<p> This project report will provide a description and analysis of the original musical score, as composed and arranged by the author, for the short animated film <i>Ma&lstrok;y Tre&cedil;bacz,</i> which was produced in collaboration with the film's director, Monica Kozlowski. It will detail the process of the music's composition, including those decisions which were made whilst scoring the picture, the reasons and justifications for so doing, a scene-by-scene analysis of the film and accompanying music, background information concerning the film's origins and influences (including the historical origins of the narrative), the role of the film's score in communicating the story of the film to the audience, how certain choices in scoring impacted the direction of the film's narrative, and a short discussion of the major themes and musical motifs heard within the score (including its incorporation of the <i>Hejnal mariacki</i>).</p>

<p> Trumpeter Larry Black, now retired from a thirty-three-year career with the Atlanta Symphony, studied with legendary trumpet pedagogue Vincent Cichowicz from 1964 to 1966. During this short time, Cichowicz transformed Black from a non-collegiate student receiving lessons on a trial basis to a young professional with master's degree from Northwestern University, where Cichowicz taught from 1959 to 1998. Because Black has preserved his entire collection of lesson assignments from this period, spanning sixty-three leaves in two separate notepads, it is possible to form an impression of Cichowicz's pedagogical style. Black's data indicates that Cichowicz prioritized sound quality over musical complexity, believed that music of minimum difficulty would yield maximum progress, and stood by these convictions even in the face of time-sensitive issues such as performances or auditions. </p><p> Black's curriculum represents but one example of Cichowicz's methodology. Because Cichowicz himself wrote only generally (and briefly) about his pedagogical philosophies and chose not to outline a curriculum of musical examples in the form of a method book, it would be presumptuous to suppose that a single student's assignments could adequately compensate for this void. Consequently, this research will likely prove particularly useful to other former Cichowicz students who can measure Black's assignments against their own. The trumpet community at large should hope that one day such students might choose to publicize their own curricula, and so enlarge the existing body of data. Only then might a comprehensive view of Cichowicz's teaching, not only in theory but also in detailed practice, begin to emerge.</p>

<p> Jazz education within academia is still young, yet many educators have been recognized for successful leadership of high school jazz ensembles. Directors of finalist bands from the 2012 Essentially Ellington competition, a national opportunity hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center, completed a questionnaire and interview regarding their pedagogical techniques and supplemental methods. All participants responded that listening to recordings and the fostering of peer mentoring are crucial elements. Other important techniques include singing, sight reading, rhythmic exercises, and the use of blues improvisation as a warm up activity. Important supplemental factors included personality traits such as intense, detail oriented, energetic, and fun, while participants noted the positive experiences and techniques learned from events with Jazz at Lincoln Center. In conclusion, leaders of successful high school jazz ensembles share several techniques, qualities, and behaviors, yet there is no single formula for a great high school jazz ensemble director. </p>

<p> The art of western choral music has evolved over the past millennia with various traditions, including standing arrangements, having been passed down through the generations. More recently, differing methodologies of seating arrangements for choral singers have led to studies into the processes used by choral conductors to create the ideal choral sound in performance. In the past century, the advancements in mathematics and in technology have led to the development of spectrographic analysis, which allows the human speaking and singing voice to be objectively analyzed.</p><p> This study will use spectrographic analysis to examine the differences between different formations of singers to determine the effect of changing the standing arrangement of choral singers. The singers, in groups of three, are recorded in different configurations of line and triangular formations and evaluated using spectrographic analysis. These analyses include the power spectrum, long-term average spectra, linear predictive coding graph and the vowel formation display. This study shoes that a triangular formation yields some benefits that allow singers to match vowels better in certain situations compared to a linear formation. </p>

<p> This paper analyzes B&eacute;la Bart&oacute;k's <i>For Children </i> as an ideal pedagogical example of introducing contemporary musical concepts to the beginning through intermediate piano students. Contemporary concepts include non-diatonic harmonies, modal tonal centers, surprising harmonic shifts, utilizing the entire range of the piano, and changing meter, including additive meter. This paper also analyzes <i>The Contemporary Child</i>, a set of eleven pieces for the beginner through intermediate pianist. <i> The Contemporary Child</i> uses <i>For Children</i> as its inspiration in finding a way to introduce contemporary musical concepts in a manner that is simultaneously elementary yet engaging.</p>

<p> Although Johannes Brahms is one of the world's best-known composers, with many works in the standard repertoire, the majority of his output for female voices is missing from the performance canon. <i>Drei Geistliche Ch&ouml;re</i>, Opus 37, is one such set of pieces missing that is a rich example of music he wrote early in his career for women's chorus. Many of these works were influenced by the women in his life, from the Hamburg Frauenchor (for whom Opus 37 was composed) to Clara Schumann.</p><p> Due to the historical relevance and educational value, conductors should have the resources to program <i>Drei Geistliche Ch&ouml;re</i> and other music Brahms wrote for women's chorus. This project report gives a brief biographical background of Brahms, a compositional and performance history of _{Drei Geistliche Ch&ouml;re}, issues of performance practices, and a guide for how to plan and complete the rehearsal process.</p>

<p> This auto ethnography examines how a timid young boy grew up to become a confident music composer and how he developed a method of auto ethnographic songwriting. Through a process of systematic narrative inquiry and hermeneutic analysis, the study uncovers personal insights in self-awareness and in compositional technique. The study examines how the author reacted to personal and professional failures, regained emotional equilibrium through creative expression, and developed a method of transforming spoken text into complete songs. The study also considers how educational practices and cultural expectations in the late twentieth century American affected the composer's musical upbringing and sense of belonging. Additionally, the study recounts how the composer trained his own mind and body to perceive tempo and syncopation in order to compensate for a lack of an innate sense of rhythm. The study illuminates the transforming effect that acts of creativity had on this individual's belief system and how they helped him sustain his enthusiasm for life.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of projected film visuals on singers' expressivity in choral performance. The study was divided into three phases. In Phase One, university choir singers (<i>N</i> = 21) viewed eight audiovisual pairings (two film excerpts and four choral etudes) and rated these pairings according to perceived music to film congruency. Based on these ratings, two choral etudes were identified that elicited the broadest congruency contrasts when paired with the film segments.</p><p> In Phase Two, a different group of university choir singers (<i> N</i> = 116) rehearsed and prepared both of the selected choral etudes referred to as "Doh" and "Noo." Subsequently, these singers were organized into smaller chamber ensembles (<i>n</i> = 11), and performed each choral etude three times under the following conditions: (1) while viewing congruent film, (2) while viewing incongruent film, and (3) with no film projected. After each performance, singers reported their level of self-expression. At the completion of all three performances, singers reported their preferred performance condition. Finally, participants listened to their audio-recorded performances and rated these for performance expressivity and personal preference. During Phase Three, choral experts (<i>N</i> = 8) rated performance expressivity and reported personal preference for each audio-recorded performance. </p><p> A two-way ANOVA with repeated measures found significant main effects of both etude and film visual performance condition on participants' expressivity ratings (<i>p</i> &lt; .001). Additionally, a significant etude x film visual performance condition interaction was discovered (<i>p </i> = .001). Participants rated self-expression significantly higher when singing with a congruent film compared with other conditions for both etudes (<i>p</i> &lt; .001). Chi-square tests found most preferred experiences during congruent performances, and least preferred experiences during incongruent performances for both etudes (<i>p</i> &lt; .001). Expressivity ratings for audio-recorded performances indicated significantly higher expressivity ratings for the performances influenced by the congruent film visual of etude "Doh" (<i>p</i> &lt; .05), while no significant differences were found for etude "Noo" (<i>p</i> > .05). Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to filmmaking techniques, music education curriculum, choral rehearsal pedagogy, and composition/performance practice, with recommendations for future research.</p>

<p> This collaborative inquiry case study investigated a pre-existing peer learning group composed of five Korean college voice students and a non-musician facilitator. The group was chosen for this research to understand the implications of a diversified learning context in addition to the typical master-apprenticeship context of higher music education. The main activity for this peer learning group was researching literature related to classical vocal music along with presenting a performance project. This performance was in connection to their learning, and the chosen theme was a musical autobiography. Data were collected during the performance project process that included participant observations, interviews, and artifacts. The peer group's learning experiences and how this process influenced their behaviors, attitudes, and performance, and the role of the facilitator were content analyzed and reported. Results revealed that the students' intense meaning making process included mutual communication, cooperative interaction, enhanced motivation with group cohesion, and a sense of autonomy in their music learning. The autobiographic aspects of each member's life as a musician proved to be transformative in their learning and positively influenced their identity development as musicians. Careful intervention regarding individual differences was found to be an important consideration. The role of the non-musician facilitator aided group development with a contrasting perspective, allowing for positive support to the individuals, and suggestions for long-term goals regarding pedagogical aspects despite his lack of a music background. Challenges of the peer learning group included a lack of available learning resources, time intensiveness of the process, and a lack of continuity with few consistent acknowledged goals. </p><p> This study illuminated the need to reflect on diverse learning contexts in addition to the traditional master-apprentice dyad in order to enhance students' initiatives in their learning process; allow for opportunities for the formation of their musical identities; and to encourage a facilitator role for the master teachers. Future research is recommended to replicate peer learning among diverse musicians and to focus further on autobiographic learning in addition to online learning opportunities. Continuous innovation in the learning process in higher music education will empower future musicians to be creative meaning makers and lifelong learners.</p>

<p> The current study was designed to examine the question of quality as it relates to school band music composed for the performance levels of Grade III and IV. This was accomplished across two concurrent studies. The purpose of the primary study was to: (a) compare state prescribed lists for common compositions, (b) to examine the opinions of expert middle school band directors regarding the quality of those common compositions (grades III &amp; IV), and (c) to identify a select pool of meritorious compositions. The purpose of the secondary study was to: (a) examine the opinions of prominent college band directors regarding the quality of the same list of literature evaluated by middle school band directors, and (b) to identify a select pool of meritorious compositions. The overall purpose of the combined surveys was to establish a select list of compositions known to both expert middle school and college band directors that are recognized for their meritorious quality and may be of use to educators of all levels. </p><p> Participants (<i>N</i> = 64) were expert middle school (<i> n</i> = 32) and college (<i>n</i> = 32) band directors who completed an online survey consisting of three sections: (a) Demographic Data, (b) Evaluation of Compositions, and (c) Suggested Compositions for Further Study. Analysis of responses found that all directors rated each of the 189 compositions and that a strong level of agreement of the rated level of quality was present within subjects. However, when compared, there was a statistically significant difference showing a wider range of quality ratings assigned by college band directors. Further analysis revealed a list of 32 compositions which were known by five or more evaluators and possessed a minimum of 79 percent of the total points each composition could receive. As before, analysis of responses found a strong level of agreement of the rated level of quality within subjects and a statistically significant difference in the ratings assigned by each group. This final list establishes a collection of wind band compositions which are among the finest grade III and IV compositions known by the expert panel of evaluators. Works on this list represent many, if not all, compositions which should be familiar to all conductors, instrumental music educators, and their students. </p><p> Compositions suggested for further study (<i>N</i> = 72) were self-identified by researchers as grade III or IV compositions that were not included as part of the present study. No attempt to state the quality of these works is made by the researcher and therefore should be investigated in future studies. Implications, additional findings, and suggestions for future research are discussed.</p>