Artist Alien Ghost Juggler: Performance of “Troilus and Cressida” as Graduate Thesis

Through an analysis of my adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Troilus and Cressida”, I will deconstruct the artist’s studio within an institution as a paradoxical heterotopic space

Expressivity and Musical Shape in Turntablism: Response to Greasley and Prior

This commentary to Greasley and Prior’s paper “Mixtapes and turntablism: DJs’ perspective on musical shape” extends the findings of the study by looking at the turntablism perspective. First, a general discussion on the study’s method and background is given. Then, the role of turntables as musical instruments in creating musical shape is outlined. Finally, some relationships between turntablism techniques, expressive performances and musical shape are presented. In general, the findings in the study support previously published studies in this insufficiently researched area

Mixtapes and Turntablism: DJs’ Perspectives on Musical Shape

The notion of musical shape is widely used by performing musicians, but most studies have focussed on classical performing contexts. This paper extends this research to DJs performing on turntables, chosen in light of existing evidence from a questionnaire study suggesting that shape may be a useful concept for some DJs. This paper presents an interview study investigating the use and understanding of musical shaping by three professional DJs with varied backgrounds. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings suggest that DJs do use the notion of shape implicitly when planning and executing their sets, and that playing sets without any shaping involves playing the music badly. DJs reported using the idea of shaping to modify a track while it was playing; to help control the transition between tracks; and in relation to the overall trajectory of a set. There was evidence that participants understood musical shaping multi-modally, through gesture and visual representation as well as sound; and results show ways in which DJs draw on heuristics to signify complex combinations of technical devices that create a particular musical shape or sound. The findings are considered in relation to existing work on performers’ use of musical shape as well as work on the practice of DJs

Confucius and the Effortless Life of Virtue

Natural talent and diligent practice regularly lead to effortless virtuosity in many fields, such as music and athletics. Can the same be true of morality? Confucius’s wonderfully terse autobiography in the Analects suggests that, given the right starting materials and an appropriate curriculum of study, a program of moral self-cultivation can indeed lead to effortless moral virtuosity. But can we make sense of this claim from a contemporary perspective? This paper evaluates the plausibility of the moral ideal in the Analects using resources from contemporary moral psychology

The turntable as a musical instrument and the emergence of the concert turntablist

The turntable played a significant role in the evolution of 20th century Western music, both as a recording/playback device, and as a musical instrument in its own right. The focus of this thesis is my original compositions that feature the turntable and the history of the turntable as a musical instrument. The 20th century delivered significant progress in turntable technology, but produced limited innovation for the turntable in new music composition. Except for a few outliers, the same techniques for the turntable have been recycled among experimental composers, sound artists and pop music producers since the 1930’s. This thesis embraces those techniques from the past, and moves forward to explore new potential for the turntable. My original folio of work featuring the turntable is informed by my research into: (1) conceptual barriers to understanding the turntable as an instrument (2) turntable notation (3) amplification options (4) public opinion of the turntable in the concert hall (5) original turntable techniques as well as my adaptation of existing techniques (6) composers who embraced the turntable-as-instrument

The turntable as a musical instrument and the emergence of the concert turntablist

The turntable played a significant role in the evolution of 20th century Western music, both as a recording/playback device, and as a musical instrument in its own right. The focus of this thesis is my original compositions that feature the turntable and the history of the turntable as a musical instrument. The 20th century delivered significant progress in turntable technology, but produced limited innovation for the turntable in new music composition. Except for a few outliers, the same techniques for the turntable have been recycled among experimental composers, sound artists and pop music producers since the 1930’s. This thesis embraces those techniques from the past, and moves forward to explore new potential for the turntable. My original folio of work featuring the turntable is informed by my research into: (1) conceptual barriers to understanding the turntable as an instrument (2) turntable notation (3) amplification options (4) public opinion of the turntable in the concert hall (5) original turntable techniques as well as my adaptation of existing techniques (6) composers who embraced the turntable-as-instrument

Creating a Theatre Curriculum for Diverse Upper Elementary Students

This project was created to answer the question how can a theatre curriculum be created for diverse upper elementary students? The paper follows one teacher’s personal journey toward confronting systemic racism and bias in elementary schools today. Through a new world view, the author addresses the physical and cognitive makeup of the upper elementary student and dissects factors that prevent students of color from academic achievement in drama classes and beyond, such as race, income, immigrant status, trauma, and resistant learners. The author then details how a culturally responsive theatre curriculum will help students of color develop their cultural identities in a positive and rewarding way, using identity as a baseline for each lesson and unit throughout the curriculum. This curriculum serves as a template to create culturally responsive theatre curricula for all grades K-8

Listening to Movement: The Use of Dance Movement Therapy in Groups to Reduce Anxiety in Males Struggling with Addiction

A study with the use of dance movement therapy as a counseling approach in a chemical dependency setting was presented. The objective of the study was to find out if the use of dance movement therapy in male chemical dependency groups reduces overall anxiety. The literature review describes dance movement therapy, aspects of chemical dependency and addiction, dance movement therapy used with specific populations, chemical addiction with creative art therapies, the process of recovery (stages of change), fundamentals of group work, anxiety, and movement therapy techniques used in chemical dependency groups. Methods of the study were presented with the use of four movement therapy interventions. The instrument and participants were also described. The results were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively through pre and post test results and observations. The discussion presents areas for additional research and implications for future research

Getting out of Balance:An Encounter Between Architecture and Circus

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The effects of three singer gestures on acoustic and perceptual measures of singing in solo and choral contexts

The purpose of this two-part investigation was to assess the potential effects of three singer gestures (low, circular arm gesture; arched hand gesture; and pointing gesture) on performances of choral singers (N = 31; Experiment 1) and solo singers (N = 35; Experiment 2). Participants sang the melody of three familiar songs from memory on the neutral syllable "m/i/." Songs were chosen for similarities of range, tessitura, and ascending intervallic leaps. Each song was sung seven times: Baseline (without singer gesture), five iterations of each song paired with a singer gesture, and a posttest (without singer gesture). Experiment 1 measured acoustic (long-term average spectra) and perceptual (pitch analysis, expert panel ratings, and participant perceptual questionnaire) differences in choral sound across conditions. Results indicated a significant increase in mean signal amplitude in sung gestural iterations with the low, circular gesture and pointing gesture. Intonation differences were significant between baseline and the low, circular gesture, baseline and posttest for the pointing gesture, and between the arched hand gesture and posttest. Expert panel ratings were highest during gestural conditions across song selections, and the majority of participants gave positive comments regarding use of gesture during choral singing. Experiment 2 measured acoustic (Fo, amplitude, formant frequency) and perceptual (expert panel ratings and participant perceptual questionnaire) differences of solo singers. Major findings indicated acoustic changes in intonation, timbre, and relative amplitude. Solo singers were more in tune when singing with gestures. Both the low, circular and arched hand gestures changed singer timbre indicated by lowered formant frequencies for the majority of participants. When performing with the low, circular and the pointing gestures, singers sang with increased amplitude, whereas, the arched hand gesture led to decreased amplitude. Expert ratings were highest for the posttest of low circular gestures and arched hand gestures, and the gestural iterations of pointing. The majority of participant comments related to intonation and timbre when using gestures. Video recording analyses from both performance contexts indicated participants mastered the gestures within the first three iterations. Results were discussed in terms of singing pedagogy, limitations of the study, and suggestions for further research