Critical thinking and creativity in an eighth-grade music classroom: A comprehensive composition

Master of MusicDepartment of Music, Theatre, and DancePhillip PayneIn my experience, the creative aspect of music has been ignored too often in public school music programs. The multi-part lesson I have designed will incorporate as many aspects of the music process as possible, especially creativity. It can be used with virtually any age, skill level, or primary instrument, depending on need. My focus here is with 8th grade students who have a basic foundation of musical skills. Students will use all their prior musical skills and knowledge to compose a complete melody. They will notate their melody using a music notation program they have easy access to, such as Noteflight, MuseScore, or Quaver. The teacher will have provided prior training on how to use the basic functions of the chosen program. Students will work at their own pace and produce a high-quality product. At this point, some brief training about harmony and accompaniment will be provided by the teacher. Then, a key specific “cheat sheet” that contains common chords, common chord progressions, and simple, repeatable accompaniment patterns will be provided for students to use if they please. Students will write an accompaniment to go with their melody. This accompaniment can be as simple as root position chords placed in sensible locations, or as complex as the student’s ability will allow. The goal is creativity and quality work. The composer will sing or play their melody for the class using any instrument he or she is comfortable with, while the computer plays the student created accompaniment. If nerves are too much of an issue, the computer can play both the melody and accompaniment for the student. The composer will then talk the class through his or her creative process as well as any history behind the song. At this point, other students will have the opportunity to discuss what they noticed and appreciated about the piece. If the composer wishes, the class can provide constructive comments that could make the piece stronger. Composers will then have the opportunity to revise, make additions, alterations, or orchestrate the piece, with the possibility of a school ensemble performing it for an audience. Alternatively, the composer could choose to simply move on to a completely new project. Throughout the entire process, the teacher, the internet, books and other resources will be available for student composers to use at their convenience. At this point in my journey through a master’s degree, I have noticed several career changing developments in my approach to teaching music. The most surprising and valuable of which is that I have gained a better understanding of what I believe about music education, its place in public schools, and why it is important. The direction of music education is changing, at least in part, to become more student-centered; with individual interest, knowledge, skill, and context growing in importance. I, as a music educator, must continue to learn, adapt, and change over time to make music education relevant and meaningful to ALL students. I have noticed other powerful and complex skills have developed, as well. I have grown in my ability to learn on my own; gather, organize, and present information on a given topic, in a variety of ways. I can effectively find, understand, and use research in my quest to learn and grow. The complex skill of classroom management is something I have been intently focusing on since my research class, in the summer of 2019. I have been observing, reading, writing, contemplating, and practicing this skill. Other salient skills that have expanded include choosing appropriate music, score study and preparation, and the skill and confidence to arrange music for any purpose I may encounter as a music educator

Aggression form and function subtypes and social goal preferences in fifth-grade children

Includes bibliographical references (pages [104]-114]).Childhood aggression is associated with maladaptive social information processing in general and maladaptive social goals in particular. Specifying aggression in terms of its form (i.e., overt, relational) and function (i.e., proactive, reactive) simultaneously may clarify existing research on aggression and social goals. The present study investigated the associations between aggression forms and functions (i.e., overt, relational, proactive, and reactive; peer-nomination measure) and select social goals (i.e., affiliation, avoidance, dominance, and revenge; self-report measure using hypothetical provocation vignettes) in 156 fifth-grade students while attempting to measure aggression forms and functions simultaneously and in a nonconfounded manner (e.g., indications of aggression form were omitted from aggression function items). Overt and proactive aggression were hypothesized to be associated with dominance goals while relational and reactive aggression were hypothesized to be associated with revenge goals. Associations were hypothesized to remain significant in hierarchical regression after entering gender and the alternate form or function of aggression in earlier steps. Hypotheses about select form-fimction interaction terms were also made (i.e., overt-proactive and dominance, relational-reactive and revenge). Hypotheses generally failed to be supported or could not be evaluated. While relational and reactive aggression were each positively associated with revenge goals, dominance was not associated with aggression. Also, both relational and reactive aggression failed to contribute significantly to the overall model in hierarchical regression when added at the final step. In contrast, aggression subtypes entered at the second step generally contributed significantly. Hypotheses regarding form-fimction interactions could not be evaluated. In contrast to the self-report measure of social goal preferences, the peernominated measure of aggression failed to differentiate anticipated factor structure (i.e., overt, relational, proactive, reactive) when all aggression items were evaluated simultaneously in principal components analysis. In contrast, a two-factor solution was generally supported (i.e., general, relational). Consistent with prior research, however, when only aggression form or function items were evaluated, but not both, principal components analyses generally supported anticipated factor structures (i.e., overt versus relational, proactive versus reactive). The present results challenge the broad form/ function distinction of childhood aggression. Study limitations and directions for future research were discussed.Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy

Equivariant volumes of non-compact quotients and instanton counting

Motivated by Nekrasov's instanton counting, we discuss a method for calculating equivariant volumes of non-compact quotients in symplectic and hyper-K\"ahler geometry by means of the Jeffrey-Kirwan residue-formula of non-abelian localization. In order to overcome the non-compactness, we use varying symplectic cuts to reduce the problem to a compact setting, and study what happens in the limit that recovers the original problem. We implement this method for the ADHM construction of the moduli spaces of framed Yang-Mills instantons on $\R^{4}$ and rederive the formulas for the equivariant volumes obtained earlier by Nekrasov-Shadchin, expressing these volumes as iterated residues of a single rational function.Comment: 34 pages, 2 figures; minor typos corrected, to appear in Comm. Math. Phy

Comparison of the link budget with experimental performance of a WiMAX system

The performance of different modulation schemes of a broadband fixed wireless 802.16 (WiMAX) system in a sector is experimentally determined and compared to link budget calculations using different path loss models. A link budget based on path loss measurements of the actual WiMAX signal at 3.5GHz for a typical residential scenario in a suburban environment is determined. The link budget calculations show a reasonable agreement with actual performance measurements with certified WiMAX modems. Carefulness is advised when these models are used for the actual deployment of aWiMAX network in a specific area

Ordered Assembly of the Adhesive and Electrochemical Connections within Newly Formed Intercalated Disks in Primary Cultures of Adult Rat Cardiomyocytes

The intercalated disk (ID) is a complex structure that electromechanically couples adjoining cardiac myocytes into a functional syncitium. The integrity of the disk is essential for normal cardiac function, but how the diverse elements are assembled into a fully integrated structure is not well understood. In this study, we examined the assembly of new IDs in primary cultures of adult rat cardiac myocytes. From 2 to 5 days after dissociation, the cells flatten and spread, establishing new cell-cell contacts in a manner that recapitulates the in vivo processes that occur during heart development and myocardial remodeling. As cells make contact with their neighbors, transmembrane adhesion proteins localize along the line of apposition, concentrating at the sites of membrane attachment of the terminal sarcomeres. Cx43 gap junctions and ankyrin-G, an essential cytoskeletal component of voltage gated sodium channel complexes, were secondarily recruited to membrane domains involved in cell-cell contacts. The consistent order of the assembly process suggests that there are specific scaffolding requirements for integration of the mechanical and electrochemical elements of the disk. Defining the relationships that are the foundation of disk assembly has important implications for understanding the mechanical dysfunction and cardiac arrhythmias that accompany alterations of ID architecture

Measurements and evaluation of the network performance of a fixed WiMAX system in a suburban environment

Fixed WiMAX can be a solution for delivering broadband wireless access, because of its low deployment costs and its offered bandwidth. But it is of great importance that this technology can offer the same network performance as its competitors. We therefore propose in this paper the results of extensive measurements of the network performance (i.e., throughput, latency, and jitter) of an 802.16-based system during a field trial, and investigate the influence of different base station and WiMAX modem heights. We also analyze the correlation of these network performance characteristics with distance and carrier-to-interference-noise ratio (CINR). It is shown that the latter can be used for developing reliable and accurate semi-empirical models of these network performance characteristics. These models can then be used to estimate throughput, latency, and jitter by means of CINR measurements

Polyimide based amorphous silicon solar modules

Requirements for space power are increasingly emphasizing lower costs and higher specific powers. This results from new fiscal constraints, higher power requirements for larger applications, and the evolution toward longer distance missions such as a Lunar or Mars base. The polyimide based a-Si modules described are being developed to meet these needs. The modules consist of tandem a-Si solar cell material deposited directly on a roll of polyimide. A laser scribing/printing process subdivides the deposition into discrete cell strips which are series connected to produce the required voltage without cutting the polymer backing. The result is a large, monolithic, blanket type module approximately 30 cm wide and variable in length depending on demand. Current production modules have a specific power slightly over 500 W/Kg with room for significant improvement. Costs for the full blanket modules range from $30/Watt to$150/Watt depending on quantity and engineering requirements. Work to date focused on the modules themselves and adjusting them for the AMO spectrum. Work is needed yet to insure that the modules are suitable for the space environment