Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references and discography.

The teaching of music improvisation is commonly approached as the process of incorporating the vocabulary of a specific style. In the university setting this is most often accomplished through the methodology of jazz. As an alternative, improvisation is also taught as an experimental or experiential endeavor influenced by the practice of free-improvisation. A third model teaches improvisation as games; this is common in the field of Music Education. Although all these methods accomplish their various purposes, in their pedagogical application none of these models focus on the most distinctive feature of improvisation: how the musician thinks. Improvisation as a way of “thinking music” constitutes a form of musical intelligence that entails a number of cognitive processes that solve specific problems unique to the improvisational setting. As an alternative to the existing models, I propose to teach improvisation as a form of intelligence, with the purpose of empowering the learner to construct a spontaneous yet intended musical discourse meaningful to the improviser and representative of his or her own understanding of musical organization. In order to advance a pedagogical model based on improvisational intelligence, I have conducted a grounded theory research project to construct a theoretical model of the cognitive processes of improvisation deployed by professional improvisers, with the intention that this model inform the teaching of improvisational intelligence. The research comprised individual interviews with 10 improvisers. The participants improvised a piece of music and subsequently elaborated on the cognitive mechanisms deployed while improvising. The resulting theory from this research proposes that improvisational intelligence consists of residual and emergent behaviors mediated by a monitoring system. The theory is illustrated by three models, and it is summarized in six postulates. The practical application of the model does not form part of this research; turning the theoretical model into a practical teaching method constitutes a subsequent stage to the current work. Nonetheless, the discussion section of the thesis elaborates on possible pedagogical applications and challenges for the professional musician as well as for various institutional settings such as the elementary school, the secondary school, the university jazz program, and the classical performance program.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2004. / Vita. Includes computer program for No flower, no incense, only sound: P. 192-239. Sound tape contains 2 compositions by the composer and an improvisation by Ivan Manzanilla with the composer: No flower, no incense, only sound; excerpt of A-window; Mirrors of the past. Includes bibliographical references (p. 241).

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 246-250). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2003. / Accompanied by recitals, recorded Apr. 20, 1992, Nov. 15, 1993, and Nov. 11, 2002. Includes bibliographical references (p. 113).

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2003. / Accompanied by 4 recitals, recorded Apr. 23, 2001, Nov. 19, 2001, Apr. 15, 2002, and Apr. 24, 2003. Includes bibliographical references and discography (p. 89-99).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 194 p.; also includes music. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: James Akins, School of Music. Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-194).

The purpose of this investigation is to delineate the characteristics of the jazz rhythmic quality known as swing, and to illustrate these characteristics through transcription and analysis of improvisatory musical examples from model jazz recordings. The meaning of the term swing is explored through examination of publications addressing jazz rhythm, resulting in a compiled list of the characteristics of swing. Two studies follow which investigate the rhythmic techniques of jazz performance in relation to these characteristics. In the first study, five improvisations by jazz masters Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, Wynton Marsalis, and Marcus Roberts are transcribed and analyzed. In the second study, excerpts from a contemporary jazz recording by the University of Texas Faculty Jazz (On The Cusp, 2007) are transcribed and analyzed for the purposes of measuring timing features, including steadiness of beat, rhythmic asynchronies between instruments, and swing ratios. Findings support the compiled characteristics of swing rhythm, and also suggest generalities regarding how jazz musicians interpret time feel, such as accompanying instrumentalists exhibiting a closely synchronized time feel, soloists frequently playing behind the beat of accompanying rhythm sections, and soloists performing eighth notes that are often more even than the eighth notes of accompanying ride-cymbal patterns. / text

The teaching of music improvisation is commonly approached as the process of incorporating the vocabulary of a specific style. In the university setting this is most often accomplished through the methodology of jazz. As an alternative, improvisation is also taught as an experimental or experiential endeavor influenced by the practice of free-improvisation. A third model teaches improvisation as games; this is common in the field of Music Education. Although all these methods accomplish their various purposes, in their pedagogical application none of these models focus on the most distinctive feature of improvisation: how the musician thinks. Improvisation as a way of “thinking music” constitutes a form of musical intelligence that entails a number of cognitive processes that solve specific problems unique to the improvisational setting. As an alternative to the existing models, I propose to teach improvisation as a form of intelligence, with the purpose of empowering the learner to construct a spontaneous yet intended musical discourse meaningful to the improviser and representative of his or her own understanding of musical organization. In order to advance a pedagogical model based on improvisational intelligence, I have conducted a grounded theory research project to construct a theoretical model of the cognitive processes of improvisation deployed by professional improvisers, with the intention that this model inform the teaching of improvisational intelligence. The research comprised individual interviews with 10 improvisers. The participants improvised a piece of music and subsequently elaborated on the cognitive mechanisms deployed while improvising. The resulting theory from this research proposes that improvisational intelligence consists of residual and emergent behaviors mediated by a monitoring system. The theory is illustrated by three models, and it is summarized in six postulates. The practical application of the model does not form part of this research; turning the theoretical model into a practical teaching method constitutes a subsequent stage to the current work. Nonetheless, the discussion section of the thesis elaborates on possible pedagogical applications and challenges for the professional musician as well as for various institutional settings such as the elementary school, the secondary school, the university jazz program, and the classical performance program.

Thesis (PhD (Music))-University of Pretoria, 2006. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.