicing for Security in Performance , Hsing-Yi Tsai

An Analysis of Amy Beach's Variations on Balkan Themes, Op. 60 , Yiwen Zhang

A Foundation for Collaboration: An Analysis of Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Op. 48 , Kailang Zhan

A Selective Study on Chinese Art Songs after 1950 , Gehui Zhu

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

It’s Just Muzak: Music, Activism, and Advertising. , Avery Brzobohaty

A Survey of Selected Classical Chinese Art Songs for Solo Voice and Piano from 1920 to 1950 , Tingting Chang

A Multifaceted Performance Model for the Multiple Percussion Performance Practice: Performance Analysis of Select Works toward Developing a Graduate Curriculum , Mitchell Joseph Greco

The Roman Catholic Ordinary Mass from circa 1750 to circa 1820: A Selected Bibliography , Letícia Gabriele Grützmann Januario

An Appraisal of the Evolution of Western Art Music in Nigeria , Agatha Onyinye Holland

Types and Causes of Physiological Injury in Piano Playing, with Emphasis on Piano Pedagogy in China , Ruixi Niu

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Contemporary Music Notation for the Flute: A Unified Guide to Notational Symbols for Composers and Performers , Ms. Eftihia Victoria Arkoudis

Core Curriculum for Orchestra , Andrew Thomas Aycoth

Hyperscales: Analysis, Historical Uses, and Possible Applications in Contemporary Music Composition , Douglas Wayne Brown

Johannes Brahms’s Fünf Ophelia-Lieder Performance history, cultural context, and character study as it pertains to Johannes Brahms’s Fünf Ophelia-Lieder: A Performer’s Perspective , Caryn Alexis Crozier

The Hard Bop Trombone: An exploration of the improvisational styles of the four trombonist who defined the genre (1955-1964) , Emmett Curtis Goods

A Pedagogical Guide to Kapustin’s Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40 , Yanjing Gu

Prizes, Winning, and Identity: Narrative Vocal Music of the Pulitzer Prize, 2008–2018 , Julia K. Kuhlman

Folk-song to formal performance: Interpreting the songs of Jean Ritchie for voice recital , Julianne E. Laird

Contemporary Collaborative Piano Practices in Korea: Five Case Studies , Jiyeon Lee

Music Technology, Gender, and Sexuality: Case Studies of Women and Queer Electroacoustic Music Composers , Justin Thomas Massey

The Inclusion of Organ Within the Concert Band Instrumentation with an Annotated Listing of Original Works for Concert Band and Organ , Matthew Justin McCurry

The "organ-accompanied solo motet" in in La Maîtrise, 1857–1861 , John David O'Donnell

Musical and Cultural Perspectives of Héctor Campos Parsi: An examination of his influences and analysis of selected vocal works , Cynthia Ortiz-Bartley

Latin American Influences on Selected Piano Pieces by Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Darius Milhaud , Hyejeong Seong

A Compendium of Opera in Spain and Latin America , Michelle S. Smith

Pedagogical Thoughts on Album des Six: a piano set by Les Six to represent French Nationalism , Dipendra Sunam

Examining Musical Hybridity and Cultural Influences in Valerie Coleman’s Wish Sonatine and Fanmi Imèn , Brittany Marie Trotter

Discovering the "Finnish Chopin"—Selim Palmgren's 24 Preludes, op. 17, and Tres Piezas para Piano, op. 54 , Sijia Wang

Mindfulness for Musicians: Bringing sport psychology and mindfulness-based therapies to the practice room and the concert stage , Lauretta M. Werner

Listening for the Cosmic Other: Postcolonial Approaches to Music in the Space Age , Paige Zalman

How does the pronunciation of native languages affect beginning singers? A research focusing on native Mandarin Chinese and American English speaking singers , Ruobing Zhao

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

An Exploration of Paul Bowles' Piano-Solo Pieces , Juan Carlos Rios Betancur

The Life And Work Of Barbara Nissman , Giuliana Paola Contreras Ampuero

Lynne Ramsey, Violist: Biography, Pedagogical Background, Teaching Techniques, and Career Advice , Ignacio Cuello

Listening for Yes: Consent in the Contemporary Country Love Song , Phoebe E. Hughes

Form in the Music of John Adams , Michael Ridderbusch

Study of the Resonance Spectrums of the Flute and the Effect of Different Stable Vowels on Formant Tuning with Violin and Clarinet , Alyssa M. Schwartz

It Takes a Village: Collaborative Social Justice Through Choral Musicking , Natalie Shaffer

Staying Original: A Case study for Film Composers Working with Temp Tracks , Kyle Maurits Simpson

Chinese Elements and Influence in Tan Dun's Eight Memories in Watercolor , Qian Xu

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

A Study in Songs: Comparative Analyses of 20th century settings of William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and of Experience": Selections from Vaughan Williams's "Ten Blake Songs", Britten's "Songs and Proverbs of William Blake", and Rochberg's "Blake Songs: For Soprano and Chamber Ensemble" , Jennifer Berkebile

The Treatment of the Piano in Six Selected Chamber Works by Colombian Composers in the Twenty-First Century , Javier Camacho

The Paganini Variations: A Study of Selected Works by Liszt, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Lutoslawski, and Muczynski , Youna Choi

A Survey of Selected Piano Concerti for Elementary, Intermediate, and Early-Advanced Levels , Achareeya Fukiat

Jesus de Monasterio (1836-1903): An Essential Figure in the Artistic and Technical Development of Violin Playing in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century at the Madrid Royal Conservatory , Diego Gabete-Rodriguez

A Transcription for the Viola of Three Violin Works by Amy Beach: A Historical, Theoretical, and Pedagogical Analysis , Courtney Erin Grant

The Piccolo in the 21st Century: History, Construction, and Modern Pedagogical Resources , Keith D. Hanlon

Tear Down the Wall: Long-Form Analytical Techniques and the Music of Pink Floyd , Christopher Everett Jones

Revolutionary Pedagogy: A Historical Perspective on Improvising in Beethoven , Julia Kinderknecht

Philosophical Approaches to Compositional Technique in Isang Yun's Works for Solo Flute , Mirim Lee

Taiwanese Composer Tyzen Hsiao: Pedagogical Aspects of Selected Piano Solo Works , Tzu-Nung Lin

Researching History and Performance Practice Regarding Improvisation and Ornamentation in Mozart's Keyboard Works, with Special Attention to Cadenzas , Josiane Merlino

A Study of Nikolai Kapustin's Sonata No. 12, Op. 102: A Contemporary Jazz Sonata In Two Movements , Mark Peters

Selected Manufacturer's Professional Trumpet Component Specifications: A Compendium of Measurements, Materials, and Playing Characteristics , Kenneth H. Piatt

A Conductor's Perspective on Stravinsky's "Danse sacrale" from "Le Sacre du printemps": Evaluation of Revisions, Analysis and Considerations for Conducting , Hanjin Sa

Hungarian Elements in Selected Piano Compositions of Liszt, Dohnanyi, Bartok, and Kodaly , Helga Scheibert

A Pedagogical Study of Selected Piano Music of Miguel del Aguila , Sornsuang Tangsinmonkong

Performance Practice and Overview of Selected Piano Works of Barbara Kolb , Chiao Su Joyce Wang

A Transcription for Soprano Saxophone and Piano of Chen Yi's "Chinese Folk Dance Suite", Originally for Violin and Orchestra , Tak Chiu Wong

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Listening To Their Voices: An Ethnographic Study of Children's Values and Meaning Ascribed to Learning World Music in Elementary School General Music , Juliana Cantarelli Vita

Pedagogical and Performance Aspects of Three American Compositions for Solo Piano: John Corigliano's Fantasia on an Ostinato, Miguel del Aguila's Conga for Piano, and William Bolcom's Nine New Bagatelles , Tse Wei Chai

Encounters with the Avant-Garde: Four Case Studies in the Reception History of Contemporary Flute Works (1971 to present) , Amanda Cook

Beyond High and Lonesome: A Comparative Analysis of Early Male and Contemporary Female Bluegrass Vocal Styles , Hillary C. Kay

The life and legacy of MieczysLaw Munz , Sora Lee

An Analysis of Narong Prangcharoen's "Three Minds" for Solo Piano , Pawatchai Suwankangka

MIDI Electronic Wind Instrument: A Study of the Instrument and Selected Works , Matthew J. Swallow

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

The Keyboard Works of Alex Shapiro , Elizabeth Mary Etnoyer

Halim El-Dabh's Derabucca Notation and its Implication on Performance Practice , Ryan Joseph Frost

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of The Arts > School of Music > Music Education > Theses and Dissertations

Music Education Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2015 2015.

Origins of Music Programs in Liberal Arts Institutions: The Story of Three Florida Catholic Universities , Cynthia S. Selph

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

A Philosophical Inquiry on the Valuation and Selection of Musical Materials for Culturally Diverse Learners in Global Environments , Jonathan Bassett

Upper Elementary Boys’ Participation During Group Singing Activities in Single-sex and Coeducational Classes , Zadda M. Bazzy

An Examination of the Influence of Band Director Teaching Style and Personality on Ratings at Concert and Marching Band Events , Timothy J. Groulx

Empowered for Practice: The Relationship Among Perceived Autonomy Support, Competence, and Task Persistence of Undergraduate Applied Music Students , Julie F. Troum

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

An Exploratory Study of the Use of Imagery by Vocal Professionals: Applications of a Sport Psychology Framework , Patricia Louise Bowes

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Perceptions of Effective Teaching and Pre-Service Preparation for Urban Elementary General Music Classrooms: A Study of Teachers of Different Cultural Backgrounds in Various Cultural Settings , Lisa J. Lehmberg

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

Teaching strategies of successful college trombone professors for undergradute students , Matthew T. Buckmaster

The influence of performance background on instrumentalists' ability to discriminate and label cornet and trumpet timbre , Gary Compton

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

The Effect of Conducting Gesture on Expressive-Interpretive Performance of College Music Majors , Ronald Wayne Gallops

Effect of Age on 11- to 18-Year-Olds’ Discrimination of Nuances in Instrumental and Speech Phrase Interpretations , Andrew Sioberg

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

Choral Music Education: A Survey of Research 1996-2002 , Amber Turcott

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What is Music? – Definition, History, Types, Importance, and Benefits

Bridging all divides, music is a universal language that has spanned centuries, continents, and cultures. This art form, as diverse and multifaceted as humanity itself, is more than just an aural pleasure; it’s a powerful conduit of emotion and a remarkable tool for connection. This blog post seeks to delve into the enigmatic world of music – unraveling its definition, retracing its historical lineage, unwrapping different types, underscoring its importance in our lives and society, and highlighting the far-reaching benefits it bestows upon us. Prepare to embark on an enthralling journey that explores the depths of this captivating symphony called music. You’re about to discover why it isn’t just sound— it’s an anthem for life.

Music is the art of arranging sounds, typically involving melody, harmony, rhythm, and expressive elements. It is a means of personal expression, cultural preservation, and communication that has been present in human societies throughout history. Music encompasses various genres and styles, played on diverse instruments or using the human voice. It can evoke emotions, convey messages, and provide entertainment or catharsis.

Defining Music

Music, a universal language that has resonated throughout human history, is a rich and complex art form that defies a singular definition. The essence of music lies in its ability to evoke emotions, convey narratives, and connect individuals across cultures and time. While defining music precisely may prove challenging, various perspectives offer insights into its multifaceted nature.

Imagine attending a concert where you are moved to tears by the haunting melody of a violin or dancing uncontrollably to the infectious beats of a drum. Such experiences embody the power of music to elicit emotional responses.

Embracing a broad perspective, one could define music as “organized sound” or “domesticated sound,” encompassing the arrangement of sonic elements such as rhythm, melody, harmony, and form. This definition recognizes music as a structured artistic expression that utilizes naturally occurring acoustic phenomena.

Another approach to defining music suggests that it is what individuals have an aesthetic experience while paying attention to sounds. Essentially, this definition places the interpretation of music in the hands of the beholder, acknowledging the subjective nature of musical experiences. It allows for inclusivity and acknowledges that anything can be considered music if someone experiences it as such.

However, it is crucial to acknowledge the diverse cultural contexts in which music exists. Different societies have varying conceptions of what constitutes music, influenced by their traditions, customs, and beliefs. Thus, attempting to confine music within a rigid definition would be limiting.

In essence, music transcends boundaries between cultures and individuals, offering an avenue for emotional expression and connection. While different definitions exist, they all highlight the fundamental idea that music is an art form capable of eliciting profound emotional responses.

Exploring Various Definitions

To comprehend the full scope of what defines music, let us delve into various perspectives on this captivating art form.

Some scholars argue that music is a form of art that elicits an aesthetic experience similar to the emotional responses evoked when experiencing other forms of art. This perspective emphasizes the expressive and creative nature of music, positioning it as a medium through which artists communicate their thoughts, feelings, and ideas.

On the other hand, some scholars view music as sonic or auditory art, highlighting its dependence on the auditory senses to perceive and appreciate its artistic elements. This perspective underscores the inherent connection between music and sound, suggesting that the combination of various sonic elements creates musical compositions.

Moreover, certain definitions emphasize music’s role in social and cultural contexts. Music plays a vital role in social activities, religious rituals, celebratory events, and cultural traditions across diverse communities worldwide. It serves as a means of communication, expression, and preservation of cultural heritage.

Think of music as a tapestry interwoven with threads representing different cultures, bringing people together through shared experiences.

It is crucial to acknowledge that individual interpretations of music may vary based on personal taste and background. Some might find solace in classical symphonies’ intricate harmonies, while others find joy in the energetic rhythms of popular music genres . The beauty of music lies in its ability to cater to a wide range of emotions and preferences.

While there may be differing opinions on what constitutes music, it is essential not to dismiss subjective interpretations. The definition of music should be inclusive rather than exclusive because restricting its boundaries can stifle creativity and limit exploration within this vibrant realm.

• As per a study by the U.K.’s Royal Academy of Music, classical music comprises about 1.4 percent of the total recording industry market share as of 2020.
• A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2019 found that 53% of adults state that music plays ‘a somewhat – or very – important’ role in their lives, highlighting its universal prevalence and significance.
• Around 82% of people agreed with a statement that stated ‘Music is a key part of my life’ in a global Nielsen survey conducted in 2017.

Tracing the History of Music

Music, as we know it today, has evolved over centuries, with its roots deeply embedded in human civilization. Tracing the history of music is like embarking on a fascinating journey through time. From the earliest forms of musical expression to the complex compositions of modern times, understanding this evolution provides us with valuable insights into our cultural heritage and the universal language that music represents.

The origins of music can be traced back to prehistoric times . Archaeological evidence suggests that early humans used musical instruments made from natural resources such as bones, shells, and rocks. These primitive instruments served as tools for communication and expression, enabling our ancestors to convey their emotions and tell stories through rhythmic sounds.

As human civilizations began to emerge, so did the sophistication of musical practices. In ancient Egypt , for example, music played a significant role in religious rituals and was considered a divine art form. Instruments such as the harp, flutes, and percussion were used to accompany hymns and chants during temple ceremonies.

Meanwhile, ancient Greece placed great importance on music’s educational value. The philosopher Plato believed that musical training profoundly impacted the development of character and moral values. Students were taught music alongside other subjects as part of their holistic education.

Throughout history, different cultures have embraced their unique musical traditions and created distinct styles and genres. For instance, Indian classical music is known for its intricate melodies and improvisation techniques influenced by centuries-old ragas (musical scales). Similarly, African music often relies heavily on rhythm and percussive instruments to create energetic and vibrant compositions.

Understanding the impact of music in ancient cultures allows us to appreciate its significance in shaping societies across time. Let’s explore further how music became an integral part of ancient civilizations and contributed to their social fabric.

Impact of Music in Ancient Cultures

Music played a crucial role in the social and cultural life of ancient civilizations. It served various functions, ranging from religious rituals to entertainment, and even had therapeutic qualities. Let’s delve into some notable examples of how music left its mark in ancient cultures.

In ancient Egypt, music held a sacred status and was deeply intertwined with religious practices. Temples had dedicated musicians who performed during ceremonies honoring the gods. The melodic compositions and rhythmic patterns were believed to please the deities and strengthen the connection between humans and the divine. Music was also present at joyous occasions like weddings and banquets, where lively performances accompanied celebrations.

Ancient Greece embraced music as a form of artistic expression and entertainment. It played a pivotal role in dramas staged in Greek theaters, serving as a tool for emotional catharsis and enhancing the theatrical experience. Musicians would perform on instruments like lyres or flutes, setting the mood for each scene. Greek society recognized the transformative power of musical performances in stirring emotions and creating a shared experience among audience members.

In ancient China, music was highly regarded and considered an essential part of Confucian philosophy. The belief was that music had the power to influence individuals’ behavior and promote harmony within society. Royal courts employed skilled musicians who composed intricate melodies using traditional Chinese instruments such as the guqin (a type of zither). These musical compositions aimed at fostering peace, wisdom, and moral righteousness.

The impact of music in ancient cultures not only shaped their traditions but also laid the foundations for future musical developments. Each civilization contributed unique perspectives on how music could enrich human experiences from Egypt to Greece to China.

Unpacking Music Genres

Music is a vast and diverse art form, encompassing various genres that cater to different tastes, preferences, and cultural backgrounds. Unpacking music genres allows us to explore the unique characteristics, origins, and influences of each genre. Let’s dive into some popular genres and understand what sets them apart.

One prominent genre is classical music, known for its rich history and complexity. Originating in Europe during the medieval and Renaissance periods , classical music is characterized by its formal structure, intricate compositions, and orchestral arrangements. It encompasses symphonies, concertos, sonatas, and more. Composers like Mozart , Beethoven , and Bach have played significant roles in shaping this genre.

On the other end of the spectrum lies rock music, which emerged in the 1950s as a fusion of various musical styles such as rhythm and blues, country music, and gospel. Rock is recognized for its energetic guitar-driven sound, passionate vocals, and rebellious lyrics. From iconic artists like Elvis Presley and The Beatles to contemporary bands like Foo Fighters , the evolution of rock has been nothing short of influential.

Another influential genre is hip-hop or rap music. Originating in African American communities during the 1970s in New York City , hip-hop has become a global cultural phenomenon. It features rhythmic beats coupled with spoken-word poetry-like lyrics that reflect societal issues and personal experiences. Artists like Tupac Shakur , Jay-Z , and Kendrick Lamar have used their voice through this genre to empower and shed light on social injustices.

These are just a few examples among countless other genres such as jazz, country, pop, reggae, electronic dance music (EDM), and many more. Each genre holds its unique soundscape and appeals to specific audiences across cultures worldwide.

Now that we’ve explored the diverse world of music genres, let’s discuss the influence they have on cultures and societies.

• Music is a vast and diverse art form encompassing various genres, each with unique characteristics and influences. Classical music, originating in Europe, is known for its formal structure and intricate compositions. Rock music emerged in the 1950s, combining different styles to create an energetic guitar-driven sound. Hip-hop or rap music originated in African American communities and uses rhythmic beats and spoken-word lyrics to address social issues. These genres are just a few examples among countless others, each appealing to specific audiences across cultures worldwide. The influence of music genres on cultures and societies is significant, as they reflect the values, emotions, and experiences of different communities.

Influence of Different Genres on Cultures

Music is more than just a collection of sounds; it has the power to shape cultures, bridge divides, and provide an avenue for self-expression. Different music genres have significantly influenced cultures throughout history and continue to do so today.

One prime example of musical influence is seen in traditional folk music. Rooted in cultural heritage and passed down through generations, folk music reflects a community’s values, stories, and history. It brings people together, preserving cultural identity and fostering a sense of belonging. Not only does it celebrate diversity, but it also serves as a reminder of shared experiences and common humanity.

Another genre that has left an indelible mark on culture is reggae music. Originating in Jamaica in the late 1960s , reggae emerged as a form of expression for marginalized communities, addressing social issues such as poverty, racism, and political oppression. Artists like Bob Marley used reggae as a platform to spread messages of love, unity, and social change worldwide.

Music genres can also shape fashion trends, dance styles, and even language usage within certain cultures. For instance, the punk rock movement of the 1970s not only influenced music but inspired a distinctive fashion style characterized by rebellious attire, bold hairstyles, and DIY aesthetics.

The influence of music genres on cultures extends beyond societal aspects; it also impacts emotions and personal experiences.

The Role of Music in Expression

Music has long been recognized as a powerful medium for self-expression. Whether through lyrics or instrumental melodies, music allows individuals to convey their thoughts, emotions, and experiences in a way that words alone cannot capture. It is a universal language that transcends cultural, language, and background barriers.

People can express joy, sadness, anger, love, and other emotions by listening to or creating music. Think about your favorite song – it might evoke memories and feelings that resonate with you deeply. For example, a melancholic melody can evoke feelings of nostalgia or longing, while an upbeat rhythm can inspire joy and excitement.

Moreover, music acts as a creative outlet for artists and musicians who use their talents to express personal narratives and connect with listeners on an emotional level. Songwriters often pour their hearts into their lyrics, using metaphors and imagery to convey complex emotions. Musicians bring these lyrics to life through the power of melody and rhythm, enhancing the emotional impact.

Music also plays a significant role in cultural expression. Different genres and styles reflect various communities’ unique identities and experiences worldwide. For example, traditional folk songs may capture the history and traditions of a particular region or ethnic group.

In addition to its role in personal and cultural expression, music has proven to be an effective tool for learning. Let’s explore how music enhances educational experiences and promotes cognitive development.

Music as a Tool for Learning

From early childhood to adulthood, music profoundly impacts our ability to learn and retain information. Numerous studies have shown that incorporating music into educational settings can enhance memory, concentration, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

For young children, nursery rhymes and catchy tunes serve as mnemonic devices that aid in memorization. Repetitive melodies help reinforce the learning of letters, numbers, and other fundamental concepts. Furthermore, music engages multiple brain areas simultaneously, stimulating neural connections and promoting cognitive development.

In school settings, subjects like literature, history, and science can be complemented by incorporating music. For example, students studying a historical period might listen to music from that era to gain insights into the culture and social climate of the time. This interdisciplinary approach fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation for the subject matter.

Imagine studying Shakespeare’s works while listening to dramatic orchestral compositions that capture the intensity of his plays. The combination of music and literature creates a rich sensory experience that brings the words on the page to life.

Additionally, learning to play a musical instrument or participate in group performances develops discipline, perseverance, and teamwork. Collaborative musical endeavors such as choirs or orchestras enhance interpersonal skills and promote a sense of community among participants.

The power of music extends beyond academic environments as well. Music therapy has been used effectively in therapeutic settings to help individuals with emotional or cognitive challenges. It provides an outlet for self-expression and can aid in emotional regulation and communication.

The Impact of Music on Human Well-being

Music profoundly impacts human well-being, affecting us emotionally, mentally, and physically. It can evoke strong emotions, create connections, and enhance our overall quality of life. From ancient to modern times, music has been an integral part of various cultures and societies.

Emotional Effects : Music possesses the remarkable ability to evoke a wide range of emotions within us. It can uplift our spirits, bring tears to our eyes, or even soothe our troubled minds. For example, listening to our favorite song after a long and tiring day can instantly lighten our mood and make us feel happier. Conversely, a melancholic melody might resonate with feelings of sadness or nostalgia. These emotional effects make music a powerful tool for self-expression and catharsis, enabling individuals to process their thoughts and emotions.

Think about when you felt blue and turned to music for solace. The soothing melody or relatable lyrics provided comfort and reassurance in a way that words alone couldn’t express. Music has an uncanny ability to speak directly to our hearts.

Mental Effects : In addition to its emotional impact, music also influences our cognitive functions and mental well-being. Research has shown that listening to or playing music can improve concentration, enhance memory retention, and stimulate creativity. For instance, classical compositions have been found to promote focus and productivity during study or work sessions. Moreover, engaging with musical instruments or participating in singing can boost brain development and sharpen cognitive skills in children.

Mozart’s sonatas are often recommended for enhancing concentration while studying because of their rhythmic patterns and harmonies that prime the brain for focused attention. Many people find that listening to instrumental music like jazz or ambient tracks helps them enter a state of flow while working on complex tasks or projects.

Physical Effects : It is no secret that music has the power to move us physically as well. When we listen to upbeat and energetic tunes, our bodies instinctively respond by tapping our feet, nodding our heads, or even dancing. This physical engagement provides a form of exercise and releases endorphins, which are natural mood enhancers. In certain scenarios, music therapy is utilized to aid in the rehabilitation process for individuals with motor disabilities or to manage chronic pain.

Consider attending a live concert or music festival where the crowd’s collective energy is palpable. The bass reverberating through your body and the rhythmic vibrations stirring your senses create a truly immersive experience that uplifts and energizes you.

Now that we have explored the impactful role of music on human well-being let’s delve into one of its significant aspects – the emotional and performance effects it holds.

Emotional and Performance Effects of Music

Imagine watching a film without any background score. The absence of music would significantly alter the emotional impact of various scenes, leaving viewers feeling detached and less engaged.

Music possesses an incredible ability to heighten emotional intensity, whether it’s in films, theatrical performances, or our daily lives. It serves as a powerful tool for enhancing mood and atmosphere. From suspenseful melodies creating tension in a horror movie to triumphant orchestral arrangements accompanying scenes of victory in an epic battle, music plays an indispensable role in elevating emotions and intensifying our overall experiences.

But beyond being a passive listener, actively engaging with music can have performance-enhancing effects as well. From athletes warming up to their favorite pump-up tracks before a game to students playing instrumental pieces while studying for exams, music has been known to improve focus, motivation, and performance across various domains.

For example, research suggests that listening to motivational songs can enhance athletic performance by increasing arousal, enhancing focus, and decreasing perceived exertion. Similarly, background music has improved productivity in work settings by creating a more pleasant and stimulating environment.

Picture a scene: You’re at the gym, and your energy is waning. Suddenly, that one high-energy song comes on through your earphones, and you can feel an instant surge of adrenaline coursing through your veins. Your workout intensifies, and you find yourself pushing harder, lifting more weights, without even realizing it. Music has the power to transcend physical limits and unleash our inner potential.

Ultimately, the emotional and performance effects of music are deeply intertwined, as an elevated emotional state often translates into improved performance. Whether it’s boosting our mood during daily activities, enhancing concentration and creativity, or fueling our drive for success, music holds immense power over our well-being.

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