Female trombonists are underrepresented throughout the United States especially in collegiate teaching positions. Is the underrepresentation of female trombonists as professional musicians and teachers causing less females to pursue playing the trombone? After discussing the expected roles of females and acceptable instruments for women to play during the 1800’s, this document mentions many women who were able to surpass the norms of female musicians and make their own musical choices. The purpose of this study is to discover if there is any relevance of gender bias towards female trombonists in society today and potentially determine how these biases affect their musical opportunities. This study and the survey questions were inspired by Melissa Ewing’s dissertation, Examining the Under-Representation of Female Euphonium Players in the USA, which examined the lack of female euphonium players in the United States. In order to create a trombone-centered survey, I used questions from Ewing’s survey as a guide while adding other questions to help gain useful information from trombone professors and female-identifying trombone students in the USA. The names of college trombone professors in the United States were collected from the College Music Society directory and this determined the professors who were surveyed and asked to provide their studio gender ratio and questions about identifying as female when applicable. In addition, the professors forwarded the student survey invitation to female-identifying students in their studios to provide their individual experiences as female trombonists in college. This document will serve as a resource for future studies on female-identifying trombonists and gender studies in general regarding music education and performance.

This thesis explores the subject of playing either a high or low horn in a symphony orchestra, looking at the roles, repertoire, and pedagogical methods connected with each. The purpose of the study is to shed light on the phenomenon of horn players categorizing themselves as either high or low horn players and to examine the debate between a balanced approach and specialization in horn playing. The study focuses on excerpts that are frequently used in auditions around the world and offers a thorough analysis of repertoire examples that are necessary for both high and low horn playing. A number of common exercises and studies are included in the examination of historical and modern teaching methods and approaches used in conservatories. Interviews with Björn Olsson and Benedikt Scholtes, two professional horn players and teachers, yield their perspectives on the subject, providing insightful information. The thesis acknowledges the individuality of each horn student and seeks to answer the question of whether categorizing oneself as a high or low horn player and concentrating solely on one register is wise or whether a balanced approach is preferable. In the current competitive orchestral employment landscape, the author discusses the potential advantages and disadvantages of such specialization. The study emphasizes the significance of versatility in horn playing and the need for a larger repertoire beyond the typical audition pieces. This thesis offers insightful information and viewpoints for horn players who are faced with questions and decisions regarding high and low horn playing by examining traditional high and low horn repertoire in addition to pertinent studies and exercises.

The English horn has a background of historical confusion because the instrument was built in many different shapes and was given a new name for each change of form.

When slow wear mechanisms are studied it is important to examine slower processes, such as diffusion. Such processes can have a significant impact over time and can cause other phases to form, which can have a large effect on the wear. This thesis has investigated the diffusion that is believed to take place between brass and cemented carbide tools. This was done to further the understanding of the slow atomic wear which if properly understood, could lead to solutions that would increase the lifetime of the tools. The diffusion pairs were made from a tribological contact and then heat treated to speed up the diffusion process. Different temperatures and times were tested, from 400 °C for 3 h to 700 °C for 24 h. The samples were analysed with SEM and EDS both before and after the heat treatment, to see if diffusion had taken place. However, because of many unexpected processes and reactions the analysis could not confirm that diffusion had taken place. The transportation of Cu at the higher temperatures was much faster than expected, and in some samples, Cu could not be detected after the heating. Since the surface was so mobile, the slower diffusion process did not have time to take place. Many improvements for future experiments are suggested to be able to observe the diffusion, such as depositing a thin film or adding more work material.

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