Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Harold F. Abeles. Dissertation Committee: Richard Charles Sang. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-116).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-199). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-168).

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes 1 special report study and 1 technical study. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music... I get most joy in life out of music.--Albert Einstein In the spirit of recent legislation, educational leaders are in search of ways to ensure a quality education for all students in America, vowing to leave no child behind. Unfortunately, most of the rhetoric surrounding quality in education fails to acknowledge the impact of the arts in standards-based reform initiatives. In fact, some school districts have discussed cutting the arts entirely from the curriculum. The purpose of this study is threefold: (1) to examine the impact of music education on high school students' achievement in mathematics, and (2) to examine the relationship between schools with music programs and their graduation rates, (3) to explore the personal impact of music participation through auto-ethnographic study. The results of this study revealed that participation in a music program can have a positive impact on mathematics retention of high school students. This study revealed information about the need for student participation in order to make a clear determination. However, the auto-ethnography shows a clear example of the impact music can have on student academic success.

Undersökningens syfte är att få djupare förståelse och insikt i vilken uppgift musik- och kulturskolan har i samhället. Utifrån detta syfte är avsikten att få en inblick i vilka arbetsmetoder som används för att rekrytera, behålla och utveckla elever samt att få kunskap om olika faktorer som påverkar kursutbud och utveckling av skolan. Jag har i min undersökning gjort kvalitativa intervjuer med sex skolledare från olika musik- och kulturskolor i Sverige. Studien utgår från olika teorier om musik- och kulturskolans utveckling och förändring samt teorier om förändringar i skola och samhälle.    I resultatet visas att det finns flera olika förväntningar på musik- och kulturskolan vilka skiftar från skola till skola och från kommun till kommun. På några av de i studien medverkande skolorna finns det en tydlig politisk styrning, medan andra skolor nästan helt saknar en sådan styrning. De faktorer som mest framträdande påverkar musik- och kulturskolan är enligt min undersökning följande: vilka lärare som är anställda på skolan, vilka traditioner som ska upprätthållas, hur musik- och kulturskolan samarbetar med grundskolan och olika kulturella aktörer i kommunen, budget, elevtryck, hur rekryteringen ser ut och till viss del terminsavgiftens storlek.     Musik- och kulturskolans roll har förändrats under årens lopp, vilket bland annat innebär att de traditionella genrerna i större utsträckning har fått ge plats åt populärmusiken i undervisningen. Populärmusikens ökade plats i både samhället och musik- och kulturskolan har också inneburit att bland annat blåsinstrument har sjunkit mycket i popularitet.     En slutsats är att det är önskvärt att lärare inom musik- och kulturskolan både har spetskompetens samt en stor bredd, såväl genremässigt som musikaliskt, för att kunna följa eleven länge och erbjuda bästa möjliga undervisning. / The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding and insight into the role of the Community School of Music and Art in society. According to this view, the intention is to gain an insight into the working methods that are used to recruit, retain and develop students, as well as to acquire knowledge of the various factors affecting the rate of supply and development of the school. This examination contains qualitative interviews with six headmasters from different community schools of music and art in Sweden. The study is based on different theories of changes and developments within the community school of music and art. The study is also based on theories concerning cultural changes and changes in  society.     The result shows there are different expectations on community schools of music and art which vary from school to school and from municipality to municipality. Some of the schools participating in the study had an obvious political governance, while other schools almost entirely lacked such control. The factors that most affected the community schools of music and art in my survey were: the teachers that were employed at the school, which traditions were to be upheld, how the community school of music and art collaborated with schools and various cultural actors in the municipality, budget, the student population, how the school worked with recruitment and, to a certain extent, the tuition fee.     The role of the community school of music and art has changed over the years. This change has affected the traditional genres to a large extent and has created more space for popular music in the classroom. While popular music has emerged in both society and in the community school of music and art, the popularity of wind instruments has decreased greatly.     One conclusion from this examination is that it is desirable that the teachers of the community school of music and art both demonstrate excellence and a wide range, both from a genre and musical standpoint in order to guide and teach the student, and offer the best possible education.

Den här undersökningen syftar till att få en djupare förståelse för hur musik- och kulturskolans verksamhet kan se ut i framtiden. Jag vill få en inblick i vilka faktorer som påverkar utvecklingen av den kommunala musik- och kulturskolan, samt hur musik- och kulturskolan väljer att förhålla sig till dessa faktorer. För att undersöka detta har jag använt mig av kvalitativ intervju som forskningsmetod för att därigenom få fram fyra instrumentallärares och tre musikledares tankar och erfarenheter.Resultatet visar på flera faktorer som påverkar förväntningarna på den kommunala musik- och kulturskolan varav de mest framträdande är media, musikaliska trender, sociala faktorer och elevernas förväntningar på undervisningen. Dessa faktorer påverkar musik- och kulturskolan både som organisation och verksamhet, men också själva undervisningen. Bland annat visar undersökningen att musik- och kulturskolan behöver förhålla sig till att dagens elever har nya uppfattningar om vad det innebär att musicera och att lära sig spela ett instrument. Många lärare beskriver att elever sällan förstår att de måste öva på sina instrument för att lära sig spela. Resultatet visar också att musik- och kulturskolans ledning idag jobbar mer för att skapa en utåtriktad verksamhet, vilket man också sannolikt kommer att behöva göra i framtiden.En slutsats i undersökningen är att musik- och kulturskolans verksamhet idag behöver ha en bred och mångfasetterad verksamhet vad gäller både instrument, repertoar och undervisning för att möta dagens elever. En annan slutas är att grundambitionen att bilda folket i musik, har ändrats till att ge alla barn en möjlighet att utvecklas med musik. / This study aims for a deeper understanding in how the community school of music and art will develop in the future. I would like to decide which factors influence the development of the community school of music and art, and how the school chooses to approach these factors. Four instrumental teachers and three music leaders have been interviewed.The results indicate factors that influence the expectations of the community school of music and art, of which the most prominent are media, musical trends, social factors and the student’s expectations on the education. These factors exert influence on the community school of music and art, both as an organization and as a productive activity, as well as the education. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the community school of music and art must approach students with new views, on what it means to play and learn an instrument. The teachers point out that the students seldom understand that it is necessary to practice to learn how to play their instruments. The result also shows that management at3the community school of music and art is working to create a more expansive business, which will continue into the future.One conclusion of the study, is that the community school of music and art of today, needs to have a wide productive activity in regard to meeting the students’ need concerning instruments, repertoires and education. Another conclusion is that the basic ambition to educate people in music, has given way to provide all children a possibility to develop through music.

This thesis describes a qualitative action research process undertaken ‘in the field’ over approximately eight years of the development of an alternative paradigm for music education. This new paradigm evolved from a simple, practical approach that was not, in the first instance, designed to be transformational, but which quickly showed itself to have potential for providing a different model for conceptualising musical engagement. ¶ It is argued that the standard and widely accepted approach to music education has aspects that does not encourage on-going music making. This study conceptualises that ‘traditional’ Western approach in terms of a ‘virtuosic mountain’ that prioritises and rewards technical achievement. The concept of the virtuosic mountain is developed in terms of three ‘P’s’: Perfection, Practice and Performance. The concept was developed by not just reviewing current literature but also by analysing that literature in light of the developing new paradigm as a means of comparing and contrasting the approaches. ¶ Called ‘The Music Education Program’, this new paradigm is based on a practical approach to the sharing of music making beyond institutional boundaries like the school gate. Children do not ‘perform’ in the community but seek to engage others in making music with them without reference to age, disability or skill level. The focus is on the social outcomes that derive from music making rather than the improvement of skills, which develop as a natural part of community engagement. In this respect, the approach has roots in community enculturation processes that are no longer prominent in Western society. ¶ The new paradigm is presented with a contrasting set of ‘three I’s’: Intent, Identity and Involvement, which are designed to illustrate how the community ‘outreach’ of the Music Education Program provides a model for consciously reconceptualising our approach to music education through re-visiting what might be regarded as ‘old’ practices in a ‘new’ guise. The three ‘I’s’ are illustrated through a series of critical incidents that highlight the necessary change in theoretical underpinnings that the practical application of the Program demands. This includes a particular focus on the Intent behind our music making, rather than the ‘quality’ in terms of technomusical outcomes; stress on the individual and group choices that develop musical Identity; and demonstration of the ways in which this paradigm may contribute to voluntary, rather than enforced, Involvement. ¶ The critical incident data is supplemented by some survey and evaluation data which supports the view that the social component of musical engagement provides an alternate focus to musical development than does an achievement paradigm. The range of data collected shows that classroom teachers can take a significant role in the encouragement of music making in the primary school without relying solely on the expertise of those with specific musical training; and that overcoming negative attitudes and experiences can transform not only the teacher’s relationship with music but produce a positive effect on her students. ¶ The model described here has evolved through a longitudinal process that constantly maintains the centrality of the practical operation of the program. In so doing, it moves away from theoretical constructs that often do not seem to relate directly to practitioners but, at the same time, it avoids prescriptive methodology. Theory is elucidated through practice in a way that encourages teachers to develop their own practices that are consistent with underlying principles. This model is transformative in nature, having first a transformative effect on the principal researcher and thence on those teachers engaging in professional development with the Program. ¶ Since the Music Education Program does not yet have students who have exited the school system, this study does not attempt to claim success in the long-term in terms of promoting ongoing engagement through life. Data suggest, however, that it has had an impact in encouraging teachers to reconnect with music making and enables them to share that music making with their students, thereby helping to develop more school-based musical engagement that is also affecting the broader community in the Australian Capital Territory.

The Evening Shadow, a six-minute work for symphony orchestra, is a short symphonic poem composed with the intent of evoking a sensation of lament and eventual deliverance. Drawing from the “Neapolitan Complex” found in Beethoven’s string quartet in C-sharp minor, op. 131 (exploitation of the semitone between C#-D), I attempted to create a dramatic “storyline” utilizing the semitone relation between E and F. From a programmatic standpoint, upward motion from E to F is meant to represent yearning (mm. 5-6, violins, mm. 14-15, violin/vibraphone, m. 18, cello, embedded in m. 20, flute 2) while downward motion from F to E (mm. 110-113, brass) symbolizes rescue and redemption. Motivic transformation was paramount to the construction of The Evening Shadow. Five primary motives are stated and developed. The first appears in the solo violin from mm. 3-4 and is transformed at m. 44 in the oboe and 2nd violins. The second motive is stated in mm. 9-12 in the 1st violins, and returns in canon from mm. 96-106. The third motive appears in the oboe in mm. 29-30 and is developed extensively (mm. 41-42, 47-48, 110-113). The fourth motive is stated in the 1st violins at m. 33 and returns in m. 52 in the 2nd violins. The final motive is first heard in the horns in mm. 39-40 and ends the piece from mm. 127-129. The motivic transformations make use of transposition, modal “adjustment,” and built in rubato effects, as well a large degree of fragmentation and recombination. Traditional contrapuntal technique was utilized throughout the work. Global harmonic motion of the piece, which makes use of skeletal tonic/dominant relations, can be heard as a progression through the following “tonicizations” and respective modalities: E/F (pitch-centric, no modality, mm. 1-33), D (Dorian, mm. 34-55), A (Dorian, mm. 52-54), E (pseudo-Phrygian, mm. 65-87), C (Mixolydian, mm. 108-121), G (Mixolydian, mm. 127-132), and E/F (pitch-centric, no modality, mm. 133-137). Atonal pitch-class set sonorities were used as structural rhetoric throughout. The aggregate collection, drawing from dodecaphonic theory, is used sparingly both melodically (mm. 16-17, violins and violas), and harmonically (mm. 2-3, 64, 66, 69, 137). Conceptual difficulties arise from orchestrational considerations in a contemporary work due to the broad array of possibilities demonstrated in the scores that span the history of orchestral music. I sought to create a hybrid of advanced traditional orchestration (Mahler, Strauss) and texturalist practices (Lutoslawski, Ligeti).

Thesis (Ph.D) -- University of Western Sydney, 2007. / A thesis submitted to the University of Western Sydney, College of Arts, School of Communication Arts, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Includes bibliographical references.