Through ‘the Gauntlet’: creating multi-representative practices of community and ‘dialogic gaze’ using compassion-based exercises in a feminist actor training

This thesis explicates a practice as research exploration of how we can create multirepresentative (‘inclusive’) practices in ensemble actor training through the use of compassion-based practices. The main argument is that compassion-based practices in ensemble actor training create community as a transformative entity per bell hooks’s and Audre Lorde’s definitions. The understanding of self and others’ similarities and differences are necessary for community and enabled through reciprocal exchange, which Mikhail Bakhtin calls ‘dialogic’. Understood in this way, community both enables and requires a practice I offer called the ‘dialogic gaze’, a critical perspective that interrogates rehearsal and performance communications and interactions on behalf of the representation of the identities and experiences of all members. My practice-based methodology explores compassion-based exercises for their potential to create community and dialogic gaze. The through-line of these explorations is ‘the Gauntlet’, an exercise focusing on voiced acknowledgments of similarity that I have adapted to also recognize difference. I locate myself as a pedagogic practitioner-researcher and thus facilitate these practices in three different training workshops with three various ensembles. Using qualitative methods, I garner and analyse behaviours, communications, and feedback from ensemble members during rehearsal and performance of a subsequent group devised piece. Through moments of dialogic gaze and community, these practices support multi-represented ensemble work towards autonomy in theatre making that challenges ingrained patterns of cultural production and process, and aid practice in the dissolution of wider social oppressions that may evidence in rehearsal and training rooms. My research has both conceptual and practical contributions: in the dialogic gaze as a named, multi-representative practice, and in the compassion-based practices that create and perpetuate both dialogic gaze and community in ensemble actor training. These can be extrapolated to ensemble practice in industry and societal groups beyond

Collective efficacy belief, within-group agreement, and performance quality among instrumental chamber ensembles

We examined collective efficacy beliefs, including levels of within - group agreement and correlation with performance quality, of instrumental chamber ensembles (70 musicians, representing 18 ensembles). Participants were drawn from collegiate programs and intensive summer music festivals located in the No rthwestern and Western regions of the United States. Individuals completed a 5 - item survey gauging confidence in their group’s performance abilities; each ensemble’s aggregated results represented its collective efficacy score. Ensembles provided a video - r ecorded performance excerpt that was rated by a panel of four string specialists. Analyses revealed moderately strong levels of collective efficacy belief and uniformly high within - group agreement. There was a significant, moderately strong correlation bet ween collective efficacy belief and within - group agreement ( r S = .67, p < .01). We found no relationship between collective efficacy belief and performance quality across the total sample, but those factors correlated significantly for festival - based ensem bles ( r S = .82, p < .05). Reliability estimates suggest that our collective efficacy survey may be suitable for use with string chamber ensembles. Correlational findings provide partial support for the theorized link between efficacy belief and performance quality in chamber music settings, suggesting the importance for music educators to ensure that positive efficacy beliefs become well founded through quality instruction

Indexicality:understanding mobile human-computer interaction in context

A lot of research has been done within the area of mobile computing and context-awareness over the last 15 years, and the idea of systems adapting to their context has produced promising results for overcoming some of the challenges of user interaction with mobile devices within various specialized domains. However, today it is still the case that only a limited body of theoretically grounded knowledge exists that can explain the relationship between users, mobile system user interfaces, and their context. Lack of such knowledge limits our ability to elevate learning from the mobile systems we develop and study from a concrete to an abstract level. Consequently, the research field is impeded in its ability to leap forward and is limited to incremental steps from one design to the next. Addressing the problem of this void, this article contributes to the body of knowledge about mobile interaction design by promoting a theoretical approach for describing and understanding the relationship between user interface representations and user context. Specifically, we promote the concept of indexicality derived from semiotics as an analytical concept that can be used to describe and understand a design. We illustrate the value of the indexicality concept through an analysis of empirical data from evaluations of three prototype systems in use. Based on our analytical and empirical work we promote the view that users interpret informatio

Music and time: tempomorphism: nested temporalities in perceived experience of music.

This thesis represents the results of a theoretical and practical investigation of acoustic and electro-acoustic elements of Western music at the start of the twentyfirst century, with specific attention to soundscapes. A commentary on the development of soundscapes is drawn from a multidisciplinary overview of concepts of time, followed by an examination of concepts of time in music. As a response to Jonathan Kramer's concept of `vertical' music (a characteristic aesthetic of which is an absence of conventional harmonic teleology), particular attention is paid to those theories of multiple nested temporalities which have been referred to by Kramer in support of non-teleological musical structures. The survey suggests that new musical concepts, such as vertical music, have emerged from sensibilities resulting from the musical and associated styles of minimalism, and represent an ontological development of aesthetics characteristic of the twentieth century. An original contention of the debate is that innovations in the practice of music as the result of technological developments have led to the possibility of defining a methodology of process in addition to auditive strategies, resulting in a duality defined as 'tempomorphic'. Further observations are supplied, using findings derived from original creative practical research, to define tempomorphic performance, which complete the contribution to knowledge offered by the investigation. Tempomorphism, therefore, is defined as a duality of process and audition: as auditive tool, tempomorphic analysis provides a listening strategy suited to harmonically static music; as a procedural tool, it affords a methodology based primarily on duration

Mental and motor representation for music performance

This research proposes a theory of nonconscious motor representation which precedes mental representation of the outcome of motor actions in music performance. The music performer faces the problem of how to escape sedimented musical paradigms to produce novel configurations of dynamics, timing and tone colour. If the sound were mentally represented as an action goal prior to being produced, it would tend to be assimilated to a known action goal. The proposed theory is intended to account for creativity in music performance, but has implications in other areas for both creativity and motor actions. The investigation began with an ethnographic study of two 'posthardcore' rock bands in London and Bristol. Posthardcore musicians work with minimal explicit knowledge of music theory and cognitive involvement in performance is actively eschewed. Serendipitous musical felicities in performance are valued. Such felicities depend on adjustment and fine control of dynamics, timing and tone colour within the parameters of the given. A selective survey of music aesthetics shows that the defining qualities of music are the production of immanent rather than representational meaning; polysemy; and processuality. Taking an analytic philosophy and cognitive science approach, I argue that apprehensions of immanent meaning depend on relationships between proximal percepts within the specious present. A general argument for nonconceptual perceptual content as perception of relations between magnitudes within the specious present is extended to music and argued to account for both the polysemic richness of music and its processuality. Nonconceptual relational perception can account for novel apprehensions by music listeners, but not for the production of novel configurations by the performer. I argue that motor creativity in music performance is achieved through the nonconscious parameterization of inverse models without conscious representation of the goal of the action. Conscious representation for the performer occurs when they hear their own performance

Musicality and the act of theatre: developing musicalised dramaturgies for theatre performance

This research project is aimed at investigating musicality and theatre, and seeks to develop “musicalised dramaturgies” as dramaturgies for performances that venture beyond representation. The musical dimension is approached as an ontological aspect of theatre manifested in the work of the performer and in the process of dramaturgy as developed kinaesthetically with respect to the audience. The somatic dimension of the theatre act is investigated in terms of rhythmic and melodic associations which are proposed as sources of action in musicalised dramaturgies. The study looks at the conditions of musicality as dramaturgy by exploring the possibilities of developing performance processes generated by rhythms, tempos, and melodies as elements of the musical condition. The study acknowledges important developments that took place in the wake of theatre reforms at the turn of the twentieth century that gave more space to the presence of the actor in the creation of performance. These led to a ‘turn-to-performance’ in theatre which, since the 1960s, characterised practical research where practitioners challenged traditions and pushed boundaries in order to develop non-representational practices. Gradually the theatre event shifted from serving as a basic means of communication of messages to a process where experiences are shared by performers and audiences. Contemporary scholarship acknowledges these developments in terms of a postdramatic critical framework where hierarchies and subordinations in the organisation of the work give way to equality and simultaneity of means. The postdramatic context serves as a theoretical foundation around which this study is set. Investigations were conducted via practical and theoretical analysis. Practical research was done in collaboration with Italian professional theatre ensemble Laboratorio Permanente di Ricerca sull’Arte dell’Attore (Permanent Research Laboratory on the Art of the Actor), and followed two complementary strands, viz. preexpressive and performance work. The pre-expressive strand had two levels: i. daily work with the actors where the research issues were put into practice and developed with professional actors, and ii. workshops and stages for University students, amateur actors, and laypersons interested in the work. The performance strand developed as a theatre work entitled Welcoming the End of the World. The piece was premièred in Malta in July 2011, and served as context where musicalised dramaturgies were put into practice and used creatively as foundations for performance. Theoretical considerations are discussed in a written document accompanying video documentation of Welcoming the End of the World. The written part examines the work of Konstantin Stanislavsky on rhythm and tempo-rhythm, and contributions made by Jerzy Grotowski with respect to what I argue are ideas of “embodied musicality” in his theatre making. The work of Grotowski is discussed in light of the claim for an Apollonian-Dionysian bond proposed by Nietzsche in his The Birth of Tragedy Out of the Spirit of Music, published in 1872. The research also refers to recent developments in theatre practice including the work of Eugenio Barba, and critical discourses expounded by Henry Lefebvre, Gilles Deleuze, and Jean-Luc Nancy. In various ways their ideas inform the investigations and provide this research project with a critical foundation with respect to which musicality is proposed as dramaturgy for theatre performance

Verbal rehearsal methods and their effects on expressive music performance: A comparison of verbal explanation and transformational verbal imagery

The purpose of this study was to determine if use of transformational verbal imagery rehearsal methods, when compared to use of methods based on verbal explanation, resulted in (a) higher levels of expressive performance by wind quintets and (b) greater appreciation of the composition by quintet members. The study used a posttest-only control-group design. Thirty high school brass and/or woodwind quintets were randomly assigned to experimental groups (n = 15) or control groups (n = 15). A composition rich in expressive aspects of music was used. Each quintet had three rehearsals. The first rehearsal dealt with the technical aspects of performance. Treatment which focused on the expressive aspects of performance occurred during the second and third rehearsals. An audio recording of the performance was made at the end of the third rehearsal. A questionnaire designed to measure appreciation of the music was completed by subjects at the end of the third rehearsal. To test the null hypothesis regarding expressive performance level, two independent adjudicators scored the final performance tape on two measures, (a) the level of technical performance, and (b) the level of expressive performance. A one-way analysis of covariance was used, with level of technical performance serving as the covariate. The questionnaires were analyzed using a t test for independent samples to test the null hypothesis regarding level of appreciation of the music. Significance was tested at the.05 level. No statistically significant differences were found between the treatment groups on these two measures. Subjects involved in the experimental treatment completed an additional questionnaire to provide data regarding the perceived effect of the transformational verbal imagery procedure. Results of a descriptive analysis of the data indicated that over 90% of the subjects perceived verbal imagery as easy to use and helpful in completing learning tasks. Subjects\u27 perceptions of verbal imagery suggested that its use in rehearsals helped motivate them and helped them complete learning tasks effectively and efficiently

Changing Our Tune: A Music-Based Approach to Teaching, Learning, and Resolving Conflict

The need for change within the legal profession and legal education is critical. To remain relevant and responsive to twenty-first century challenges and complexities the next generation of professionals must be creative, imaginative, and innovative thinkers. Emotional and social intelligence, the ability to collaboratively problem-solve, negotiate, and mediate complex conflict are essential skills needed for success particularly in increasingly settlement-oriented environments. Studies and reports have noted, however, that practitioners are lacking these key skills. How can these new perspectives and essential skills be taught and developed? This mixed methods research study involved five professional musicians and thirty-eight first year law school students. Data from musicians regarding effective collaborative music-making and most valued capacities for achieving optimal outcomes informed the design of a comparative teaching study that explored the effects of introducing a music-based metaphor and pedagogical approach to teaching, learning, and resolving conflict. The study provided insights into whether and how the musical ensemble metaphor might assist in shifting adversarial combative and competitive frames toward more collaborative, settlement-oriented mindsets and whether and how music-infused pedagogy might assist in developing enhanced skills and practice behaviours that lead to more desirable outcomes. Results from this initial study suggest that non-musicians in non-musical environments are able to learn from musical metaphors and concepts related to ensemble music-making and that such learning – cognitive, affective, and behavioural – translates into changed and more effective behaviour in practice. In simulated scenarios students exposed to the musical metaphor and other music-based learning appeared to outperform their colleagues not exposed to similar music-based learning. Engagement with music appears to reconnect people to their creative potential and lead them to see the efficacy of employing creative thinking in professional environments where analytical and critical thinking have generally been over-emphasized. There are indications that experiences with collaborative approaches to conflict have the potential to shift traditional norms and behaviours. This study and its results are of interest to those in the field of law, conflict resolution, those exploring arts-based teaching and learning in other professions, such as leadership and organizational behaviour, to music educators, and educators at all levels generally

Changing Our Tune: A Music-Based Approach to Teaching, Learning, and Resolving Conflict

The need for change within the legal profession and legal education is critical. To remain relevant and responsive to twenty-first century challenges and complexities the next generation of professionals must be creative, imaginative, and innovative thinkers. Emotional and social intelligence, the ability to collaboratively problem-solve, negotiate, and mediate complex conflict are essential skills needed for success particularly in increasingly settlement-oriented environments. Studies and reports have noted, however, that practitioners are lacking these key skills. How can these new perspectives and essential skills be taught and developed? This mixed methods research study involved five professional musicians and thirty-eight first year law school students. Data from musicians regarding effective collaborative music-making and most valued capacities for achieving optimal outcomes informed the design of a comparative teaching study that explored the effects of introducing a music-based metaphor and pedagogical approach to teaching, learning, and resolving conflict. The study provided insights into whether and how the musical ensemble metaphor might assist in shifting adversarial combative and competitive frames toward more collaborative, settlement-oriented mindsets and whether and how music-infused pedagogy might assist in developing enhanced skills and practice behaviours that lead to more desirable outcomes. Results from this initial study suggest that non-musicians in non-musical environments are able to learn from musical metaphors and concepts related to ensemble music-making and that such learning – cognitive, affective, and behavioural – translates into changed and more effective behaviour in practice. In simulated scenarios students exposed to the musical metaphor and other music-based learning appeared to outperform their colleagues not exposed to similar music-based learning. Engagement with music appears to reconnect people to their creative potential and lead them to see the efficacy of employing creative thinking in professional environments where analytical and critical thinking have generally been over-emphasized. There are indications that experiences with collaborative approaches to conflict have the potential to shift traditional norms and behaviours. This study and its results are of interest to those in the field of law, conflict resolution, those exploring arts-based teaching and learning in other professions, such as leadership and organizational behaviour, to music educators, and educators at all levels generally