The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive musicianship approach for a keyboard history/literature mini-course for performing adolescent students in summer keyboard music programs. / Reasons justifying the study were found in (1) reported literature which noted an imbalance between the teaching of performance skills and comprehensive musicianship; (2) summer camp literature which illustrated this imbalance; and (3) a lack of sufficient research into the above concerns directed specifically to the summer music program. / Since there did not appear to be a mini-course which specifically addressed the aforementioned needs in summer music programs, this study sought to develop an approach for such a course. A five-step procedure was used. Step one was the identification of the problem, based on the purpose and need for the study. / Step two was the critical review of related literature for collection of data in light of the above identified problem. / Step three was the presentation of a rationale stated as twelve principles of comprehensive musicianship developed from the review of related literature, and the application of this rationale to development of an instructional goal, course objectives, content components, instructional objectives, overall instructional strategy, and lesson strategies for a mini-course approach. / Step four was an examination by a panel of five outstanding music educators and performers of the mini-course's consistency with comprehensive musicianship rationale, and an analysis of the panelists' responses. / Step five was a statement of conclusions and recommendations for further study. / According to the panelists' responses, the researcher's approach for a mini-course was effective in addressing a persisting need to find additional ways to instruct adolescent keyboardists in comprehensive musicianship. / Recommendations for further study included continuing revisions and testing of the course in an appropriate setting, and constructing similar courses for other musical groups. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-12, Section: A, page: 3067. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

The study attempted to identify correlations between festival sight-reading (SR) ratings and types of instructional behaviors and techniques exhibited by band directors in the SR room. Subjects (N = 84) included 25 middle, 5 junior high, 4 junior/senior high, and 50 senior high school bands from four Florida Bandmasters Association districts. Data were gathered via real-time observation techniques. During the SR event, instructions given by the directors were annotated on a specially designed observation form. / Analysis indicated that junior high/middle school (J/M) directors whose ensembles received a superior sight-reading rating (SR=S) tended to (a) allow fewer student questions, (b) give fewer instructions to individuals, and (c) use less silent study time than directors whose ensembles received less than superior (SR$<$S). Directors of SR=S high school (HS) ensembles evidenced (a) more use of ensemble singing, (b) more use of "expressive" instructions, and (c) gave more instructions than directors of SR$<$S bands, who tended to give more "general" and "individual" instructions. Non-instruction related correlations indicated that HS SR=S bands had (a) greater percentages of students taking private lessons, (b) greater percentages of 12th- and 11th-graders, and (c) lower percentages of 9th-graders than SR$<$S bands. Both J/M and HS directors of SR=S ensembles tended to (a) use fewer individual instructions, (b) use more student tasking (fingering, singing, etc.), and (c) attain better concert ratings than directors whose bands were rated SR$<$S. / Differences between instructions given and school type indicated that SR=S J/M directors tended to (a) give more "pedagogical" instructions, (b) use more section-targeted instructions, and (c) make greater use of "simulation" techniques than HS SR=S directors. SR=S HS directors tended to use more (a) group-targeted instructions, (b) ensemble singing, (c) individual study time, and (d) have a greater percentage of members taking private lessons than SR$<$S HS directors. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-08, Section: A, page: 2852. / Major Professor: Bentley R. Shellahamer. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a cappella choral singing in colleges and universities of the United States. A survey was mailed to 180 college and university choral conductors who were listed in The College Music Society Directory of Music Faculties Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada 1988-90. One hundred sixty-three (91%) of the conductors responded. Four areas were investigated through the questionnaire: (a) demographic information; (b) percentages of a cappella singing; (c) preferences for specific historical periods for a cappella literature; and (d) responses to statements regarding a cappella singing. / Results of this study indicate over 50% of the surveyed colleges and universities perform a cappella choral literature. In addition, unaccompanied singing is predominate in rehearsals and in tour repertoire. A chi-square analysis indicated significant difference between the percentage of a cappella performance and rehearsal percentages. Significant difference was also indicated between the subjects' responses to statements concerning a cappella singing and various study variables. Most conductors strongly disagreed with statements pertaining to a specific musical period from which a cappella literature should be derived. / Choral conductors appear to be using a cappella singing as a rehearsal technique to achieve choral training objectives and attempt to select representative a cappella literature from all periods of music. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-06, Section: A, page: 2060. / Major Professor: Andre J. Thomas. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

This study was designed to determine if a relationship exists among the terms "aesthetic response," "felt emotional response," and "perceived tension" when used by individuals to describe their personal response to music. Subject groups, Music Majors (n = 128) and Non-Music Majors (n = 128), were each randomly divided into three experimental groups, one for each term, and one control group for free response. / Data were gathered as subjects manipulated the dial of the Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) indicating the magnitude of their response to the music heard during four taped listening segments. In addition to demographic data, written responses were collected following each segment in a packet provided to each subject. The four pieces heard were "Nessun dorma" from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, "Fugue" from Toccata and Fugue in d minor by J. S. Bach, "Scherzo" from Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica") by Ludwig van Beethoven, and The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa. These selections were presented in four different orders in an attempt to control for a possible order effect. Test/re-test reliability was.95. / An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant difference among Music Majors and Non-Music Majors. However, a significant difference was found among the terms. A qualitative analysis of the individual graphs indicated that each subject's response and dial movement was unique throughout each musical selection. Analysis of group graphs indicated a strong similarity between aesthetic and felt emotional response conditions. Surprisingly, the free response condition, where subjects were given no instructions except to move the dial, demonstrated a remarkable similarity to the aesthetic and felt emotional response conditions. The perceived tension condition showed marked differences to the other three conditions. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: A, page: 3046. / Major Professor: Clifford K. Madsen. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

To investigate and describe the literature and characteristics of a population of "beginning" high school choirs, this study developed a 47-item questionnaire and then distributed it to 263 VA high school choral directors who were members of Music Educators National Conference. From the 80% responses, 8 categories covering the characteristics of and literature for beginning high school choirs were compiled and analyzed: (1) demographic information; (2) organization of singers; (3) repertoire selection criteria; (4) literature sources; (5) types of literature performed; (6) program description; (7) developing sequential programs; and (8) recommended repertoire for mixed choirs. / Chi-square and Kendall's tau-b analyses indicated significant relationships between selected characteristics and different levels of high school student enrollment, choral enrollment, and teacher experience; the analyses found only one significant relationship between teacher experience and literature selection. Larger school and choral enrollments had a positive affect on both the number of sequential course offerings and the number of beginning boys and beginning treble choirs. Forty percent of the schools offered 3 levels of choral instruction. Almost half of the schools offered 3 levels of instruction for females, but only one fourth offered 3 levels of instruction for males. Auditions were not required for registration into a beginning high school choir; the beginning mixed choir was the most prevalent. Directors selected repertoire for advanced and beginning choirs by weighing technical and aesthetic criteria equally. Directors valued concerts, choral reading sessions, personal choral libraries, and recordings as literature sources. They programmed Twentieth Century literature most frequently and they most often reported a Twentieth Century piece as having been successfully performed by a beginning high school mixed choir. Few similarities were found when selections recommended by directors were compared with a large published list of recommended high school works by choral experts. Directors reported the 7-period day facilitated sequential choral offerings, and scheduling limited sequential choral offerings. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: A, page: 3046. / Major Professor: Judy Kay Bowers. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

Recently, much interest has been focused on the development of band repertoire. An important event in the development of that repertoire, but one that has been largely overlooked, was the 1926 Donaueschingen Music Festival. During that festival, a concert was scheduled which featured original music for military band. The initial call for original band compositions was not productive, which led to the commissioning of specific composers for the project. The commissions produced four works that were performed on the July 24, 1926 concert: Konzertmusik fur Blasorchester, op. 41 by Paul Hindemith, Drei Marsche fur Militarorchester, op. 44, by Ernst Krenek; Kleine Serenade fur Militarorchester, by Ernst Pepping; and Spiel fur Militarorchester, op. 39, by Ernst Toch. The distinguished conductor Hermann Scherchen led the premieres of three of the four compositions. / Although reviews were mixed, three of the works, compositions by Krenek, Toch, and Hindemith, are currently regarded as important works for wind band. The composition by Pepping has only recently been rediscovered, edited, and published. / This study explores the historical background of the Donaueschingen Festival, the composers, the circumstances around the event, and the impact it had on the development of the wind band repertoire. Other areas examined include Gebrauchsmusik and the relationship of band music to the art music world. / Conclusions indicate that the event helped to produce some important wind music, and provided a model for the production of art music for band. The social and political climate in Germany during that time tended to suppress both music produced by Jews and music considered to be culturally unacceptable. Several of the composers involved were either Jewish or had connections with Jews. Further, the music was quite different from the usual fare expected for military bands. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-01, Section: A, page: 0129. / Major Professor: James E. Croft. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 29-05, Section: A, page: 1554. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1968.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2000. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 189-196). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

<p> This project report serves as a resource to provide composers with the tools to tackle the complexities of writing for the harp. This will be achieved by considering the mechanical aspects of the harp, as well as analyze the strategies celebrated composers Maurice Ravel, Henriette Reni&eacute;, and Carlos Salz&eacute;do employ in their own compositions to utilize the intricacies of the instrument to their advantage. Pieces discussed include: Ravel's <i>Introduction et Allegro,</i> Reni&eacute;'s <i> Pi&egrave;ce Symphonique,</i> Salz&eacute;do's <i>Five Poetic Studies for Harp Alone</i> and his arrangement of Claude Debussy's <i>Children's Corner Suite.</i> A list of reference and instructional books will be included in the appendix for further study.</p>

This document is a comprehensive study of the music selected for the high school All-state choruses of the fifty United States for the years 1995-2000. Each of the nearly 3000 choral works was evaluated as to how many times it was programmed, which conductor programmed it, how often each conductor was selected, how often each composer's works were programmed, the style period/genre of each work, which of the 50 states the work was performed in, and which of the seven ADCA Divisions each state is affiliated with to allow comparisons of trends in programming throughout different areas of the United States. The 100 most programmed choral works were then examined further in regards to ten, more specific, musical aspects. These aspects included: texture, language, rhythmic complexity, metric complexity, length, dynamic range, harmonic complexity, vocal range, accompaniment, and whether the work had a dramatic ending or not. An annotated listing of these 100 works was also created that includes exact voicing, text, composer (including composer dates), publisher (including octavo # where available), specific accompaniment, duration, and a short description. Findings concluded that composer G. F. Handel was the most selected composer and Dirait-on, by American composer Morton Lauridsen, was the single most-programmed choral work. The differences in the music selected for the seven ACDA Divisions were slight and deemed not significant. Andre Thomas of Florida State University was the most selected conductor during this period. The typical All-state choral work from this period is a choral work with piano accompaniment, a large dynamic range, a dramatic ending, and is sung in English or Latin.