Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
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- Creators: Norton, Kay
Description
The purpose of this project was to examine the lives and solo piano works of four members of the early generation of female composers in Taiwan. These four women were born between 1950 and 1960, began to appear on the Taiwanese musical scene after 1980, and were still active as composers at the time of this study. They include Fan-Ling Su (b. 1955), Hwei-Lee Chang (b. 1956), Shyh-Ji Pan-Chew (b. 1957), and Kwang-I Ying (b. 1960). Detailed biographical information on the four composers is presented and discussed. In addition, the musical form and features of all solo piano works at all levels by the four composers are analyzed, and the musical characteristics of each composer's work are discussed. The biography of a fifth composer, Wei-Ho Dai (b. 1950), is also discussed but is placed in the Appendices because her piano music could not be located. This research paper is presented in six chapters: (1) Prologue; the life and music of (2) Fan-Ling Su, (3) Hwei-Lee Chang, (4) Shyh-Ji Pan-Chew, and (5) Kwang-I Ying; and (6) Conclusion. The Prologue provides an overview of the development of Western classical music in Taiwan, a review of extant literature on the selected composers and their music, and the development of piano music in Taiwan. The Conclusion is comprised of comparisons of the four composers' music, including their personal interests and preferences as exhibited in their music. For example, all of the composers have used atonality in their music. Two of the composers, Fan-Ling Su and Kwang-I Ying, openly apply Chinese elements in their piano works, while Hwei-Lee Chang tries to avoid direct use of the Chinese pentatonic scale. The piano works of Hwei-Lee Chang and Shyh-Ji Pan-Chew are chromatic and atonal, and show an economical usage of material. Biographical information on Wei-Ho Dai and an overview of Taiwanese history are presented in the Appendices.
ContributorsWang, Jinding (Author) / Pagano, Caio (Thesis advisor) / Campbell, Andrew (Committee member) / Humphreys, Jere T. (Committee member) / Meyer-Thompson, Janice (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
String players have been identified as the most affected group of instrumentalists suffering from musculoskeletal disorders, and most of the problems are related to posture. The high prevalence of injuries among string players suggests that there is room in the music curriculum for a program tailored to this population and that can provide both immediate and long-term solutions. Pilates is a mind-body conditioning method of exercises and a philosophy that shares many similarities with string playing technique and performance, which suggests that its practice can be beneficial to improve not only the posture of string players but also various other areas. Studies about Pilates as a treatment show the varied areas in which Pilates can help, which are all of interest to instrumentalists. However, the application of Pilates into the music curriculum as a way to help string players improve awareness and reduce injuries has not yet been fully explored. This document addresses the similarities between Pilates and string playing, identifies postural tendencies of string players, and demonstrates how specific Pilates exercises can help counteract asymmetries, restore balance, and reduce the number of musculoskeletal injuries of string players. All anatomical drawings included in this document were adapted from other sources, as cited, or originally drawn by the author.
ContributorsGallo, María Luciana (Author) / Norton, Kay (Thesis advisor) / Landschoot, Thomas (Thesis advisor) / Humphreys, Jere T. (Committee member) / Rotaru, Catalin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Anglophone music festivals in the U.S. can be traced back to singing schools of the 1700s, which eventually blossomed into regular, outdoor musical performances, growing in popularity between 1840 and 1875. The first annual music festival in the United States was founded in Massachusetts in 1858. Modern single-destination music festivals grew in popularity in the United Kingdom and the United States during the late twentieth century. Although the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair of 1969 was not executed perfectly, it was an iconic event with a lasting cultural impact. Modern music festivals are modeled on the rural open-air festivals of the 1970s. In the past sixty years, the music industry has had to reconcile with the environmental impact of single-destination music festivals. Capitalistic ventures are inherently at odds with the environment—even music streaming has a significant carbon footprint. Corporate entities have been known to make insincere efforts to address their environmental impact, a tactic known as “greenwashing.” Music festivals hosting thousands of attendees generate a large amount of human waste on top of the already significant carbon emissions associated with travel, transport of equipment, and production. Event organizers must take significant measures to appeal to modern-day environmentally-conscious audiences. Burning Man and Bonnaroo are two events that once stood out among other large, corporate festivals for being developed by independent organizers. The two festivals are hosted on two strikingly different environments for which the organizers have made unique sustainability considerations. Burning Man celebrates radical individualism and self-reliance in a dry Nevada lakebed desert. On the other hand, Bonnaroo, hosted on the humid, rolling grassland of Tennessee is branded as an environmentally responsible event. The organizers of both festivals have promoted sustainability in their respective efforts to mitigate the environmental byproducts of their events, producing varying results. Sustainable festival practices have been utilized at Bonnaroo since its inception, whereas many of the longstanding traditions of Burning Man are antithetical to sustainability. This case study explores the rise of these two festivals, the environmentally conscious values held by both, and how they have changed over time.
ContributorsSheller, Nikhita (Author) / Norton, Kay (Thesis advisor) / Navarro, Fernanda (Committee member) / Little, Bliss (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022