Matching Items (98)
Filtering by
- Status: Published
Description
For decades, music educators have discussed the need to expand the standard choral canon to address disparities across student demographics in collegiate choral programs. These conversations have proved insufficient, because they do not address the systemic and structural issues that are the main cause for the racial and gender disparities within various areas of choral music. To address how structural oppression has found its way into collegiate choral music, I have studied how the discourse, or language, found on several collegiate choral music program public websites upholds two main power structures within collegiate choral music: the white racial frame and settler colonialist thought. Through a fictionalized narrative based on my personal music education experiences called “Decolonizing Kiki: A Socratic Dialogue,” I provide a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of language found on current American collegiate choral program websites. The narrative analysis intentionally centered my body and marginalized identities in order to illustrate the need to reflect upon the impact of language in choral music education. In addition to addressing the white racial frame and colonialist knowledge systems and practices in the discourse of collegiate choral music, this document departs from a typical Western approach to educational research. The narrative analysis also serves as a personal educational currere, which has helped me affirm my cultural and ethnic identities, ground my teaching philosophy, and further reconceptualize the future of choral music education
ContributorsSteiner, Kiernan Marlene (Author) / Schildkret, David (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Tobias, Evan (Committee member) / Thompson, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
In the early 2000s, a new genre of music broke into the mainstream and begandominating popular music charts. The fans called it emo, and it became known as the latest iteration of the emo genre from the ’80s and ’90s. In this thesis, I explore the relationship between fans and emo music, clarifying the genre’s variety of definitions and interpretations while also identifying the types of discourse and the “productive” fandom practices in which fans participate in online emo community. I consider how early online fandom communities were formed and examine various online emo communities as digital archives containing emo discourse, emo fan fiction, and fan-written music reviews. Analyzing such archived materials from internet sites such as Pinterest, Tumblr, and LiveJournal is an important next step in emo fandom studies because these digital archives reveal significant areas of discourse within emo communities ranging from terminology and genre classification to modes of participatory fandom like fan fiction to conversations about mental health. I consider these topics from all sides, balancing fan testimonies with media narratives and scholarly commentary. By focusing on the mental health crisis in online emo fandom, the fan content that emo fandom inspires, and different approaches to defining the genre of emo, this thesis contributes to the study of a unique musical subculture that shaped the lives of a generation of teenagers. It will also illuminate the essential role that the internet plays in the formation of subcultures and teen identities by exploring the past and present existence of this online fandom.
ContributorsWilliams, Anna Katherine (Author) / Wells, Christi J (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Schmeltz, Peter J (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Among the most popular music genres are pop, rock, country, R&B, jazz, and blues. In the context of hit TV shows such as Glee, The Voice, and The Masked Singer, as well as the musical theater and pop industries booming, the American education system should be helping to prepare students for success in the current music industry. America’s higher education systems have not followed the industry’s trends as much as they could. Music schools with classical voice programs significantly outnumber musical theatre programs in the United States, and pop/contemporary commercial music programs are rare. The small number of contemporary commercial music programs (CCM) likely has to do with the lack of training that the faculties have had in these genres - they aren't qualified to teach them.This paper specifically targets an audience of classically-trained singers and voice teachers. It will act as a guide on how to use classical training and classical vocal pedagogy to sing and teach Contemporary Commercial Music, CCM. There are ten chapters to this paper, discussing classical vocal pedagogy/vocal health and how those topics translate to CCM singing, proven and effective warmups for the CCM singer, and specific stylistic requirements with repertoire suggestions for all voice types and age groups in the styles of musical theatre, pop, jazz, contemporary Christian/gospel, and country.
The information in this paper is vital for the development of singers in today’s industry. There are many famous pop singers with vocal injuries and, without proper vocal training, current singers are unable to find their authentic, healthy voices. Instead, many untrained pop singers modify their sound to imitate those they hear on the radio, which can lead to unhealthy vocal production. It is imperative that the systems training singers to sing classical, opera, and musical theatre include all CCM vocal teaching in their techniques. With this document, those who have been trained within the environment of classical music can use the same vocal health techniques and modify their approach to successfully teach and sing contemporary commercial music.
ContributorsWasbotten, Leia (Author) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Thesis advisor) / DeMaris, Amanda (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Ruth Gipps was an English composer, performer, and conductor whose unique experiences and opinions shaped her compositional output and the musical world around her. Gipps was a conflicted individual throughout her life, facing challenges as an outsider in almost every area of her professional life: child prodigy turned adult musician, outspoken conservative English composer positioned against a new international style, and woman in a male-dominated space as an orchestral performer and conductor. Perhaps as a result of her many struggles, she developed internal dissonances between her beliefs, her words, and her actions. These inner conflicts, manifesting in her musical voice as well as her work as a conductor, greatly impacted her career and oeuvre. Despite her inner turmoil, Gipps was always passionately and unapologetically expressive of her personality and beliefs, refusing to compromise or change her behavior even when it negatively impacted her reputation and opportunities. It was this intensity and dedication that enabled her to positively impact musicians in her life, whom she deeply cared about, and to communicate with performers and listeners of her compositions. This document reviews the literature about Gipps, which includes two books by Jill Halstead as well as several dissertations. Information from these sources directly addressing Gipps as well as other pertinent literature is used to explore the disconnects and conflicts that characterized Gipps’s life and music. A discussion of four of Gipps’s oboe family works, Kensington Gardens Suite, op. 2 (1938), The Piper of Dreams, op. 12b (1940), Oboe Concerto in D minor, op. 20 (1941), and Threnody, op. 74 (1990), relates these impactful conflicts to Gipps’s unique musical voice and her contributions to oboe repertoire.
ContributorsDeMouy, Laura Anne (Author) / Schuring, Martin (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Buck, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
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
Description
The aim of this paper is to empower musicians with the knowledge and tools to address the challenges of music performance anxiety (MPA) with confidence and efficacy. Three evidence-based concepts will be examined, beginning with neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s capacity to change both structurally and functionally. It is thus in a constant state of evolution. On the functional side, evidence demonstrates that it is possible for individuals to change the way they think in order to provide more positive outcomes in music performance. Secondly, existing literature on the cognitive side of learning and optimal performance will be examined; particularly, flow theory of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1975) and Carol Dweck’s mindset theory (2006). Finally, a review of sports psychology research on mental imagery will be provided. For each area of research, I will suggest strategies with which musicians may incorporate these theories in their own practice and performance in order to develop a growth mindset, alter their negative thought patterns, and overcome MPA, achieving their optimal performance level.
ContributorsLee, Kah Yan (Author) / McLin, Katherine (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Meyer, Jeffery (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
This paper is based on research conducted during my ongoing collaboration as a participant-observer with the Cuyamungue Institute (CI) of New Mexico, a self-identified nonreligious organization that uses postures to help participants achieve ecstatic trance experiences via a ritual process that prominently features sonic support of trance by the sound of a rattle or drum. While the purpose of the practice—which the Institute has referred to in such terms as “Ecstatic Trance Postures (ETP)” and “Ritual Body Postures”—is ostensibly spiritual in nature, apparent benefits for physical and emotional health have been reported by participants and observed in empirical studies carried out in collaboration with the CI. With appropriate nuance, the Institute traditionally emphasizes the ways these benefits demonstrate the process’s spiritual efficacy more than how they are outcomes desirable on their own merit. As I have continued to work with the CI, the discourse has gradually shifted. At present, the leadership of the Institute give more consideration than before to emotional health benefits as specific goals of the practice, yet spiritual conceptions maintain a dominant presence in conversations and achieving a deep connection with the “alternate reality / spirit realm / unbounded universe” remains the primary objective.
ContributorsMalnory, Lawson (Author) / Fossum, Dave (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Solís, Ted (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
This project features three new pieces for oboe commissioned from three different composers. Each piece explores styles and/or instrumentations that are less common in the current body of repertoire. These pieces are Scenes for Charlie by Bryan Kennard, Love’s Last Gift by Thomas Juneau, and But Joy Comes in the Morning by William Brusick. A performance guide has been included for each piece, providing tips and suggestions for musicians wanting to perform these pieces in the future. In addition to the performance guide, each composer answered a list of interview questions to provide background information and give insight into their compositional process. Accompanying this document are recordings performed by the author.
ContributorsSummers, Season (Author) / Schuring, Martin (Thesis advisor) / Gardner, Joshua (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
For my creative project/thesis, I gave a fully rehearsed, fully performed hour long recital using rare baseball music I researched, hunted down, studied, practiced, and then performed in a recital setting. I used my long history with and personal knowledge of Baseball, as well as my newly studied knowledge of and newly acquired skills with Musical Theater, Opera, and Voice to make a project that celebrated both my past achievements and what I learned with my performance degree these last 4 years. I, in total, learned 16 new songs and performed each of them back to back to back, with breaks in between each set and an intermission, as well as brief histories and summaries of each song or each song set. I then performed the recital on February 25th in the ASU School of Music Recital Hall, and invited as many friends, peers, colleagues, and family members as I could to attend, while also sharing the streaming and subsequent recording online as well. I was accompanied by pianist Stephen Kuebelbeck on piano, and the two of us spent hours upon hours rehearsing in addition to performing the recital itself. My thesis director, Carole FitzPatrick, helped me with all the vocal technique, song selection, memorization, recital approach, and planning out the logistics of my recital, while Dr. Kay Norton helped me with research such as song selection, history of the pieces, history of the composers, and historical context of the pieces. While this is an unconventional project, I feel like it best reflects my unconventional major. It gives me both advanced knowledge on a niche in my field of performance, provides me with rehearsed music that I love and can use and carry forward into most any concert or performance setting, and provides me with personal artistic satisfaction by combining together two worlds I dearly love and am a part of, in a creative way. It also gives me the irreplaceable experience of putting together my own recital (completely outside of class and on my own time), as recital performances will hopefully become a regular part of my life as a singing performer.
ContributorsLadley, Edward (Author) / FitzPatrick, Carole (Thesis director) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Performance (Music Theatre) (Contributor) / Kuebelbeck, Stephen (Musician)
Created2022-05
Description
In 2015, the Wu-Tang Clan released a single CD copy of their seventh studio album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Musically, the album was intended to provide “sonic closure,” channeling the style of the group’s early albums. Wu-Tang “Abbot” RZA and affiliate producer Cilvaringz were the only members involved throughout the entire recording and production process. The decision to release only a single copy protested the impoverished musical experience brought on by music’s mass reproducibility and ubiquity–an outcome of data capitalism. While many fans of the group took issue with the method of protest, different media have long affected interactions in the world, and RZA’s and Cilvaringz's claims are not completely unfounded. Research from various fields, including musicology, computer science, and sociology, shows how digitization specifically has changed music consumption through streaming services. By tracing the album from its conceptual origin to its purchase by pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli and current ownership by NFT (nonfungible token) collective PleasrDAO, the album's value is presented through the data capitalist, corporate, and cultural lenses. Drawing on work from KRS-One, Lydia Goehr, and Frantz Fanon shows a dialectical relationship between cultural and corporate values. As a result, artists and listeners are faced with navigating both, even as they are subject to exploitation in the production and consumption of music by neoliberalism and data capitalism. In the end, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin succeeds in starting a debate, but its protest against data capitalism is complicated by its recent NFT status.
ContributorsCullen, Audrey Ann (Author) / Wells, Christi Jay (Thesis advisor) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Fossum, Dave (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024