In 1939, during his studies at the Eastman School of Music, John La Montaine (1920-2013) composed a Scherzo for four trombones. The Scherzo was revised more than 60 years later, becoming the third movement of a three-movement trombone quartet completed in 2001. Interestingly, the same Scherzo subsequently appeared in two of his later works: first the final movement of his Piano Concerto No. 4 Op. 59 (1989) and 12 years later as the final movement of a three-movement Trombone Quartet. The thesis presents a detailed account of the compositional history of the Scherzo, its connection to the first two movements, and a performance edition of the Scherzo based on my collaboration with the composer between for five years from 2003 to 2007.

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Questions have been raised about what constitutes effective continuous professional development. Short-term training initiatives for in-service teachers have had limited success as agents of change. Lesson Study, an approach initiated by the Japanese, could address this shortcoming. Lesson Study is a bottom-up approach which emphasises teacher collaboration and where the teacher's subject knowledge and teaching practice are enhanced through individual and group reflection. The purpose of this study is to establish the content of the teachers' reflection in the context of a 'Lesson Study' and to analyse this content against the framework of the Knowledge Quartet. A practical action research approach was adopted for this study. The participants were five mathematics teachers who teach in two non-urban secondary schools. Data in the form of individual reflection notes, video material of the group reflection sessions and my field notes were collected during three Lesson Study cycles conducted over a period of five weeks. Most learners were not from English-speaking backgrounds, but were taught in English. Twelve sub-categories emerged from the teachers' reflection, and these sub-categories were grouped into the four following categories: Teacher focus; Learner focus; Lesson design and Resources. Levels of reflection were deepest in cycle two, a finding in keeping with other similar studies. All dimensions of the Knowledge Quartet were included in the teachers' reflections. However, the focus of experienced teachers differed from that of inexperienced teachers. Action research is based on the assumption that the answers to the research questions posed in a specific study are unique to that study. Since the group dynamics and the relationships within the group are fundamental to action research, any outcomes apply only to a specific group in a specific context and cannot be generalised; this rule applies to Lesson Study. However, I trust that the findings of this study will contribute towards the body of knowledge concerning the use of Lesson Study as a professional development programme which enables teachers to become reflective practitioners and assists them in growing their knowledge for teaching, individually and collectively. Future research could investigate the suitability of Lesson Study for in-service teacher development through all phases of schooling. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

The aesthetic of this composition begins with a flurry of notes creating a wall of sound and slowly disintegrates into becoming something light and airy. Beginning is dense and hurried with overlapping entrances, in the beginning I aim to achieve an overall effect of very smooth and natural slowing down. It feels rhythmic but the pulse is somewhat ambiguous. There are chains of flurried notes followed by rests in the individual parts but the rests are hidden by the overlapping entrances so it feels continuous. As holes open in the texture and the slowing down process takes effect, fragments of a melody begin to peak out of the texture and melt back in. Eventually the piece has completely slowed down and the full melody is revealed. This then builds into a climactic high point of the melody played in the cello. Throughout the ending, fragments of the beginning texture fade in and out until one final build up resembling the beginning texture. There is then a flurry of notes that then proceed to do the slowing down process of the beginning but within a much quicker timespan and then the piece closes out on the final chord of that process.

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Despite many scholars having explored Beethoven’s compositional rhythmic processes, no systematic study has been done in this regard for the sketches for String Quartet Op. 127, and any mention of rhythm in the current literature tends to be incidental. I combine the theories of Rothstein, Krebs and others, an approach that has been more effective in understanding the changes during the compositional process from metrical and hypermetrical perspectives. I examine how Beethoven’s rhythmic patterns add to both musical coherence and contrast. My thesis demonstrates that Beethoven’s starting point is usually a conventional 8- or 16-measure phrase; later, according to the sketches, he makes rhythmic adjustments, such as grouping dissonances, expansions, or displacements, using a variety of parameters. Also added later are rhythmic patterns that individualize each of the four instruments. These processes are found throughout the two movements studied. Therefore, rhythm and its manipulations are used as unifying features.

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