This essay explores the benefits and limits of teaching and learning music in a changing technological environment, where both students and instructors are faced with the perpetual problem of keeping up with new methods of practicing music for the purpose of maintaining competence. The essay critically reflects on the argument that present societies overvalue technical instruments, at times giving consumers a false hope of achieving quick results in a brief period of time, and with the unintended consequence that playing techniques can be compromised. The idealizing of mechanical devices has become strongly associated today with sophisticated taste and class. Following Mumford and Postman, the essay argues that these technological tools should be seen as posing a challenge to instructional values and to human agency. This essay concludes that while we cannot help the fact that tradition is constantly being renewed, in part through technological change, the role of teaching that learning music needs to be focused on are historic values which incorporate experience and reciprocity.

Educational philosophy generally and the Philosophy of Music Education in particular have been slow to consider in any real depth the findings of those sciences most concerned with explaining human nature, that is, the attributes (capacities, aptitudes, predilections, appetites) we have in common because we share the same genome, much of which we also share with other species. There are several such sciences which may collectively be called Darwinian Science in that they all take as axiomatic Darwin‘s explanation for how life evolves according to the law of natural selection – a simple, mindless and purposeless algorithm that has played out for over four billion years and which continues to do so, driving not only biological evolution but, as this study argues, cultural evolution as well. Evolutionary Psychology (including Biomusicology and Evolutionary Aesthetics), Cognitive Neuroscience and Gene- Culture Coevolution Theory are the overlapping fields that this study draws from in developing an understanding of the adapted mind useful for engaging with questions germane to the Philosophy of Music Education, principally those concerning the nature and value of music and how best it should feature in general education. These are questions that have not hitherto been addressed from a Darwinian perspective. This study develops such a perspective and applies it not only to questions around music‘s educational values and possibilities, but to more encompassing philosophical questions, wherein the goals of music education are made accountable in relation both to Dewey‘s ideal of society as a function of education, and to an ecozoic vision of a sustainable planetary habitat of interdependent and interconnected life forms. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

No abstract available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1983.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Mus)-University of Natal, Durban, 1976.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the music education philosophy statements of high school choral directors and principals with the choral activities in which the students at their schools were involved. Additionally, the degree and type of evaluation used by the principals and directors were observed. The principals, choral directors, and choral departments of 12 high schools were studied.Statistical information including school and choral department enrollment, departmental structure, traditional and specialized choir performance schedules, rehearsal schedules, and repertoire performed was gathered and analyzed. A comparison of statements of choral directors and principals pertaining to desired choral department changes, justification of both traditional and specialized choirs, and perceived influences of specialized choirs is also presented.Main Conclusions1. Statistical information revealed five of the departments to be strong in swing/show choircharacteristics, three to be strong in traditional choir characteristics, three to be transitional and/or struggling, and one to be strong in both swing/show choir and traditional characteristics.2. The students in eight of the choral departments did not perform music from a wide variety of stylistic and historical sources. Two departments performed 95 percent or more traditional choral literature. The other six, which lacked repertoire balance, performed a high percentage of non-traditional literature (popular or popular style, etc.).3. The concurrent membership rule (specialized choir members must also be in a traditional choir) was in effect in five schools and was desired in two others. Exclusion of the rule allowed some students to miss the study of traditional choral literature, decreased the emphasis on traditional select choirs, and increased the likelihood that specialized choirs might be scheduled as credit courses.4. Neither musical nor utilitarian justifications for choirs in public schools were mentioned predominantly. The principals offered slightly more utilitarian than musical justifications, especially for specialized choirs.5. The principals and choral directors carefully evaluated the choral activities in terms of performance excellence. Little evidence was found of other evaluation criteria, such as development of more comprehensive musical experiences, student creative skills, musical appreciation, or aesthetic sensitivity. / School of Music

There is no abstract available for this dissertation. / School of Music

Little is known about post-secondary band students' growth in musical independence, nor have the relationships between ensemble placement, year in school, gender, and instrument family been documented. Little research is available regarding the effects of instrument family (on which the student performs) or gender on the development of musical independence among music majors. Additionally, previous studies have identified a drop in music achievement test scores for college music majors as they progress from their freshman to sophomore or sophomore to junior years. This study attempts to address and evaluate these issues.The introduction presents a brief overview of the purpose and importance of the study. The review of related literature explores musical independence and the assessment of musical independence, as well as relationships between musical independence, ensemble placement, related listening skills, gender, and instrument family.Richard Colwell's Music Achievement Test 3 and Music Achievement Test 4 were administered to 354 band students at Ball State University, Florida State University, and Wichita State University. Test scores and demographic data including school, student identification number (usually a social security number), top ensemble in which the student participated (1st, 2nd, or 3rd), college major (music major or non-music major), year in school (freshman through graduate student), gender (male or female), and instrument family (woodwind, brass, or percussion) were collected. Data was entered into Statview II, a statistical analysis program for the Macintosh computer. Data was analyzed using ANOVA, Scheffe, and permutation analysis. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations for additional research were made. / School of Music

In the study of the violin, teacher and student are involved in an on-going process of identifying, analyzing and overcoming technical and musical obstacles on the way to complete mastery of the instrument. Etudes often bridge the gap between exercises and "real music," and, as such, are extremely valuable as a step to mastering various playing skills in a musical setting. Nevertheless, without an encyclopedic memory, a teacher may find it difficult to locate appropriate etudes for an individual student with a specific technical problem.The charts from this study are designed to be used as an aid in locating and assigning etudes to students based upon their grade level and the technical difficulty they are having. The etudes selected were determined by their availability in three or more published editions to be those most commonly used.First, each etude was assigned a grade level. Next, each etude was catalogued by performance difficulty. Each performance category was carefully defined and limited. Finally, the writer determined whether the performance problem being studied was a "primary" difficulty of that etude, or whether the problem existed as a "secondary" component.After determining the technical difficulty to be studied, a violinist may consult the list of etudes addressing that particular difficulty. The list of etudes is organized from the simplest to the most difficult, and for each etude it is noted whether the problem is of primary (P) or secondary (S) importance. Finally, each etude is cross-referenced with other technical problems, and a teacher or student may make the decision whether to study the problem in isolation or in conjunction with other technical difficulties. / School of Music

Despite the many innovative contributions made toward the improvement of violin playing and teaching in the twentieth century, there is an abundance of pedagogy and musical literature which continues to propagate "old school" thinking. Many editions of violin music from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are still in print and do not present to student violinists the technical or aesthetic possibilities now considered by recognized artists. Consequently, these flawed versions of the repertoire hinder the development of aspiring violinists.Whether or not an edition is good, editorial notations reflect the violinistic idiosyncracies and peculiarities of individuals and should thus serve only as sources for reference and study. This is because the violinist's perception of and reaction to music would suffer compromise if he were to be unduly influenced by the editings of others. Therefore, it is for the good of his musical growth that he experiment with and discover which interpretive ideas and combinations of bowings and fingerings ultimately bring performances of compositions closest to his conception of them.Although numerous volumes have been written on performance techniques for violin, they usually do not address matters specifically related to deciding bowings and fingerings for given passages of music. Thus, by default, the major texts on editing music for violin might be said to be the books of Carl Flesch, Elizabeth. Green, and I. M. Yampolsky. None of these writings, though, presents both bowing and fingering in a complete and logical sequence of principles and supporting rationales. Conse4uantly, there has been a substantial need for a single volume which thoroughly covers such material in a style suitable for classroom use or for individual study.This presentation of principles for editing violin music is a comprehensive distillation, simplification, and clarification of the beliefs and concepts of others, combined-with those of the author. Systematically grouped and prefaced by rationales, the principles are enunciated in separate chapters on bowings and fingerings and are illustrated by excerpts selected from the violin literature.The author hopes that this approach to editing will facilitate the learning of good editorial practice in violin music and will challenge violinists to continuously seek better bowings and fingerings.The violinist must frequently make alterations in the printed bowing of notes to accommodate the mechanics of playing the instrument and to attain the desired nuance (subtle variation) involving tempo, rhythm, phrasing, dynamics, and tonal coloring. These changes are implemented by the transfer, deletion, or addition of slurs.Bowings considered conventional or "standard" are classified under (a) The Down-Bow Penchants dynamic, tonic, and agogic accents; resolutions; and dynamic gradations; (b) Uniformity of Articulations chords and successions of identical strokes; (c) Compensational Bowings: retaken, combined, and divided strokes; (d) Linked Bowings; for dynamic constancy and bow distribution; (e) Division of Prolonged Strokes: long slurs and long, sustained notes; (f) Oscillation between Strings; rapid alternation and slurred string crossings; (g) Pizzicatos use of the index and middle fingers and thumb."Optional" bowings, which are personal and not essential for efficient performance, are listed as (a) Phrase Accommodation, (b) Melodic Profiling by Slurring, Reslurring, or Separating, and (c) Pulse Dilution.Well chosen fingering reduces or eliminates unnecessary physical tensions, permits velocity of movement with greater accuracy, and promotes maximum expression. As with bowings, fingerings are distinguished by two types: "standard" for efficiency of mechanics and "optional" for personal expression.Principles of standard fingering are grouped in the following sections: (a) Positions, (b) Chromatic Passages, (c) Interval Congruity, (d) Determining Which Positions to Use, (e) Shifting: semitone, contraction, extension, open string, natural harmonic, and alternate finger shifts plus melodic fifths and reduction of shift spans or shift frequencies, (f) String Crossing, and (g) Sequential Patterns.Optional fingerings include (a) Exclusion of the Fourth Finger, (b) Regulation of Timbre, and (c) Portamento.

The basic purpose of this dissertation is to provide the trombonist of today with a realization concerning ornamentation practices of the baroque period, and to supply trombonists and trombone instructors with the resources necessary to include the appropriate ornaments in a performance of baroque music.Chapter 1 is concerned with the ornamentation practices of Italy and France, the two most influential nations in the development of a mature style of baroque performance. The Italian tradition of free embellishment is presented and compared with the French tradition of composers' providing specific ornaments for their music. The author's choice of ornaments presented in the sonatas of Galliard, Marcello, and Vivaldi in Chapters 4, 5, and 6 is based on the prominence of these two styles.Chapter 2 is a presentation of the three most popular categories of embellishments employed during the baroque period. The families of appoggiaturas, trills, and mordents, are notated together with suggestions for their proper expression and execution on the trombone. Examples are taken from the embellished sonatas presented later in this study, using measure numbering to identify their placement withineach measure.Chapter 3 is an essay dealing with the art of trilling on the trombone. The overtone series is explained in regard to the formation of thirds, and to the proper notation necessary to adequately perform trills of major and minor thirds. A section concerning the use of the "F" attachment for performing baroque trills is highlighted with examples identifying several valve and slide combinations that favor the execution of major and minor seconds on the trombone.Chapters 4, 5, and 6 are an application of baroque embellishments to eighteen sonatas from the baroque period. Each of the ornaments is notated and placed within the context of the music. The musical compositions chasen for this study represent the Six Sonatas for Bassoon and Harpsichord Johann Ernst Galliard, Six Sonatas for Viloncello and Piano by Benedetto Marcello, and Six Sonatas for Violoncello and Figured Bass by Antonio Vivaldi.