Music Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2796
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Item “CHARACTERS” IN DIVERSE WORKS FOR PIANO, 1720-1944(2024) Chan, Ham; Dedova, Larissa; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The main aim of this research project is to gain a thorough comprehension of piano music classified as “Character Pieces,” as well as music that exhibits similar musical traits but is not officially categorized as such. In a narrative context, a character is typically defined as a person depicted within a story, either through description or direct speech. In the realm of music, characters are often linked to the mood or atmosphere. Expanding on this, characters in music should assist performers and listeners in creating a musical scene through their individual imaginations. The fundamental essence of “Character Pieces” can be distilled to compositions imbued with distinctive musical qualities. While there exists no unanimous consensus regarding the precise criteria for characterizing a piece as such, there is a general consensus that compositions bearing evocative titles such as Ballade, Fantasy, Nocturne, and Mazurka are commonly regarded as character pieces. In a more scholarly context, the Harvard Dictionary of Music aptly defines the term “Character Piece” as a convenient designation encompassing a substantial body of short compositions from the 19th century, designed to express a definite mood or programmatic idea. Most of these compositions are written in ternary form, a structure that proves especially suitable for depicting two contrasting moods, such as the dramatic section A and the lyrical section B.A notable feature of the genre is its freedom from a fixed naming convention, enabling compositions to encompass a wide array of titles. This stands in stark contrast to other genres such as Sonatas and Variations, which are inherently defined by predetermined names and structural elements. However, influences on “Character Pieces” in terms of structure and musicality can be found in some of these genres. Several of these works will also be highlighted in the program. “Character pieces” can be viewed as a genre conceptualized by scholars to encompass the majority of piano music from the 19th century that may not adhere to conventional notions of “serious” music. Given the flexibility of this classification, the three planned recitals have been carefully curated to showcase music relate to this genre, spanning from works of Bach to Prokofiev composed between 1720 and 1944. Each recital will revolve around a central theme, with the initial installment titled “Fantasies and Ballades,” followed by “Humanity” in the second recital, and concluding with “Literary Inspirations” in the final recital.Item A STUDY OF SELECTED COLLABORATIONS: PREPARING AND COACHING PIANO CHAMBER MUSIC FOR PERFORMANCE(2021) Su, Ying-Shan; Sloan, Rita; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Every devoted musician strives for excellence in performance. In chamber music rehearsals, it is crucially important that this same devoted musician should do more than simply get the music ready for successful performance. The work of rehearsal involves striving to fulfill the intentions of the composer, an effort which will hopefully satisfy both the musicians and the audience. It is equally important for musicians to learn more about shared leadership and collaborative teamwork, which lie at the heart of the chamber music genre as well as at the heart of the rehearsal itself. This entire process requires proper guidance towards the relevant information and knowledge and I feel that the type of learning and development acquired through a successful chamber music experience will benefit music students and encourage them to take ownership of their musical growth and long-term learning. However, a major roadblock to acquiring this knowledge is the lack of written pedagogical material. Therefore, in this dissertation, topics pertaining to music preparation and the rehearsal process involved in the three programs of selected piano chamber music as well as related coaching ideas will be discussed. Hopefully, the performances along with this document will contribute to the information available on how one learns to organize and prepare for piano chamber music performances in a more systematic and group-oriented way. The recital programs were presented on September 30th and December 8th, 2020, and March 30th, 2021. Recordings of these three recitals can be found in the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM).Item The Effects of With-Text and Without-Text Song Presentation Styles on Preschoolers' Singing Voice Use and Pitch Accuracy(2018) Kendal, Jessica Leigh; Hewitt, Michael; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of with-text and without-text song presentation styles on the song-singing competencies of singing voice use and pitch accuracy in preschool children. A secondary purpose of the study was to discern if there were any relationships between preschoolers’ tonal developmental music aptitude, song presentation styles, singing voice use, and pitch accuracy. A total of twenty-nine 3.5- to 5-year-old preschoolers from a university children’s center in the Mid-Atlantic United States were randomly assigned within intact classes to either a text-only song presentation style or a syllable-text song presentation style when being taught two new, unfamiliar criterion songs within the context of weekly 30-minute music and movement lessons at the center. Participants in the text-only control condition (n =13) heard and sang the criterion songs with text for the entirety of the 11-week study; participants in the syllable-text intervention condition (n =16) heard and sang the criterion songs on a neutral syllable for the first six weeks of the study, then with the associated text for the remaining five weeks. All participants were pretested for developmental tonal music aptitude and were recorded singing a familiar song to determine baseline singing competencies before the start of the study; all participants were recorded singing the two criterion songs at the conclusion of the study for posttest measurement. Recordings were evaluated by three trained raters using Rutkowski’s (1998) SVDM and were evaluated by the researcher for pitch accuracy percentage scores. Results of descriptive statistical analyses showed no significant differences in median scores between the groups for singing voice use or pitch accuracy at posttest. Results of correlational analyses suggest that presenting new songs initially without text may support preschoolers’ use of singing voice, while presenting new songs with text may support preschoolers’ pitch accuracy. These analyses also showed minimal correlation between tonal developmental music aptitude and singing scores. Pitch accuracy was found to be highly correlated with singing voice use.Item High School Choral Students' Perceptions of Choral Music Experience(2011) Hairston, Amy Theodosia; Montgomery, Janet M.; Carter, Bruce A.; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study is to explore high school students' perceptions of their choral experiences, providing an understanding of students' ongoing perspectives of choral experience. Specifically, how have these experiences influenced the formation of their musical identities as members of a choral ensemble? The researcher collected data from the three participants during a full school year. The participants were current students in the researcher's advanced choral ensemble. Through axial coding, three themes emerged: musical interpretation, attitude, and group efficacy. The study revealed that experienced choral students have well-informed musical perspectives that influence their choral experiences. Implications for music education include using students' perspectives for creating rehearsal strategies, planning and programming performances, and fostering a nurturing learning atmosphere. Suggestions for further research include comparing experienced students to non-experienced students, comparing ensembles with student-chosen repertoire to those with director-chosen repertoire, and further examining the impact of choral experience on musical identity.