Matching Items (94)
Description
In the early summer of 2018, I found myself driving back to Arizona from a friend’s graduation ceremony in southern Colorado. It was the middle of the day as I wound through the mountains. The drive was peaceful and smooth, with a warm sun and a pleasantly empty road keeping me company. The thick trees and rural farmland I drove past seemed like something from a movie, trying to further convince me that life here moved at a pace somewhat slower than what I was accustomed to. I approached a sign that read “Wolf’s Creek Pass,” and recalled my mother telling me to fully appreciate the beauty of it as I drove through; this was one of her favorite places to hike and explore with her dad when she was young, and she wanted me to experience the same beauty that she had often marveled at. I had driven through here a few days earlier and enjoyed the views as much as I could. On the way back, I decided that I would add to the experience by listening to an album I had recently discovered, Béla Fleck’s Ten from Little Worlds, a smaller sampling of his full 3-disc Little Worlds.
It was this moment that served as the inspiration for my creative thesis project. I was fascinated by the interplay between the music and the scenery around me; on top of appreciating the related moods that both facets evoked, it seemed at times as if certain transitions between sections and tracks in the album were mirrored by small changes or disruptions in the general scenery. While it was interesting enough to observe the natural similarities that seemed to exist simply by chance, I was eager to explore the idea of taking a specific stretch of scenery and composing a piece of music that complemented and interacted with it.
It was this moment that served as the inspiration for my creative thesis project. I was fascinated by the interplay between the music and the scenery around me; on top of appreciating the related moods that both facets evoked, it seemed at times as if certain transitions between sections and tracks in the album were mirrored by small changes or disruptions in the general scenery. While it was interesting enough to observe the natural similarities that seemed to exist simply by chance, I was eager to explore the idea of taking a specific stretch of scenery and composing a piece of music that complemented and interacted with it.
ContributorsBitter, Nathan Adam (Author) / Caslor, Jason (Thesis director) / Temple, Alex (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
In post-industrialized societies, increased consumption of fat-rich diets has been correlated to increasing rates of metabolic disorders, such as Type II Diabetes, which is further linked to insulin resistance. Due to this modern epidemic, it has become exceedingly important to learn more about these disorders with the ultimate goal of developing more effective treatments. With an overall focus on insulin resistance, the main purposes of this study were to (1) differentiate between two types of insulin resistance and their corresponding measurements and to (2) demonstrate metabolic changes that occur in response to overconsumption of a calorically dense diet. This was accomplished over a 23-week timespan by applying statistical analysis to periodically measured fasting insulin and blood glucose levels in rats fed either a high fat diet or low fat (chow) diet. Body weights were also recorded. The results of this study showed that rats fed a high fat diet experienced fasting hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance compared to rats fed a chow diet, and that the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) scale and insulin-stimulated glucose disposal (ISGD) measure different types of insulin resistance. This study was unique in the fact that hepatic insulin resistance and peripheral insulin resistance were differentiated in the same rat.
ContributorsHenry, Lauren Elizabeth (Author) / Herman, Richard (Thesis director) / Baluch, Debra (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
With this thesis, I have set out to answer two fundamental questions within music: does music mean anything, and should music mean anything? In answering those questions, I also set out to create a creative project that would implement these ideas: an original concept album of music that is programmatic in nature and incorporates motivic composition, jazz improvisation, lyrics, extra-musical audio and more all in the service of telling a narrative, a story, through music. I have done research into understanding music as a language, finding that this language is primarily communicative and recreational, rather than representational, of meaning. As well, I discuss the various different ways that music composers from Wagner to Williams have created narrative meaning in their works, using examples of leitmotif and other devices, as well as tracing the contextual associations of meaning that occurs when music is perceived in certain contexts. Furthermore, I discuss the dialogue between absolute and programmatic music, and also talk about the role of jazz improvisation in adding meaning to works.
For the second part of my thesis I talk about how I came to create the creative project aspect. I discuss how and why I designed the narrative that I did, and also analyzed the music I have created to illustrate how I implemented the various methods of musical storytelling that I detail in the first part of the paper. Lastly, I discuss my plans for publication and release of the creative project.
The third part of this thesis is a sample of the creative project. There is a version of the narrative that goes along with the creative project, as well as one of the eight pieces of original music on the creative project, entitled Journey.
Overall, I found that music does have meaning, it is just meaning that society ascribes to it based off of artistic intent and context, and as to whether music should mean anything, I believe that this is a question best left to be answered on an individual basis. Music can be whatever it wants to be.
For the second part of my thesis I talk about how I came to create the creative project aspect. I discuss how and why I designed the narrative that I did, and also analyzed the music I have created to illustrate how I implemented the various methods of musical storytelling that I detail in the first part of the paper. Lastly, I discuss my plans for publication and release of the creative project.
The third part of this thesis is a sample of the creative project. There is a version of the narrative that goes along with the creative project, as well as one of the eight pieces of original music on the creative project, entitled Journey.
Overall, I found that music does have meaning, it is just meaning that society ascribes to it based off of artistic intent and context, and as to whether music should mean anything, I believe that this is a question best left to be answered on an individual basis. Music can be whatever it wants to be.
ContributorsPrice, Alexander (Author) / Gilfillan, Daniel (Thesis director) / Kocour, Michael (Committee member) / Libman, Jeffrey (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Music (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Inclusive Band at ASU started in Fall 2017. The group started with four Music Students (individuals with special needs) and a fifth one joined in Spring 2018. The Music Students stuck with the same ASU students (Peer Mentors) from the start until Spring 2019 when there was a shift in membership. This caused the Peer Mentors to have to move to new groups. Some moved to a Music Student that played the same instrument while others were because a member graduated or left Inclusive Band and were replaced by new members. This transition was hard for both Peer Mentors and Music Students. The Music Students were used to their Peer Mentors and built a strong friendship with them. Losing them was hard and some still struggle with it several months later. The Peer Mentors also had difficulties adjusting to teaching a different Music Student. They did not know their strengths and weaknesses or the best way to teach them. This challenge led to the creation of the handbook, which is a guide for future members of Inclusive Band to aid with the transition from semester to semester.
ContributorsKwan, Elizabeth Josephine (Author) / Belgrave, Melita (Thesis director) / Caslor, Jason (Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05