This thesis is the result of working with nine students and one teacher aide in group music therapy in special education. Through opportunities to learn about music and sound, the students were invited to use descriptive language to express emotions and thoughts about their music therapy experience. This research used a qualitative research design, where the purpose was to learn about the perceptions that staff may have of music therapy and to highlight how music therapy can promote sociability in an educative setting. The data collected mainly through research journal entries and two interviews (as well as material from a discussion group) offer evidence about how improvisational group music therapy can help create a positive social environment in the classroom and complement socialisation goals in education.

This study involves the research, analysis, and performance of existing arrangements of songs that have been played and recorded by jazz musicians, and are identifiable as pop songs of the last thirty years. This project will discuss the development of these songs as new repertoire in the jazz idiom. In particular it will examine transcriptions of arrangements by Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Brad Meldau, Charlie Hunter, Christian McBride, and Bob Belden. The analysis of these transcriptions will consider the techniques these musicians used in their arrangements including reharmonisation, melodic interpretation, rhythm, and restructuring of the form of the original song. Further, the techniques identified in the analyses will be applied in the creation of new arrangements of similar songs from that era for jazz ensemble of various sizes.

Samuel Arnold (1740-1802) was a dominating figure of his time whose works. enjoyed critical acclaim and popular success. In the twentieth century he has remained known as the editor of Handel’s works but his reputation as a composer, strong in his own time, has suffered a critical eclipse. The intention of the present thesis is to provide the first specialized study of Samuel Arnold. In so doing the author aims to examine his accomplishments as a prominent musician, to re-establish his critical reputation as a composer, and at the same time to offer a thematic bibliographic catalogue of his works. The first volume gives a detailed account of Arnold's life and works. Though biographical articles on the composer have appeared in Grove’s Dictionary and the New Grove, Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, Dictionary of National Biography, and in A Biographical Dictionary of Actors and ... Musicians (ed. Philip H. Highfill), much has been left unsaid. The author has synthesized information in secondary sources and verified these sources whenever possible by reference to the documents treated; in addition he has, by personal consultation of contemporary documents in English archives, discovered a mass of material hitherto unrecorded. Chapter one, therefore, summarizes all the known facts about the composer and his activities as a leading figure in London’s musical life, while chapter two is devoted to a complete survey of Arnold's non-dramatic works, ranging from nine oratorios, through instrumental music to settings of English poetry and other intimate or occasional pieces. The selective approach in discussing Arnold’s non-dramatic works has not been followed, however, for chapters three to six, which deal with his stage music. Arnold’s sixty-nine operas, seven pantomimes, three ballets, and seven scores of incidental music are so significant, both musically and historically, that the author has considered it essential to deal with each one individually. Besides presenting new material on the genesis and reception of each work, the author analyses all the surviving music. Chapter three, therefore, is devoted to Arnold’s all-sung operas, chapter four to the full-length operas with spoken dialogue, chapter five to the afterpiece operas with spoken dialogue, and chapter six to the pantomimes, ballets and incidental music; more than one hundred music examples illustrate the study. To complete volume one there is an extensive bibliography, as well as a transcription of Arnold’s unpublished additional music to John Gay's Polly (1777). The second volume is devoted to the compilation of a thematic catalogue of Arnold’s complete works. The aim of this catalogue is to provide a guide to the identification of his compositions and to add a comprehensive descriptive bibliography both of his manuscripts and of the early editions of his printed works. The catalogue is, therefore, meant to tell what Arnold wrote, when and (often) why he wrote and published a certain work, who printed and sold it, and where copies are to be found. In collating the works, information on their internal make-up has been given in each case, and, in addition, a full description of the title-page of each of the first editions is set out. For the bibliographical detail it has been necessary to examine contemporary newspaper advertisements, all the appropriate publishers’ catalogues, the muniment books at stationers Hall and, where possible, a copy or several copies of every item listed. The holdings of the appropriate public and private libraries were consulted and a large number of changes and additions made to the information collected in such works of reference as the British Union-Catalogue of Early Music and the volume of Repertoire International des Sources Musicales devoted to the eighteenth century. The present bibliographical and musicological account sheds new light on samuel Arnold’s life and works, and, equally important, on the world in which he lived. It is concluded that not only was he a cultivated man, prominent in the musical life of his time, but also a skilful composer, whose diverse productions have their own merits. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

This qualitative study investigates how music therapists work within a culturally diverse environment in New Zealand and the researcher's own growing experience as a student clinician. This research endeavoured to answer two research questions. Firstly, what do music therapists in New Zealand perceive from their experience of working with clients from different culture? Secondly, how does my own experience as a second generation Korean MTS affect my clinical work in a multicultural environment in New Zealand? This study applied aspects of qualitative research. Four qualified New Zealand music therapists and the researcher herself participated in this study. Data was collected from the interviews with the music therapy participatns, the music therapy student's reflection on case notes from two clinical cases, and a research journal. Music therapists identified various issues that associated with their experiences of working cross-culturally. The main areas of key ideas were categorized under 1) cultural considerations 2) preconceptions 3) building a communicative bridge 4) clinical competency 5) different approaches 6) culturally appropriate practice. The ideas under these categories have crystallized to articulate the different voices of participants for the benefit of the knowledge in the existing literatures and for the enhancement of personal tools towards self awareness and culturally appropriate clinical practice. From the overview of all the participants consulted in this study it was concluded that recognition of the importance of self awareness was one of the most significant factors in building culturally appropriate practice in a multicultural environment.

This arts-based research thesis sought to understand two children with special needs, through their musical offerings within the context of their music therapy sessions. The process of understanding the children came through firstly listening to and extracting meaningful musical data from recordings of their sessions. This data included both actual excerpts of the musical interplays between the child and music therapist (myself), and more broadly, underlying themes drawn from the recorded session material. The data was then creatively ‘melded’, resulting in two original instrumental works, herein referred to as 'songs'. Before, during and after writing the songs, rigorous analyses were undertaken utilising both a formal approach, via the use of a contextual question framework, and two creative approaches: free-form narration and data-led imagery. The contextual question framework, involving the repetitive use of two key questions - where? and why? - sought to understand the data’s context, its purpose for inclusion, and its influence on the respective song. One of the creative approaches, that of free-form narration, sought to, rather than analysing the song through formal structures, instead ‘tell the song’s story’, narratively conveying the experience of being with the child in his music. The other creative approach, that of data-led imagery, involved creating images during and after being ‘immersed’ in the musical data, employing instinctive or subconscious means to further develop the therapist’s understanding of the child’s musical offerings, and moreover, the child himself. Upon completion of the two songs, it was discovered that clinical themes present from the sessions strongly influenced the song creation process. Results also strongly supported the validity of arts-based research as a viable means of analysing music created with children with special needs.

This arts-based research thesis sought to understand two children with special needs, through their musical offerings within the context of their music therapy sessions. The process of understanding the children came through firstly listening to and extracting meaningful musical data from recordings of their sessions. This data included both actual excerpts of the musical interplays between the child and music therapist (myself), and more broadly, underlying themes drawn from the recorded session material. The data was then creatively ‘melded’, resulting in two original instrumental works, herein referred to as 'songs'. Before, during and after writing the songs, rigorous analyses were undertaken utilising both a formal approach, via the use of a contextual question framework, and two creative approaches: free-form narration and data-led imagery. The contextual question framework, involving the repetitive use of two key questions - where? and why? - sought to understand the data’s context, its purpose for inclusion, and its influence on the respective song. One of the creative approaches, that of free-form narration, sought to, rather than analysing the song through formal structures, instead ‘tell the song’s story’, narratively conveying the experience of being with the child in his music. The other creative approach, that of data-led imagery, involved creating images during and after being ‘immersed’ in the musical data, employing instinctive or subconscious means to further develop the therapist’s understanding of the child’s musical offerings, and moreover, the child himself. Upon completion of the two songs, it was discovered that clinical themes present from the sessions strongly influenced the song creation process. Results also strongly supported the validity of arts-based research as a viable means of analysing music created with children with special needs.

The Irish session is a musical, social and cultural experience that has emerged from international popularisation and globalisation. In New Zealand today, communities of Irish music enthusiasts maintain links to an international arena, and the session is valued as a context for musical enjoyment and the affirmation of Irish identity. Throughout my research I immersed myself in Wellington’s vibrant Irish music scene with fieldwork techniques that included participant observation, sound recordings, and performance. The major part of this study took place in two local Wellington pubs - Molly Malone’s and Kitty O’Shea’s – but I also observed sessions in other New Zealand cities and in Ireland. The similarities and differences between the two Wellington sessions were examined in detail and my research included extensive interviews with the participants. In addition to exploring Irish sessions in the context of two Wellington pubs, this thesis explores session instrumentation and repertoire, and aspects of cultural identity that include the participant’s experiences with Irish music. This thesis also examines how individual session members actively contribute and link their musical training and background to a transnational Irish music community. By studying the individual and musical identities of those actively involved in the community, this thesis reveals that Irish music in Wellington is an active and dynamic scene made up of enthusiasts with a variety of musical and cultural backgrounds. With music as its heart, the Wellington session community, is simultaneously localised in New Zealand but extends outward and connects with Irish communities globally.

This thesis addresses the aesthetics, ideologies and practicalities of contemporary European Improvised Music-making - this term referring to the tradition that emerged from 1960s American jazz and free jazz, and that remains, arguably, one of today's most misunderstood and under-represented musical genres. Using a multidisciplinary approach drawing on Grounded Theory, Ethnography and Social Network Analysis, and bounded by Berlin's cosmopolitan local scene of 2012-13, I define Improvised Music as a field of differing-yet-interconnected practices, and show how musicians and listeners conceived of and differentiated between these sub-styles, as well as how they discovered and learned to appreciate such a hidden, 'difficult' and idiosyncratic art form. Whilst on the surface Improvised Music might appear chaotic and beyond analysis in conventional terms, I show that, just like any other music, Improvised Music has its own genre-specific conventions, structures and expectations, and this research investigates its specific modes of performance, listening and appreciation - including the need to distinguish between 'musical' and 'processual' improvisatory outcomes, to differentiate between different 'levels' of improvising, and to separate the group and personal levels of the improvisatory process. I define improvised practices within this ifeld as variable combinations of 'composed' (pre-planned) and 'improvised' (real-time) elements, and examine the specific definitions of 'risk', 'honesty', 'trust', and 'good' and `bad' music-making which mediate these choices - these distinctions and evaluatory frameworks leading to a set of proposed conventions and distinctions for Improvised Music listening and production. This study looks at the representation of identity by improvising musicians, the use of social and political models as analogies for the improvisatory process (including the interplay between personal freedom of expression and the construction of coherent collective outcomes), and also examines the multiple functions of recording, in a music that was ostensibly only meant for the moment of its creation. All of this serves to address several popular misconceptions concerning Improvised Music, and does so directly from the point of view of a large sample of its most important practitioners and connoisseurs. Such findings provide key insights into the appreciation and understanding of Improvised Music itself (both for newcomers and those already adept in its ways), and this thesis offers important suggestions for scholars of Musicology, Ethnomusicology, Sociology of Music, Improvisation Studies, Performance Studies and Music/Cognitive Psychology, as well as for those concerned with improvisation and creativity in more general, non-musical, terms.

Rene Drouard de Bousset (1703-1760) was an admired composer and an organist of renown. This thesis examines this musician's life and work, and attempts to bring Bousset's music, hitherto largely unknown, to the attention of musicologists and performers today. Primarily a source study, the thesis makes a survey of all known copies of Bousset's published works, addressing questions of dates, reprints and corrections. Historical context and musical style are also discussed. Particular emphasis is given to Bousset's sacred music in the French language two volumes of sacred cantatas and eight settings of Odes sacrees by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau - and its place within the French tradition of Psalm paraphrase settings. The figure of J.B. Rousseau is also examined, as the librettist of Bousset's Odes, and as an important literary contributor to French music at the turn of the eighteenth century. The source study is supplemented by a catalogue in the style of the Philidor Oeuvres database produced by the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, containing all Bousset's known works, extant and lost. This exposition of Bousset's compositional output is prefaced by a biographical overview assembled principally from eighteenth century publications and archival documents. Volume II of this thesis comprises a critical performing edition of Bousset's first volume of Cantates spirituelles (1739).

This thesis examines the reflection of alternative music in the mainstream media and the reflection of mainstream music in the alternative media. The traditional dichotomous division of popular culture and music proposed mainly by academic fields of cultural and popular music studies provides a theoretical basis for the research. The practical part then analyses selected media content and attempts to verify the validity of these propositions in the context of contemporary music and media studies. The selected sample is composed of music articles derived from six Czech media (three of them mainstream and three alternative). The analysis itself focuses primarily on external characteristics which the author recognises from the specific references in the texts and which reflect the position of mentioned artists in the music industry, and the points of view expressed by journalists in their texts. This thesis thus aims to provide an overview of how Czech media reflect on these two allegedly oppositional contexts and deduces whether the dichotomous perception of mainstream and alternative is still relevant in contemporary music and media.