Matching Items (14)
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- All Subjects: Music
- Creators: School of International Letters and Cultures
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
- Status: Published
Description
The Mizrahi Jews have greatly influenced current Israeli culture through their music and food. The Mizrahi immigrated from Middle Eastern countries and brought with them their music and food. Their music has changed slowly over time. Musiqa Mizrahit started as music the Mizrahi brought with them when the immigrated to Israel. As they adjusted to Israeli society, they began switching the Arabic words to Hebrew. Musiqa Mizrahit really took off with the creation of cassette recordings that allowed anyone to cheaply record music and share it. As Musiqa Mizrahit became more accessible, it slowly gained popularity across Israel. As popularity for the genre, it slowly became accepted in Israeli society. Up until then, Musiqa Mizrahit had been discriminated against and was not considered part of Israeli culture. Nowadays, Musiqa Mizrahit is very popular and widely accepted in Israel. The food was accepted by the Ashkenazi in the first two decades of the countries existence by the widespread Israeli pushback in Mandatory Palestine and into the existence of the brand new country. now many of the Mizrahi foods are considered part of the Israeli national cuisine.
ContributorsKoester, Samantha Lanette (Author) / Shemer, Judith (Thesis director) / Ali, Souad (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor, Contributor, Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Music both created and consumed by Soviet soldiers during the war in Afghanistan provides an insight into their opinions and criticisms of the war. Music allowed soldiers to vent, to give voice to their experiences, as well as to rationalize their participation in the conflict, enabling them to inject their personal opinions and perceptions of the war into memorable and poetic forms. Through analyzing the Soviet songs about the of Afghan war, we can create a chronological timeline charting the development of resentment and disillusionment among Soviet soldiers: the initial patriotic songs borrowed from prior conflicts soon declined in popularity, replaced with mournful songs reflecting soldiers’ nostalgia for home and fear of death in their daily lives. Their lyrics reveal feelings of anxiety, disenfranchisement and abandonment, all resulting from the Soviet state’s ineffective handling of the war. In addition to songs produced by soldiers themselves, bands within Soviet borders such as Kino also wrote songs about the conflict, using their star power to draw attention to the conflict in their own fashion. By tracking both the creation and spread of these songs about the Soviet-Afghan war (referred to in this essay as either the “Soviet-Afghan War” or, more simply, the “Afghan War” as it is known in Russian), we can find vital, overlooked expressions of if not protest then discontent - among the many bubbling to the surface during the last decade of the USSR. This thesis therefore presents a chronological analysis of representative songs from the Soviet-Afghan war that also takes their popularity and methods of propagation -- the material technologies that allowed for this music to be spread -- into account, plotted alongside the major turning points of the war. It uncovers an otherwise forgotten form of discourse between soldiers about both the war itself, as well as the Soviet government, exploring the political implications of the war’s musical memorialization.
ContributorsBellard, Alex (Author) / Schmelz, Peter (Thesis director) / Stoff, Laurie (Thesis director, Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Music is a pervasive element of human culture that plays a significant role in our social interactions and goals. The current research regarding the evolutionary nature of music remains divisive, with several groups making competing claims about whether music is an evolved trait and, if it is, what function it may serve for survival and reproduction. In an attempt to further define the multiple dimensions of the evolution of music, this study focuses on a specific methodology for determining the relationship between improvisational musical ability, cognitive fitness, and sexual attraction. In Part 1 of this research, piano musicians completed working memory tests and provided 30-second recordings of improvisation. These recordings were heard by participants in Part 2 of the experiment, who rated both the music and a random facial image from an independent database paired with each song. The data revealed that perceived quality of music is positively associated with attractiveness, with a significant effect observed in males of moderate baseline attractiveness. Although the relationship between some working memory measures and musical improvisational ability proved not to be statistically significant, auditory working memory span yielded a marginally significant result. The overall results are consistent with a sexual selection theory of the evolution of musical improvisation and suggest appropriate avenues for future research.
ContributorsTesch, Anna (Author) / Patten, Kristopher (Thesis director) / Becker, Vaughn (Committee member) / Knowles, Kristina (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
This creative thesis project consists of a singing performance and literary review analysis. The interest for this project was fueled by my own experiences as an Undergraduate student with a musical background pursuing a major in Biological Sciences and minor in Business at Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University. Through an exploration of current research, this project analyzes the transformative impacts of playing music on individuals’ academic, creative, and life skills. Through the literature review, I found that music improves academic performance in students, leads to cognitive brain development, develops critical life skills including communication and leadership, as well as increases self-expression as an emotional outlet. The main goal of this project was to shed light on the benefits of playing music through a singing performance of five pieces to showcase my musical abilities, as well as advocate for the necessity of music in the school curriculum.
ContributorsArora, Victoria (Author) / O'Flaherty, Kathrine (Thesis director) / FitzPatrick, Professor Carole (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor)
Created2023-12