The purpose of this research was to investigate ways classical composers of African descent have been included in the mainstream academic canon. I examined the insights of four scholars who have been committed to including classical composers of African descent throughout their music careers. The initial research questions of this study were: 1) How do participants describe their frameworks for making the commitment to include classical composers of African descent throughout their careers? 2) What have been the challenges and benefits associated with their commitment? 3) What might contemporary scholars view as strategies for integrating classical composers of African descent into the mainstream academic canon? Four musicians, who have contributed to the scholarship related to classical works by composers of African descent in very different ways, participated in this qualitative collective case study: Dr. Ysaye Maria Barnwell, a composer and performer; Dr. Dominique-Rene de Lerma, musicologist; Dr. Anthony Thomas Leach, educator, conductor, and organist; and Mr. Hannibal Lokumbe, composer, trumpeter, and visionary. Through two in-depth interviews with each of the four scholars, a related question emerged: How have the participants contributed to the inclusion of classical composers of African descent throughout professional careers and personal lives? I transcribed the interviews, returned them to the participants for member checks, and prepared final, revised transcripts based on their feedback for analysis. I examined the interview data to obtain a collective representation related to the research questions. I analyzed the data for emerging codes, categories, and themes until details considered substantive to the research emerged. Themes that emerged focused on the need to identify the importance of seeing the contributions for classical composers of African descent from an Afrocentric as well as a Eurocentric perspective; the impact of the Civil Rights Movement on how each participant engaged the music throughout their lives; the importance of informal and formal education and the roles family, community, and school played in their relationship with the music they shared; and, the significance of creating access to their works through publications and professional associations. / Music Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare pre-service and in-service music teachers' perceptions of readiness to teach East Asian vocal music. Through a survey design, the study focused on pre-service and in-service music teachers' preparation, satisfaction, and self-confidence to explore the extent to which the two groups of music teachers feel ready to teach East Asian vocal music. A web-based survey was developed to explore pre-service music teachers' perceptions of readiness to teach East Asian vocal music. It was sent to 149 pre-service music teachers who were undergraduate music education majors at eight northeastern NASM accredited universities. A similar web-based survey was developed to explore in-service music teachers' perceptions of readiness to teach East Asian vocal music. It was sent to 132 in-service music teachers who were K-12 public school certified music teachers in Mid-Atlantic states. The two surveys were designed for pre-service and in-service music teachers to rate their multicultural/world music training regarding East Asian vocal music in order to reflect their preparation, satisfaction, and self-confidence in teaching East Asian vocal music. Data regarding participants' demographic information (e.g., gender, age, ethnicity, educational background, second language learning), collegiate course work, music education faculty, and musical experiences were also collected to investigate what factors influenced pre-service and in-service music teachers' preparation, satisfaction, and self-confidence in relation to their perceptions of readiness for teaching East Asian vocal music. Descriptive statistics (e.g., frequency distribution, central tendency, and dispersion) were used to analyze demographic data, responses to questions in Preparation component, Satisfaction component, and Self-Confidence component, and responses for the questions reflected participants' beliefs about teaching world music and East Asian vocal music. Inferential statistics (Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient, Pearson Correlation, and Independent-Sample T-Test) were used to analyze factors that influenced participants' perceptions of readiness to teach East Asian vocal music, and to compare the differences in perceptions of readiness to teach East Asian vocal music between pre-service music teachers and in-service music teachers. Data revealed that both pre-service and in-service music teacher participants felt they received inadequate preparation for teaching East Asian vocal music from their college training and professional development experiences, they felt dissatisfied with their college programs and training experiences in relation to teaching East Asian vocal music, and they did not feel confident to teach East Asian vocal music. The results of the t-tests suggested that no significant differences existed in the perceptions of readiness to teach East Asian vocal music between pre-service and in-service music teachers. / Music Education

Music written by Black composers has often been overlooked in the classical saxophone community regarding study and performance. One piece that is inspired directly by Black culture is Steven Banks' Come As You Are (2020). In this composition, Banks incorporates material directly from classic Negro spirituals and Gospel church hymns. The purpose of this document is to assist in educating classical saxophone pedagogues and performers about a work from an underrepresented composer who is clearly meritorious and whose work is worthy of being added to what might be considered by many as the standard repertoire for the saxophone. Included in this document is a performance guide of Come As You Are, as well as an oral history provided by the composer, Steven Banks.

This DMA dissertation provides a pragmatic and coherent way of interpreting a piece of post-tonal music, Four Songs of Solitude, by John Harbison. In this study, a modified Schenkerian analysis, namely linear analysis, serves as a methodological tool for the performer to identify and understand the implicit focal pitches, linear progressions, musical directions, and background structures of the music. By exploring this modified Schenkerian approach to interpreting post-tonal music in-depth, the performer is expected to achieve convincing results in performance on stage.

Since the creation of the first all-state vocal jazz ensemble in 1978, similar ensembles have been established in roughly half of the United States. This paper contains historical summaries of the creation of all-state vocal jazz ensembles in nineteen of those states, primarily as recounted via interviews with those ensembles' founders. Each semi-structured interview was conducted over video conference or phone and lasted approximately one hour; resulting interview data was analyzed using qualitative methods. During the creation of each ensemble the respective founders needed to secure the support of a host organization, determine where and when to convene, and decide how to address auditions, sound reinforcement, rhythm sections, and funding. The diversity of solutions to these shared challenges reflects the diverse priorities of each founder as well as the unique conditions in which each all-state vocal jazz ensemble was established. However, several elements were common across these stories, including the influence of existing festivals and all-state ensembles, and tensions within the choral education community regarding the value of the vocal jazz idiom relative to traditional choirs, show choirs, and other vocal ensembles. In a few cases, established all-state vocal jazz ensembles were discontinued; these stories further illustrate the challenges such ensembles face and the conditions that foster their perpetuation.

The purpose of the project was to determine if two Junior High band student trainees could accurately evaluate the performance of individual band students from a pre-selected method book. Band students would record specific musical exercises which were evaluated by two student trainees and the band director. The purpose of the project was to check the reliability between the student trainees and the director.

La version intégrale de cette thèse est disponible uniquement pour consultation individuelle à la Bibliothèque de musique de l’université de Montréal (www.bib.umontreal.ca/MU). / WAG! The Musical est la seconde comédie musicale d'Aleksey Shegolev ainsi que la première à être exécutée dans un théâtre off-Broadway à New York durant l'été 2013. Une des premières comédies de William Shakespeare, Peines d’amour perdues, a servi d’inspiration pour son partenaire Julian Silverman (dramaturge) et lui (compositeur et librettiste) dans la composition de WAG!. Afin de moderniser le sujet shakespearien traité dans les Peines d’amour perdues, plusieurs ajustements ont été nécessaires. Dans le but de maintenir l’attention des spectateurs, le niveau d'intensité dans l’action doit constamment s'élever. Cette thèse traitera notamment des divers procédés musicaux employés dans le but de soutenir l’action. Le rock ' n' roll, ainsi que le jazz furent les principaux langages musicaux à avoir une forte influence sur cette composition. Conséquemment, à travers une analyse détaillée, Shegolev explique comment le rythme, l'harmonie et la texture construisent sa comédie musicale. De plus, la manière de rendre l’humour en musique, si nécessaire au genre comique, sera également objet de discussion dans cette dissertation. La dissertation sera clôturée par un chapitre qui traitera de l'expérience personnelle que Shegolev a accumulée au cours des ateliers de lecture et des répétitions aux quelles sa pièce a été assujettie, afin de monter WAG! dans un théâtre de production à petite échelle à New York. / WAG! The Musical is Aleksey Shegolev's second full-length musical and it is the first to be performed in an off-Broadway theatre in New York during the summer of 2013. The idea for the plot was inspired by William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour's Lost, and he and his partner, Julian Silverman, created a story fit for modern times. Shegolev was the composer and lyricist, while Silverman was the book writer. Good storytelling and strong songwriting depends on the characters having a goal to pursue as they overcome the obstacles in their paths. As the story progresses, the level of intensity must always rise to keep the audiences’ attention. Jazz and rock ‘n’ roll were the main musical influences on this piece and we will see how rhythm, harmony and texture played a part in creating WAG!. Musicalizing comedy by using various techniques in composition is another topic that will be explored. Finally, this dissertation will close with Shegolev's experiences during the workshop from dealing with the director to the endless revisions and cuts that had to be made before opening night.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Bethel Theological Seminary, 1994. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 314-322).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Robert Pace. Dissertation Committee: Harold Abeles. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-110).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Bethel Theological Seminary, 1994. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 314-322).