This dissertation has taken the form of a creative project, as is permitted by the guidelines for the Doctor of Arts curriculum. The purpose of the project was to assemble and edit for the beginning organist a body of musical literature useful to that important, Initial step in learning which combines Manual and Pedal activity. The thirty-eight selections which comprise the collection are compositions which have never before been used in pedagogical compilations and are arranged: in an order of progressively ascending technical difficulty.Criteria other than appropriateness to the acquisition of needed rudimentary skills influenced the selection of musical works included in this collection. Important schools of organ composition, ranging from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century and stemming from England, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, are to be found in this project: and. the most significant styles of composition, chant-based, chorale-based, fugal, free, homophonic, trio, and dance, are also adequately represented.Each composition has been notated on a standard, three-staff, organ score to which Manual indications, pedalling symbols, and limited fingering assists have been added, in addition, each musical work carries with it a title page bearing not only the composer's complete name and dates but also suggestions for appropriate registration and a brief paragraph of pertinently related stylistic, biographical„ or technical comments.Research which influenced the choice, transcription, and edition of each composition is recorded in this dissertation as is also a chapter of indexes locating the selections from the standpoints of technical difficulty, compositional period and region, and compositional style.Organ Music For the Beginner should serve adequately both as a supplemental. volume to any existing organ course and as a primary study guide for any beginning organ student.

Gunther Schuller is presently one of America's most influential music personalities. As one colleague of Schuller's at the New England Conservatory has written, "In many ways, Gunther Schuller is a modern incarnation of the renaissance man, with his interests and abilities flowing from him like ripples in a pond."1 Schuller, in his six decades, has been one of the nation's first-rate orchestral horn players and has participated in the instrument's introduction into the jazz medium; his interest in musicological research has encompassed the study of various types of music and resulted in Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical Development, 2 considered by some to be "the definitive musicological treatment of jazz history . . ..”3 Schuller is also recognized as a leading contemporary composer and conductor, former composition instructor and long-time artistic co-director of the annual summer Tanglewood Festival, and teacher, authority, and author on horn playing.The dissertation traces Schuller's varied career, giving particular attention to his phenomenal success as a virtuoso of the French horn by age seventeen. The study also details his development as a composer, concentrating primarily on his compositional style as revealed in the works for horn as a solo and chamber music instrument. Among the works discussed are the horn concertos, the woodwind suite and brass quintet, Lines and Contrasts for sixteen horns, and Five Pieces for Five Horns. Included in the discussion is his unpublished and virtually unknown first Horn Concerto, which was written (and performed only once) by the composer while he was first horn in the Cincinnati Symphony. For the research, a copy of the manuscript was provided by the composer. (To date, the only published remnant is an arrangement of the second movement entitled Nocturne for horn and piano.)The dissertation examines Schuller's ideas concerning the "art" of modern horn playing through a discussion of his writings (Horn Technique), his musical studies (Studies for Unaccompanied Horn and Duets for Unaccompanied Horns), and through the observations of colleagues and former students. Fortunately, some of Schuller's well-articulated thoughts on musicianship in general and horn playing specifically have been retained in the tapes of the Sixth Annual International Horn Workshop, held at Ball State University in 1974. These are transcribed and included in the Appendix.In summary, the research is in three major sections. The first deals with biographical information-- Schuller's various careers, a survey of his compositions and writings, and a discussion and evaluation of his playing career based on information from his colleagues, recordings, and reviews. Section two examines the composer’s style and his influence on the instrument’s technique through a detailed study of the solo and chamber works for horn. Part three concerns his pedagogical and philosophical ideas regarding music education, with particular attention to the horn and horn playing.1. Frank Battisti, "Gunther Schuller and His Many Worlds of Music," The Instrumentalist, XXXII (June, 1978), p. 39.2. Gunther Schuller, Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical Development, (New York: Oxford University Press), 1968.3. Robert Palmer, "Gunther Schuller: On the American Musical Melting Pot," Downbeat, XLIII (Feb. 12, 1976), 12.

A study was conducted with third-grade children in a university laboratory school to determine the relative effectiveness of a method for teaching recorder in which the sequential objectives are logically ordered by Edwin Gordon's empirical model of learning sequence and a traditional method which stresses note reading. The criteria used for comparison were change in the level of developmental music aptitude and performance achievement on the recorder. A review of the literature supported Edwin Gordon's theory of developmental music aptitude which proposes that until about age nine, environmental factors can affect the level of music aptitude, and, at about age nine, music aptitude stabilizes. The review of the literature also supported the use of singing activities with instrumental instruction, and the application of verbal association systems to tonal and rhythmic patterns as pedagogical techniques. Treatment for the control group involved a teaching-learning procedure in which individual fingerings, pitches, and rhythm symbols were presented in isolation and assembled in playing songs from notation. The method used with the experimental group involved a teaching-learning sequence in which children first learned to sing the song by rote. In learning to play the song on the recorder, each melodic and rhythmic pattern was isolated and initially sung or chanted. A verbal association system was then associated with the tonal and rhythmic pattern. The notation representing the pattern was introduced after extensive aural and verbal association experience, and after learning several songs. Primary sources of data included: pretest/posttest using Gordon's PMMA to measure developmental music aptitude change, and a rating scale test to measure recorder performance achievement. Results of the PMMA supported the alternative hypotheses that the experimental group had significantly higher mean composite and rhythmic increases than the control group. The mean increase in the tonal scores was greater for the experimental group, but not significantly higher at the .05 level. Results of the investigator-designed performance achievement tests supported the alternative hypotheses that the experimental method of teaching recorder was more effective in all dimensions--melodic, rhythmic, executive skills, and composite--than the traditional method.

Since 1977 ten innovatory keyboard laboratories, which enable teachers to utilize group teaching methods in musical instrument instruction, have been set up in A.C.T. educational institutions. Reactions to this innovation have been varied, and its usefulness queried. However, there has been a lack of information and little evidence of systematic research in Australia on this topic, perhaps because there are very few areas outside the A.C.T. where keyboard laboratories are used in schools. The investigation reported here attempted to determine why the innovation spread so rapidly in the A.C.T., the uses to which it was being put, and the kinds of support mechanisms that were necessary to ensure its optimum use. An interview known as the Levels of Use Interview was selected as the main method of collecting data from teachers using keyboard laboratories, and by analysing these interviews in the context of the A.C.T. educational milieu it was possible to predict a future pattern of usage, and recommend appropriate action to be taken by administrators responsible for the organization of A.C.T. education. The findings of the study supported theories that innovations are adopted by members of social networks and that the size of the system and degree of administrative and financial support may positively affect the spread of an innovation. All teachers using keyboard laboratories were convinced of their value, although this perception varied according to factors such as promotional status and recency of teacher training. In addition, the LoU Interview was found to be a highly appropriate tool for a practising classroom teacher to use in an investigation of this kind.

Thesis (PhD) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The researcher encountered the following problems while teaching braille IWSic notation to blind learners at the Pioneer School in Worcester: • Young learners learning to read braille IWSic notation with the piano as mediwn appeared to struggle technically. For example, blind children experienced difficulty finding the correct keys over seven octaves; they had generally weak posture; they had to learn to play one part with one hand while the other hand would read; they had to memorise the music for each clef individually and then combine them cognitively; they had to memorise the soprano, alto, tenor and bass parts of a piece; they often experienced discouragement because of the very slow progress they made compared with their sighted peers. • Although learners seemed to find the recorder technically more manageable, currently available braille recorder tutors proved to be inadequate. This inadequacy was a result of the tutors having been designed for the sighted child. The researcher thus set out to design a more appropriate approach than is currently available for teaching braille music notation to the blind, with the recorder as medium. The research method was qualitative and included a literature survey which covered the following unique needs of the blind learner: • psychological • emotional and social • concept development • motor skills (orientation, laterality, posture, coordination) • tactile perception • creativity and self expression The qualitative research also included video observation of a series ofiodividual and group lessons. The lesson material emerged from a programme designed by the researcher and was based on the literatme study. An observation panel. together with the researcher, evaluated the lessons on predetenDned coded assessment criteria 'The lessons and progrannne were adapted according to feedback from the lessons. The qualitative research includes interviews with five blind learners and six teachers of braille music notation. The interviews were designed to gather information on how blind learners can more appropriately be taught the braille music code. The unique needs of blind learners, in particular those concerning orientation and perceptual awareness, are considered in this alternative approach for teaching braille music notation to blind learners. 'The alternative programme is skills based and can be used convElliently in conlunetion with the Outcomes- Based Education (OBE) modeL / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die navorser het die volgende probleme ondervind tydens baar onderrig van braille musieknotasie aan blinde leerders by Pionierskool in Worcester: • Dit wil voorkom asofjong leerders wat braille musieknotasie moet aanleer met die klavier as medium, tegniese probleme ondervind. Blinde kinders het dit byvoorbeeld moeilik gevind om die korrekte toetse oor sewe oktawe te vind; oor die algemeen was hulle houding swak; hulle moes leer om een stemparty met een hand te lees terwyl die ander hand gespeel het; hulle moes die musiek vir elke sleutelteken apart memoriseer en die stemme kognitiefbymekaar sit; hulle moes die sopraan, alt. tenoor en bas stempartye van 'n stuk memoriseer, hulle is baie keer moedeloos, weens hulle stadige vordering, in vergelyking met hulle siende portuurgroep. • A1hoewel dit gelyk het asof leerders die bioldIuit tegnies meer hanteerbaar gevind het, blyk huidige beskikbare braille bloldluit handleidings nie geskik te wees nie. Hierdie ontoereikendheid is as gevolg van die feit dat die handleidings vir die siende kind ontwerp IS. Derhalwe het die navorser gepoog om 'n meer toeganklike benadering te ontwikkel as wat tans beskikbaar is vir die onderrig van braille misieknotasie aan die blinde, met die bioldIuit as medium. Die ondersoekmetode was kwalitatief van aard en het onder andere 'n literatuuroorsig ingesluit wat die volgende unieke behoeftes van die blinde leerder ingesluit het: • siellnmdig • emosioneel en sosiaal • konsep ontwikkeling • motoriese vaardighede (oriëntasie, lateraliteit, houding, koOrdinasie) • gevoelswaarneming

This creative project adapted the basic elements of the teaching methods of Zoltan Kodaly and Carl Orff to the teaching of the recorder. The resulting recorder teaching method includes the sequential presentation of musical concepts and skills of the Kodaly approach, and the philosophies and techniques for developing creativity of the Orff approach.The method consists of forty-one graduated phases of development accompanied by appropriate song materials and suggestions for varied creative activities included for the purpose of providing practice and experience with the musical concepts presented in the lessons.

The aim of this research is to provide a theoretical framework of the Alexander Technique for organists. Frederick Matthias Alexander was an Australian actor who developed a technique to enable and enhance his own performance. This innovative technique is now used across the world, including South Africa. In this study the researcher provides a Literature Study of the Alexander Technique. Furthermore, he investigates and reports on the practises of a number of organists. A multiple case study approach was adapted and data was collected by means of questionnaires, personal observations and informal interviews. The data gathered in this study is described and analysed. The study culminates with a description of a theoretical framework for the application of the Alexander Technique for organists.

Contemporary music for horn often requires techniques and musical or notational considerations that are unconventional with respect to the standard pedagogy of the instrument. As such, these considerations often represent a level of challenge to which the average-intermediate to advanced-hornist is unprepared to approach or altogether unfamiliar. The most prominent of these demands arising in the last few decades of the twentieth century through today include microtonality (such as extended just intonation and quarter tones), extended techniques in combination or juxtaposition (such as multiphonics and right hand technique), rhythmic complexity (including metric modulation, non-dyadic meters, additive rhythms, and nested tuplets), and unconventional notations (graphic, spatial, and other temporal notations). This document first surveys the challenges of the repertoire in question, which includes works by György Ligeti, Thea Musgrave, Milton Babbitt, Brian Ferneyhough, Iannis Xenakis, Heinz Holliger, and Douglas Hill, among others. After considering the merits and limitations of existing pedagogical materials that work towards these ends, the document then underlines a strategic pedagogical goal for understanding and approaching unconventional contemporary repertoire through newly-composed etudes. This document is written in conjunction with and justification for the author's 24 Unconventional Etudes for Horn, and includes examples therefrom.