This qualitative study was an investigation of the career journeys of two elementary music teachers employed in a large urban district. The study also examined the job changing experiences of eight other elementary music teachers in the same district. Perceived employment considerations (factors that are weighed when considering working at one school over another), and the detailed employment experiences of two of these teachers, were explored in order to better understand teacher mobility and attrition. An open ended electronic questionnaire was sent to all 28 elementary music teachers employed by the district. Two teachers were later purposefully sampled from the questionnaire participant group to participate in a multiple case study. These two teachers described their experiences when changing jobs, teaching in various schools, and contemplating working at one school over another. Questionnaire data were used to provide additional insight into the phenomenon and inform the multiple case study. Findings represent an amalgamation of both questionnaire and case study participants perceptions of their employment history, and preferences for employment conditions which have been constructed throughout their careers. Salient themes extracted from questionnaire and case study participants described experiences and employment preferences included: (a) personal considerations, (b) school atmosphere, (c) support, (d) student opportunities, and (e) choice.

In Goldberg Variations, Bach has written overlapping voices originally intended for bi manual harpsichord. However, playing the piece on the modern piano causes the hands to collide in those segments,creating a technical challenge that remains unresolved in available editions. In this thesis, I propose a method to reduce the hands overlap by re-distributing the notes between them. This solution also improves readability of the score by obviating the need for a clef change at each voice cross. I further use a few examples in the piano repertoire to examine how hand and finger re distribution may facilitate performance. As an appendix to this thesis, I provide a complete piano score for the Goldberg Variations that includes the mentioned changes.

<p> While spending many hours of vigorous practice, it is possible for trumpet musicians to develop bad habits which inhibit growth and discourage their inspiration. In a trumpet player&rsquo;s daily life, their constant goal is to sound better in their practice routines than the day before. However, without setting realistic goals and dream goals, reaching a level of perfection can be daunting and many fundamental problems may occur such as lipping, tension, or insufficient air flow. Applying goals to everyday practice is essential for the fundamental and musical development of an aspiring trumpet player. According to Claude Gordon, practice should always be done with a goal in mind, just like constructing a tall building. First you dig the trenches. Next the forms are built. Then the cement is poured followed by the floors, sides and finally the roof. Too many students try putting the roof on before the foundation is built. </p><p> By examining the many fundamental problems trumpet players potentially face every day, I will express how to efficiently tackle these obstacles by describing how to install good practice habits while having a desired goal in mind. Second, I will discuss how humans are creatures of habit and how it effects daily practice. Alva Noe describes habits as environmental, in the sense that they are triggered by outside forces and they vanish in the absence of the appropriate environmental setting. In the case of practicing, a novice trumpet player might only practice in preparation for an event, instead of maintaining their skills every day. The methodology of trumpet pedagogy and educational studies will supply evidence-based theories on practice and observation, which will illustrate how habits and goal setting effects trumpet routines. I will also partake in field work by practicing and analyzing different trumpet method books.</p>

Hugo Distler (1908-1942) has been described as the most important composer of Protestant Church music in Germany in the early twentieth centurya remarkable epithet given that he was a professional church musician and composer for only about twelve years before his life was abruptly ended with his suicide in 1942. Though he is more well-known in Germany, in the United States public perception of Distler is often limited to two basic facts: (1) he is a neo-Baroque composer whose works emulate Heinrich Schütz, and (2) his suicide was an act of resistance against the hated National Socialist regime. This study follows the premise that this may not be an accurate distillation of Hugo Distlers life and musical style, and Totentanz, opus 12 no. 2 is the primary lens through which this postulation is examined. English-language scholarship on Distler is relatively scant, so German sources are consulted and translations are provided for relevant excerpts, some of which are made available for the first time in English. In addition, a thorough examination of musical, cultural, political, and religious movements during Distlers life is undertaken in order to fully contextualize Totentanz and allow for informed speculation in some cases. Evidence to support these speculations is presented in the form of letters, articles, testimonies, and perhaps most importantly, musical examples. Historian Frederic Spotts has said, Half the world believes what the other half invents. This study attempts to neither invent nor blindly accept the inventions of others, but rather to re-examine the life and music of a complicated but eminently gifted composer who deserves to be more clearly understood.

<p> In 1941 Richard Strauss composed his second horn concerto. Weary from trying to remain in the good favor of the Nazi government, Strauss composed several works late in life that he merely described as &ldquo;wrist exercises&rdquo; that were only for the benefit of his estate. The first of these pieces was the <i>Second Horn Concerto.</i> Often labeled as a return to his past, this paper asserts that upon further examination the work is much more advanced than is often labeled.</p><p> Richard Strauss has been labeled by music historians as a neo-Romantic, despite much of his work being composed during the twentieth century. This designation has precluded even his more progressive works from further study as modern compositions. However, upon reexamination of several of his works, more specifically the <i>Second Horn Concerto</i>, it is evident that Strauss could be considered as belonging to the canon of modern composers. </p>

J. A. C. Redfords Antiphons is a reverent and mystically beautiful, choral song cycle, consisting of seven settings and written for a cappella divisi mixed chorus. Based on texts originating from the seven, ancient Great O Antiphons, each of Redfords settings interweave the original antiphon text with one of seven Advent sonnets written by English poet-priest, Malcolm Guite. The texts of the Great O Antiphons coincide with the seven verses of the familiar Advent hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel. This study contains a brief history and a comprehensive textual analysis of the ancient antiphons, an in-depth textual analysis of Guites sonnets, and a thorough musical analysis of Redfords Antiphons, as well as biographies on the American composer, J. A. C. Redford and the English poet, Malcolm Guite. The musical analysis of this study examines the musical structure as it relates to the original antiphon and the sonnet text. Redford strategically positions the ancient chant within the structure of the sonnet to incite a conversation between ancient and modern texts. The structure of Malcolm Guites Advent sonnets is also discussed. The quatrains and couplet are identified and the location of the volta is revealed for each sonnet. Redford has stated that his primary goal is to musically portray the essence of the texts meaning. This study endeavors to offer insight into the composers journey. Significant considerations include his nontraditional approach to musical structure, his employment of a variety of tonal centers and music textures, his incorporation of intricate rhythmic schemes and frequent meter adjustments, and his unique harmonic language applied to color the music.

<p> Sonata for Woodwind Quintet is a three-movement work for woodwind quintet. This piece consists of three slow movements. It was composed between August 2014 and November 2015, as both a dedication and memorial to my friend, Kelsie Gleason. In this thesis I will briefly discuss my musical influences as well as present an analysis of the sonata's melodic content, form, and orchestration. This thesis is representative of my current compositional development. </p>

<p> The compositional pairing of horn and organ is less common, in comparison to the more popular combination of trumpet and organ, perhaps a result of this pairing being a more recent development in Western art music. In the second half of the twentieth century, composers showed an increased interest in combining the horn and organ particularly in France, the United States, and Eastern Europe. In Paris, the influence of the French organ school was a prime motivator in this ensemble shift along with the desire amongst composers to explore new timbral options. This horn and organ pairing had an influence on the works of Latvian composer P&emacr;teris Vasks, whose catalog includes many compositions for organ in addition to one solo composition for horn with organ accompaniment&mdash;<i>Musique du Soir</i> (1988). </p><p> This study includes an analysis of cultural context, form, and oral history methodologies. In order to gain insight into the reasoning for the late development of the horn and organ pairing, it is important to understand the influences and arrangements that came out of France in the first half of the twentieth century, the compositional mind-set that was popular in the mid-twentieth century in regards to the fixation upon new timbres and ensembles, and the issue of horn with a piano accompaniment as a mundane entity. <i>Musique du Soir</i> (1988), is based on themes of nature and is composed in a free form that reflects the freedom in nature. A formal and melodic analysis will examine these features and explore how they work within this piece. In addition, information from personal interviews with the composer will give insights into Vasks' compositional process and provide a detailed look at the importance of the horn and organ pairing to the composer. </p><p> P&emacr;teris Vasks, an important figure within Latvian art music, and his horn and organ work exemplifies the richness of tradition within his compositions and the importance that he has placed in Latvian art music, an often overlooked genre.</p>

<p> Research on how jazz musicians improvise suggests that learned patterns or &ldquo;licks&rdquo; inserted during improvisations are ubiquitous, especially among those playing bebop. Analysis of saxophonist Charlie Parker&rsquo;s solos reveals his reliance on distinct patterns that he often repeated multiple times in a single solo. Due to Parker's iconic status as a bebop progenitor and his influence on the dissemination of mainstream bebop vocabulary, one can argue that bebop improvisation is dependent on the use of licks and that they are fundamental to bebop syntax and vocabulary. This claim is supported by a myriad of improvisation manuals advocating the practice of licks as integral to the acquisition and development of bebop vocabulary.</p><p> Saxophonists Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh were both contemporaries of Parker who matured as improvisers under the direction of teacher Lennie Tristano. Though he and his students revered Parker, Tristano&rsquo;s pedagogical method rejected the imitation of other bebop improvisers by specifically avoiding the inclusion of licks, thus encouraging more melodic spontaneity. The results of Tristano's method are exemplified by the work of Konitz and Marsh during the late 1940s and early 1950s.</p><p> This paper addresses the relative merits of these two approaches to bebop by investigating the stylistic differences between Parker and Tristano&rsquo;s students Konitz and Marsh. Chapter 1 discusses Parker's approach to improvisation, specifically his use of licks, and his influence on mainstream jazz pedagogy. Chapter 2 outlines Tristano's pedagogical method and discusses the differences between his approach and the mainstream approach to teaching bebop. Chapter 3 explores the cognitive and neurological necessity of using licks in bebop, and discusses current music cognition literature and fMRI studies conducted on improvisers. Chapter 4 presents an analysis of licks by Parker, Konitz, and Marsh, and their effect on improvisational outcomes. As there is a rhetorical quality to jazz improvisation, linguistic concordance software called AntConc was used to locate patterns in the transcriptions. AntConc analysis reveals a greater volume and frequency of patterns in the playing of Parker than in the playing of Konitz and Marsh.</p>

<p> Intergenerational choral singing is a new and expanding practice in choral music. Despite statistics documenting the decline of traditional opportunities for beginning singers' exposure to choral singing, family choruses successfully bring music-making back to the heart of family and community life. Through the examination of several emerging family choruses this report catalogs the growth of this new trend while summarizing the many benefits and drawbacks to cooperative family singing. Directors and participants of The Family Folk Chorale, the Boston Intergenerational Chorus, the Singing in the Rain Family Choir, and the Harmonious Family Singers describe differing approaches to intergenerational singing. The concept is also exemplified through reporting on the programming, preparing, and performing of an intergenerational choir concert. Gaining popularity, family choirs are poised to become a significant new genre in choral singing, bringing new participants to the choral art, while building healthy families and strong communities.</p>