The problem is a study of the relationship of selected musical and extra-musical variables to sight-singing ability.

This research was purposed to discover how students perceived the impact of participation or lack of participation in school music classes on their global school experiences during secondary school. The research stemmed from concern that recent focus on state and federal mandates may have resulted in a return to educational policies that discount consideration of student experience. All choir students (N = 160) at a large university in the southeastern United States comprised the participant population for the initial screening questionnaire, with 135 students returning completed surveys. Questionnaire results informed the purposeful sampling of 16 students in six focus groups. The focus-group responses guided the selection of the six students from the focus groups to participate in one 30-45 minute individual interview. The researcher-designed screening questionnaire was a structured survey with open-ended and closed questions (Creswell, 2012; Markus & Nurius, 1986). The interview instruments had guiding questions based on the phenomenological suggestions of Moustakas (1994). The resulting information is in narrative form. Analysis, beginning with the data generated by the questionnaire, was ongoing throughout the study. Hallam’s (2002) motivational model positing the malleable aspects of the personality such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, possible selves, and the ideal self anchored the final analysis. Students reflected on the overarching question, “Did involvement or lack of involvement in school music affect students’ perceptions of the global school experience and extra-musical success?” The findings support the premise that participation in school music can have a positive affect on students’ comprehensive school experience extending to a sense of community, increased self-confidence and leadership, enhanced learning in non-music classes, and a time of relief from academic stress. At-risk students described the ameliorating effects of music participation on their challenging life situations. An ancillary finding was that many students were advised to discontinue music classes to take advanced academic classes, rather than for remediation. These results of this study may provide a useful tool for advocacy. Future research could investigate whether participation in music classes promotes learning and memory consolidation of academic knowledge by providing divergent learning tasks that stimulate new modes of thinking.

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La musique a le pouvoir d’exprimer ce qui est latent dans d’autres formes d’art, comme elle peut aussi transcender et ajouter d’autres niveaux de signification au texte d’une chanson. Mais seules les illustrations peuvent encapsuler une scène au cœur de la musique. Dans ce mémoire, j’explore différents moyens musicaux dont dispose le compositeur pour mettre en musique son interprétation d’une œuvre picturale. Cette œuvre est, par définition, privée de la dimension temporelle. Si, pour le peintre Eugène Delacroix, « Le véritable but du peintre est de nous faire prendre part à l’intensité de l’instant », la musique, elle, ne peut être appréciée et laisser sa trace sur nous qu’en fonction du temps qu’elle prend pour se déployer. Conséquemment, une question a nourri ma réflexion : sous quels angles et selon quels critères d’analyse puis-je aborder une œuvre picturale afin d’en tirer des constats qui pourront, par la suite, servir de support à la création de ma musique? Je tente de répondre à mon questionnement en approchant l’interprétation d’une illustration par quatre avenues possibles : réaliste ou descriptive, impressionniste, narrative et, finalement, par association stylistique entre le medium illustratif et le medium musical. Pour le besoin de mon étude, j’ai composé trois œuvres basées sur sept illustrations : 1) Tableaux Montmartre. Suite symphonique inspirée de Tableaux d’une exposition de Modeste Moussorgski et dont le support illustratif consiste en cinq toiles représentant le Montmartre par cinq peintres différents : Charles Malle, Armand Lourenço, Kees Van Dongen, Eugène Paul (Gen-Paul) et Georges Braque. 2) Lumière fossile. Poème symphonique ayant comme source d’inspiration une photographie du cosmos prise par le télescope spatial Planck. 3) Tennis Duet. Pièce à forme variable pour piano seul ayant comme source d’inspiration extra-musicale une photographie d’Arnold Schoenberg jouant au tennis. / Music has the power to express what may be latent in other art-forms, just as it may transcend and add new layers of meaning to the text set in a song. But only the illustrations themselves can actually encapsulate the scene, character or item at the heart of the music. In this thesis, I explore the different musical means available to the composer to set his interpretation of a pictorial work to music. This work is, by definition, deprived of the temporal dimension. If, for the painter Eugène Delacroix, « The true goal of the painter is to make us take part in the intensity of the moment », music can be appreciated and leave its mark on us only according to the time it takes to deploy. Consequently, a question nurtured my reflection: From what angles and according to what criteria of analysis can I approach a pictorial work in order to draw observations that could subsequently serve as a support for the creation of my music? I try to answer these questions by approaching the interpretation of an illustration through four possible avenues: Realist or descriptive, impressionist, narrative and, finally, by a stylistic transfer from the illustrative medium to the musical medium. For the purposes of my study, I composed three works based on seven illustrations : 1) Tableaux Montmartre. Symphonic piece inspiered by Pictures at an exhibition by Modest Moussorgsky and whose illustrative support consists of five canvases representing Montmartre by five different painters: Charles Malle, Armand Lourenço, Kees Van Dongen, Eugène Paul (Gen-Paul) and Georges Braque. 2) Lumière fossile. Symphonic poem inspired by a photograph of the cosmic radiation taken by the Planck space telescope 3) Tennis Duet. Piece, whose structural form may vary, for solo piano inspired by a photograph of Arnold Schoenberg playing tennis.

Ce mémoire traite de l'influence des modèles extra-musicaux sur mes compositions et de la manière dont ils définissent mes gestes sonores. L'utilisation de ces modèles et la manière dont ils déterminent la forme, le caractère et la texture sont expliquées à travers l'analyse d'œuvres que j'ai composées pendant mes études de maîtrise. Une présentation de mon parcours artistique illustre comment j'ai évolué à partir de mes influences musicales passées pour me lancer dans mon approche compositionnelle actuelle. En conclusion, j'expliquerai comment les connaissances et l'expérience acquises au cours de mes études ont contribué à forger mon identité en tant que compositeur. / This dissertation discusses the influence of extra-musical models on my compositions and how they define my sound gestures. The use of these models and how they determine form, character, texture, are explained through the analysis of works that I composed during my master's studies. A presentation of my artistic background illustrates how I evolved from past musical influences to embark on my current compositional approach. In the conclusion, I will explain how the knowledge and experience gained during my studies have contributed to shaping my identity as a composer.

The composer Stefans Grové not only contributed to South African art music but also achieved success in the field of literature. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between his prose and his music and determine the influence of word art on meaning in his compositions. The relationship between literature and music is explored as background to the investigation of Grové’s oeuvre. The role of music in Grové’s short stories and sketches is determined. It seems that music is not a significant theme of these tales but rather has a supporting function. In some stories music plays no role at all. However, these narratives do provide a great deal of biographical and cultural information. Word art is an essential part of Grové’s compositions and plays a key role in the determining and communication of meaning. His art reflects the variety of cultures native to South Africa. These cultural influences are manifested in his compositions and are reinforced by the accompanying word art. The need for a comprehensive biography about Grové’s contribution as academic, composer, critic and writer has been identified during the course of this study. / Dissertation (MMus (Music Science))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Music / MMus / unrestricted