Director Wes Anderson enlisted the talents of composer Mark Mothersbaugh for his first four films (1996-2004), but suddenly decided to turn to composer Alexandre Desplat for the following five films (2009-2021). The question arises as to why this would be the case. In this paper I explore the career backgrounds of Mothersbaugh and Desplat including their musical influences and styles. I then examine Mothersbaugh’s music for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Desplat’s score for The French Dispatch. I analyze the use of music in these films and how it relates to the characters, their feelings, and their thoughts as well as how the music is intertwined with Anderson’s unique direction style. Part of this investigation will highlight the musical styles used, the mixture between composed and borrowed music, and the function of the music in the film to discover the similarities and differences between the two composers. With this paper I hope to fill a gap in the literature on film studies focused on the work of Anderson.

This lecture recital was an hour-long event held in Recital Concert Hall at ASU School of Music on Sunday, March 20th, 2022 at 12:00 PM. The lecture recital a hybrid of a lecture and a musical performance. The musical performance, under the guidance of pianist Dr. Robert Hamilton, was a live piano performance of the pieces "Northern Scenes" written by Chen Yi, and "Secret & Glass Gardens" written by Jennifer Higdon. The lecture portion, under the guidance of music theorist Dr. Nicholas Shea, covers a biography of the composers, followed by a generalized formal analysis and description of musical themes and motives that are within the scope of their respective pieces. The overall product for audience members is to get an introduction to living female composers, Chen Yi and Jennifer Higdon, as well as develop a general understanding of their compositional techniques and influences. The audience is also informed of 'what to listen for' by discussing the overall structure and formal analysis of each piece before hearing it played live. This is necessary given the context that these compositions have been written within the past two decades, it is very helpful to know what will happen so that listeners have an easier time following along to this very new music.

“Nothing New” is a 4-song project depicting my college experience through song. All of the songs were self-written, self-recorded, and self-produced, with assistance in the mixing and mastering of the final product. Each song functions as a representation of the most important takeaways and messages from each of my four years in college, as well as a sonic representation of what best fit each year.

This project is intended to fill gaps in the professional knowledge of music educators in the state of Arizona concerning the pedagogy, content, and importance of a visual education program in the scholastic marching band. It also aims to contribute to the general pool of knowledge surrounding visual education. While music educators are often expected to begin teaching marching band immediately following their graduation, many do not ever receive proper training in the visual aspect of the marching arts. The marching band is the most visible element of a holistic educational music program, and often represents the school to the community and the educator to their administrators. While significant music training is given at the collegiate level, many educators have not had further experience in the marching arts. The author uses his experience in Drum Corps International, as well as in teaching marching band to synthesize research-based practices into a handbook of immediately applicable visual pedagogical information that would be immediately useful to any music educator.

This project seeks to motivate runners by creating an application that selectively plays music based on smartwatch metrics. This is done by analyzing metrics collected through a person’s smartwatch such as heart rate or running power and then selecting the music that best fits their workout’s intensity. This way, as the workout becomes harder for the user, increasingly motivating music is played.

This thesis examines the theological significance and use of chant in the Divine Liturgy of Saint Chrysostom, in both Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholicism. An overview of the Liturgy and its chant is given while examining contemporary and historical practices. Finally, this paper also offers an overview of trends and practices used by Eastern Christian faithful in the United States.

For my honors thesis, I chose a creative project that would incorporate expertise and skills from both of my undergraduate degrees at Arizona State University: Music Performance and Music Theory and Composition. The main goal for this project was to design and experience an artistic process of musical production and create a professional musical work to release on digital platforms. The musical process included five main components: Listening, Transcribing, Composing, Recording, and Post Production. The final product is a full album, titled This is Jam Music, that consists of eight pieces and a run time of 33 minutes.