<p> Actors create blocks based in fear, over-intellectualization of acting concepts, and the limiting assumptions they often make from any given theatrical text. Mask work can release the actor out of fear and into a non-intellectualized flow of freedom, expressivity and character transformation. Exploration with the various pedagogies and styles of Mask work can open doors for the actor that other contemporary training methods cannot, and therefore should be considered an essential component of the actor's training process. </p>

<p> This is a study of the development and validation of a rubric to enhance performer feedback for undergraduate vocal solo performance. In the literature, assessment of vocal performance is under-represented, and the value of feedback from the assessment of musical performances, from the point of view of the performer, is nonexistent. The research questions guiding this study were 1) What are the appropriate performance criteria, learning outcomes, and meaningful descriptors for various levels of proficiency for undergraduate solo vocal performance? and 2) How do students perceive their use of the feedback from the solo vocal performance rubric to improve future performances? The three groups of stakeholders of the project were voice professors from the research institution who assisted in the development of the rubric; students from the research institution who provided performance excerpts and shared their perceptions about the quality of the feedback; and voice professors from outside the research institution who used the rubric to assess the student performances. Mixed-methods participatory action research was the method used to conduct the study. </p><p> Interviews with five experts aided the development of a criteria-specific rubric, which defined performance criteria, learning outcomes, and meaningful descriptors for various levels of proficiency for undergraduate students of singing. The rubric was distributed, along with 20 recordings comprised of 14 students, two professionals, and four repeated student performances, to voice professors who used the rubric to score the performances and provided feedback about the instrument as well as the process. Results of scoring were shared with student performers and interviews conducted about usefulness of the feedback. Seven themes emerged from the research analysis: a) levels of proficiency, b) performance criteria, c) descriptors, d) numerical scoring, e) comments, f) recording method, and g) song selection relative to the skill level of the singers. Results of the study determined that the rubric was statistically reliable, and the students received valuable feedback that validated their own self-perceptions and assisted them in long- and short-term goal setting. Practitioners may benefit from further research that explores the validity of the rubric when assigning a grade, assessing live performances, and including additional repertoire.</p>

<p> The focus of this study was to determine whether a relationship existed between the creativity potential exhibited through creativity index scores of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking and the enrollment of secondary students in the specific coursework of fine arts classes and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The framework of the hierarchy for the study of creativity designed by Runco (2007) was used as the underpinning for the literature review and subsequent data collection and analysis. Furthermore, the creativity index scores and the ACT and GPA of subjects were analyzed to determine if a relationship existed. The study was governed by two research questions: (1) Is there a statistically significant difference between the creativity index scores from the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking for students enrolled in fine arts courses and students who are not enrolled in fine arts courses? and (2) What is the relationship between achievement data (ACT and GPA) and the creativity index scores from the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking? Little positive or negative relationship between the variables existed, and often, the results were not statistically significant. In general, a relationship between the coursework and creativity index scores or ACT and GPA and creativity index scores was not evident as a result of the analysis of data. A need for teachers, administrators, and students to receive continued education about the value of creativity was present in the review of literature and was addressed as a topic for further study.</p>

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Peter Trifonas.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Syracuse University, 2008. / "Publication number: AAT 3319287."

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1997. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 302-318).

<p> While there is growing research about the positive impact of teaching artists (TAs), these professional arts educators are an underused resource. As a TA, I have more than a decade of experience implementing spoken word and hip-hop as a pedagogical approach in urban public school classrooms. By conducting this autoethnographic study, I sought to explore insights from these 10 years of lived experience for understanding and documenting the critical principles of my practice as a TA. This autoethnography of my life as a TA tells stories from urban public school classrooms during my formative years as an educator. The research explored the impact my artistic practices have had on developing my pedagogical approach, including the emotional and financial challenges inherent to working on the margins. By interpreting and analyzing ethnographic material from five residencies, this research resulted in complex narrative accounts, which provide insights for the field of arts education, with a specific focus on TAs. Moreover, this study offers a visionary context for a liberatory educational praxis of spoken word and hip-hop in classrooms and communities.</p><p>

<p> This thesis explores the ways in which Caucasian theatre makers can become more effective educators and directors in diverse student populations. By drawing attention to their &ldquo;whiteness&rdquo; and overcoming the fear of being implicated in the subjugation of these student populations, Caucasian theatre makers can instead embrace this implication and thereby transform classrooms and theatrical spaces from static appreciations of sovereignty and beauty, into platforms for resistance and revolt. In this thesis, I interrogate my own process in the direction of my multi-actor, undergraduate student production that was borne of the journey of the creation of my solo play entitled <i> ANTIMAN</i>. In this play, I implicate my family and our own racism and naivet&eacute; and the many challenges I faced in telling a story that explores such controversial subject matters as racism, antiblackness, colonialism, colonization, and settler-indigenous relations from my own white, male, heterosexual orientation. It is my hope that through this examination of both my failures and successes in this process of creating and directing <i> ANTIMAN</i>, in concert with the history of St. Croix, that I will articulate the present-day predicament of St. Croix in a manner that creates a space for discourse, resistance, and change.</p><p>

abstract: Students afflicted with music performance anxiety (MPA) can greatly benefit from guidance and mentorship from a music teacher with whom they have established trust, however there exists a knowledge gap between the development and manifestations of MPA, and how it can be overcome in order to prepare the student for success as a performer. It is my purpose with this guide to inform musicians, including students and teachers, about MPA, common coping methods, and outside resources where pedagogues, students, and even professionals can find further guidance. This document is designed to aid music students and teachers in their individual research on the topic. The first section provides necessary background information on MPA and concepts of gender, identity, and personality. A discussion of the results of an experimental protocol that surveyed double reed musicians about their experiences with performance anxiety comprises the second section. An annotated bibliography, listing other resources including self-help books, personal accounts, and scientific studies, is contained in the final section of this guide. Because of the relative absence of research done on the correlation between MPA and specific identity traits including personality, self-image, and gender, it was necessary to incorporate more generalized sources relating to the topic. The annotations offer a more comprehensive approach to understanding and overcoming MPA. This work is not meant to be all-inclusive; rather, its purpose is to act as a basic guide. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2014

<p> Tragic, life-changing, and fatal incidents are a reality on large-scale, civil construction projects. Despite a decline following the enforcement of the 1971 Occupational Safety and Health Act, serious and fatal incidents on heavy construction projects remain higher than that of the active military and have not declined in any notable way in the past decade. Industrial-organizational literature suggested a lack of applied testing for the well-developed theory of authentic leadership (AL) to impact safety outcomes. This quasi-experiment combined the constructs of authentic leadership with safety climate perception as quantifiable measurement of potential safety outcomes in the workplace. The research question focused on whether AL would impact safety climate, thus, reducing injury and fatalities on the job. The researcher examined 1 of the 4 segments that comprised a $1 billion freeway improvement project. Perceptions of 108 field craft personnel were collected on a Likert-type instrument before and after their supervisors attended a brief AL workshop. Utilizing an ordinal scale, statistical significance was calculated pre- and postintervention by computing a Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> for independent samples. Significant improvement was found following the supervisor workshop. The reduction in incidents, when compared to the jobsite&rsquo;s history and the other 3 jobsite segments associated with the highway improvement project, suggests a potential for this framework to support positive social change, that is, to reduce the human cost and suffering associated with industrial accidents.</p><p>