18 research outputs found
Towards a Better Understanding of Emotion Communication in Music: An Interactive Production Approach.
Get PDFIt has been well established that composers and performers are able to encode certain emotional expressions in music, which in turn are decoded by listeners, and in general, successfully recognised. There is still much to discover, however, as to how musical cues combine to shape different emotions in the music, since previous literature has tended to focus on a limited number of cues and emotional expressions. The work in this thesis aims to investigate how combinations of tempo, articulation, pitch, dynamics, brightness, mode, and later, instrumentation, are used to shape sadness, joy, calmness, anger, fear, power, and surprise in Western tonal music. In addition, new tools for music and emotion research are presented with the aim of providing an efficient production approach to explore a large cue-emotion space in a relatively short time. To this end, a new interactive interface called EmoteControl was created which allows users to alter musical pieces in real-time through the available cues. Moreover, musical pieces were specifically composed to be used as stimuli. Empirical experiments were then carried out with the interface to determine how participants shaped different emotions in the pieces using the available cues. Specific cue combinations for the different emotions were produced. Findings revealed that overall, mode and tempo were the strongest contributors to the conveyed emotion whilst brightness was the least effective cue. However, the importance of the cues varied depending on the intended emotion. Finally, a comparative evaluation of production and traditional approaches was carried out which showed that similar results may be obtained with both. However, the production approach allowed for a larger cue-emotion space to be navigated in a shorter time. In sum, the production approach allowed participants to directly show us how they think emotional expressions should sound, and how they are shaped in music
Experiential learning and the educational significance of the aesthetic dimension: an interpretative account of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the oppressed system of practices
Get PDFThis study will explore the nature and the scope of the Theatre of the Oppressed practices within the broader educational terrain of experimental learning. The aim of the study is to extend and elaborate on current established understandings of experimental learning by acknowledging and recognizing the facilitative and educational significance of the aesthetic domain. Although there has been a substantial level of theorizing about experiential learning very little attention has been given in defining the educational uses of the aesthetic domain of experience.
Some experimental learning theorists have acknowledged the multi-dimensional nature of experience and their work supports the use of drama in the context of experiential learning. Yet there is very little distinctive educational role of the aesthetic domain of experience. It is against this background that this study asks how do we learn from the "experience of drama" and how is this learning different and or similar to our current understandings of experiential learning?
In addition to mapping experiential learning as a distinctive terrain the study signposts the conceptual dimensions of the area by delineating the generic features that set experiential learning apart from other models and theories of learning and instructional practice. Against this background, a review of the Theatre of the Oppressed practices will be undertaken and attention will be given to "image theatre" as a mode of communication that works outside the boundaries of everyday language. The specific properties of the "aesthetic space" are explored and related to the educational implications of the carnivalesque motif that defines the distinctive critical sensibilities of Theatre of the Oppressed. Following this the study moves to a conceptual elaboration of experiential learning and the delineation of the educational and facilitative role of "the aesthetic domain".
While the study's methodology is grounded to Schon's (1987) understanding of the reflective practitioner, there has been a concerted effort to establish an interpretative framework that corresponds with the refractive qualities of Theatre of the Oppressed. The main purpose is the achievement of an illuminative synthesis of perspectives. Short descriptive accounts of practice provide practical "real life" examples, while the philosophical and theoretical contributions of Dewey and Freire are used to establish the discursive parameters of the study. The overall goal of this largely integrative focus is to contribute to the area of adult and continuing education by illuminating an important but so far largely unrecognized area of practice
Christianity as vernacular religion : a study in the theological significance of mother tongue apprehension of the Christian faith in West Africa with reference to the works of Ephraim Amu (1899-1995)
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.Ephraim Amu is a distinguished musician. He is well known for his advocacy on African tradition and culture. Amu's pride in the African personality has earned him a place in Ghana's hall of fame. It was in recognition of these achievements that his portrait was embossed on Ghana's highest currency, the Twenty Thousand Cedi note. But there is more to the Amu story. In this thesis I have drawn substantially on Amu's own works to demonstrate how, in fact, he is an exemplar of mother tongue apprehension of the Christian faith in Africa. Amu showed in his songs, diaries, sermons, letters, addresses and private papers that the mother tongue, in this case, Ewe and Twi can be used to express not only Christian experience but also to formulate theological ideas in an innovative and creative ways. Amu's credentials as "African statesman" and "a self-conscious nationalist" owe not so much to Pan-African ideologies as his understanding of African culture and tradition from a biblical perspective. Amu believed that the entire universe, including the African cosmos, was created by God from the very beginning as kronkronkron (pure), pepeepe (exact), and fitafitafita (without blemish). He wrestled with the problem of (evil) and how this may have polluted an otherwise unblemished creation. Amu also wrestled with the issue of human participation in God's work of creation and the extent to which humankind may have contributed to the desecration of creation. In spite of the pollution, Amu believed that creation can be redeemed and restored to its original status by cleansing with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. This belief led him to adopt a positive stance towards African culture and tradition. Amu demonstrated this particularly in the use of language. Most of his sermons and notable musical compositions are in Twi or Ewe. He kept a diary in his mother tongue, Ewe, for almost seventy years. Amu demonstrated that by using indigenous African languages it is possible to make a fresh contribution to theological issues and thereby present African Christianity as an authentic expression to God and capable of contributing to world Christianity. Apart from language, Amu believed that other elements in the African tradition could be employed to express the Christian faith. It is in this regard that his contribution to Christian worship, particularly the use of indigenous musical instruments, must be appreciated. Amu's realisation, that "There are deep truths underlying our indigenous religions, truths which are dim representations of the great Christian truths", led him to deal with the perception tha
The idea of the sequel : a theoretically oriented study of literary sequels with special emphasis on three examples from the first half of the eighteenth century.
Get PDFThe literary sequel has received little sustained or comprehensive critical attention. In view of this neglect the aim of this thesis is to present the sequel as a fruitful subject for discussion and analysis. The task undertaken here necessitates three interrelated procedures, the first of which seeks to produce a widely applicable definition of the word "sequel". The second procedure is the describing of the sequel as a literary form. This process demands a theoretical approach which views the sequel as a concept, or, as the thesis title indicates, an idea. In order to give coherence and unity to this activity the range of reference is limited almost exclusively to prose fiction in English from the late sixteenth century to the present day. In the three main central chapters the focus further narrows to consider in turn three examples of the sequel drawn from the first half of the eighteenth century. The close analysis of individual works highlights paradoxical aspects of the sequel. These special characteristics derive from a governing paradox common to all sequels: a sequel both continues a prior work and has an independent existence. The sequel cannot, however, be fully characterised without reference to its immediate historical circumstances. A third procedure examines the ways in which the contemporary response to a first part can prompt the composition of a sequel and influence its content and structure
The teaching of electronics in schools and further education: a case study in curriculum change.
Get PDFThis case study describes the development of Electronics within the curriculum in line with how both (Reid and Walker I975, Case Studies in Curriculum Change) and (Goodson I983, School Subjects and Curriculum Change) discussed changes in terms of theories of curriculum change. Alternative definitions of the term innovation are reviewed and for the purpose of this study a definition is adopted which includes syllabus change and major changes of scale and strategy. The study gives an outline of the major theories of innovation and implementation strategy. Features of centralisation and rationalisation are described insofar as these features led to current educational initiatives. An account Is given of how Electronics developed as a topic within ‘A’ level Physics, a subject within B.E.T.E.C. (previously O.N.C/T.E.C.) and as a separate G.C.E. subject. Data on examination entries In G.C.E. and C.S.E. Electronics are presented. These data are related to the- size of L.E.A.s, the type of centre, and also to explore the viability of G.C.E./G.C.S.E. provision in Electronics. Initiatives such as M.E.P., T.V.E.I., C.P.V.E., S.S.C.R. are described as they are expected to have a significant impact on the growth of Electronics. The position of Electronics within the curriculum and its educational value are discussed. Comment is made on the Systems and Components approaches to Electronics and on the importance of project work. Teacher difficulties with project work are noted and suggestions are made on the use and range of equipment available so that a suitable teaching style may be -developed
