History and Development of British Secular Song for Solo Voice and Clarinet

Even though the use of the solo clarinet in British song made large advances in the twentieth century, many clarinetists are unaware of its repertory. A study of these songs will make it easier for performers to find these scores and will encourage them to program a greater variety of these songs, many of which are significantly underserved. Furthermore, a study of this repertory will lead to greater understanding of the importance of the repertoire and the role of the clarinet in it, resulting in informative and engaging performances. Both the investigation of the history of the clarinet\u27s use in British song and the application of analysis underscore the significance of this repertoire. The connection between voice and clarinet is longstanding in British song, as is evident in the obbligatos written for the instrument for performance in outdoor concerts and popular song publications of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. British art song modeled Italian and German styles throughout the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. During this time, the clarinet was often associated with the pastoral style, either through bird imitation or through its inclusion in settings of pastoral texts. Once British national song was established in the twentieth century, the clarinet’s role became more complex and varied, although a heavy pastoral vein is still evident. The analyses of musical elements and extramusical associations within twelve twentieth-century British art songs both illuminate the clarinet’s role and point to suggestions for performance. The twelve works examined here are Arthur Bliss’s Two Nursery Rhymes, Gordan Jacob’s Three Songs, Thea Musgrave’s Four Portraits, Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Three Vocalises, Arthur Butterworth’s The Night Wind, Justin Connolly’s Poems of Wallace Stevens II, William Wordsworth’s “The Solitary Reaper,” Michael Head’s “The World is Mad,” Phyllis Tate’s Scenes from Tyneside, James MacMillan’s “The Blacksmith,” Elizabeth Maconchy’s “L’Horloge,” and Michael Finnissy’s Beuk O\u27 Newcassel Sangs. Twentieth-century composers utilized the clarinet idiomatically, exploiting the clarinet’s color and pastoral implication, timbral differences among registers, large range, and technical capabilities (including extended techniques) to depict the text and affect of art songs in unique ways, its role occasionally elevated to that of equal status with the solo voice. The clarinet also has a close relationship to the lament style, in addition to the pastoral style, which itself has complex associations. These extramusical elements and conventions determine the increased role and heightened status of the clarinet in British art song and allow performers to make informed performance decisions

Media and Tools to Enhance Teaching and Learning: Annenberg Media and College Anywhere

Annenberg Media brings over 25 years of educational experience creating high quality video for classroom, individual, and distance learning use. Our award winning Web site at www.learner.org has over 10 million visitors worldwide monthly where you can find interactive activities, on-line experiments, coordinated Web sites, and our 24/7 free VOD. Explore new courses in science, mathematics, world art, and literature. Incorporate our video into your course using College Anywhere, a fully integrated streaming service, using the latest FLASH technology to enable faculty to find and create an unlimited number of discrete content segments (bookmarks) to integrate into your course in your CMS. Welcome

Neuropsychological and psychosocial aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome

This Thesis reports a full scale study of cognition and mood in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) longitudinally during recovery. Previous studies fail to cover the scope of this study and/or fail to define adequately the syndrome for subject selection. 47 CFS patients were compared with 41 normal and 26 Crohns/colitis controls in a longitudinal study of cognitive performance and depression/anxiety scores. CFS patients performed significantly worse than controls on many of the cognitive tests at first testing. Small but significant differences between CFS and normal controls were found on memory tests (Logical Memory, Word Recognition and, more significantly, Rey Complex Figure) but Crohns/colitis patients scored similarly to CFS, suggesting that this might relate to a general problem such as attention. Much larger and more significant differences between CFS and both control groups were found on tests involving a psychornotor component (e. g. Reaction Time, Finger Tapping and Digit Symbol). CFS patients' performance improved over time (above practise) on word recognition, Stroop (colours), Reaction Time (Movement) and Digit Symbol. CFS patients were significantly more depressed/anxious than the control groups and scored higher on Middlesex Health Questionnaire (Psychiatric). Depression/anxiety did not diminish significantly by second testing. Differences on depression scores accounted for some of the differences in cognitive test performance, in particular Word Fluency and Stroop; however, significant differences remained after ANCOVA removed depression: significant differences remained on Logical Memory, Word Recognition, Digit Symbol, Finger Tapping and Reaction Time. It was concluded that CFS patients were slowed on psychornotor tasks and that this was only partly accountable by depression as suggested by depressed score. CFS patients performed slightly worse on some other tests possibly dependant upon the task demand. Digit Symbol, Reaction Time, and Finger Tapping seemed to be most sensitive to CFS. Brain damage was not necessarily indicated by the results: differences in psychornotor performance could be caused by difficulties in the transmission of instructions to the muscle or slowness in the nerves and muscles themselves. CFS patients' performance significantly improved on a number of tests over time, and did not significantly deteriorate on any test; therefore, the trend of CFS patients' test performance overall was to get better not worse over time

Non-Market Valuation of Open Space and Other Amenities Associated with Retention of Lands in Agricultural Use

The most productive farmland in southcentral Alaska is currently under intense development pressure due to rapid population increases and consequential increases in demand for suburban housing. This study utilizes a contingent valuation iterative bidding game to estimate the willingness of Matanuska-Susitna Borough residents to pay to preserve open space and other historical/environmental amenities associated with farming activities. Determinants of consumer behavior are addressed as well as total benefits and costs of various posited development scenarios. This information may be useful to policymakers assessing actions designed to purchase development rights from Matanuska-Susitna farmers

Children\u27s Ability to Utilize the Mnemonic Keyword Method: An Educational Application Within Fourth-Grade Classrooms.

Research has shown that the mnemonic keyword method is an effective study strategy under controlled laboratory-type situations with subjects learning decontextualized facts. Very few studies have actually tested the mnemonic keyword method within the context of a normal fourth grade classroom and learning situation. The purpose of this study, then, was to demonstrate the viability of the mnemonic keyword method as a study strategy when compared to notetaking/outlining, a common study strategy recommended by fourth grade curricula. The subjects were 106 fourth graders enrolled in four classes at a rural elementary school. Data were collected over a four week period which included both instructional and transfer phases. During the first week, intact classes were instructed by the researcher in either the mnemonic keyword method or notetaking/outlining during the reading period. During the second week, the researcher continued instruction in each study strategy by demonstrating how the strategy could be applied to a unit in social studies. During the third and fourth weeks, the subjects were instructed by the classroom teachers who used researcher-provided instructional scripts for social studies and science units. During this transfer phase, subjects were not encouraged to utilize any particular method, but rather were instructed to use their best study strategy to learn the information. Each unit in weeks two through four was followed by assessment measures and study strategy questionnaires. Data were analyzed using a repeated measures MANOVA on the tests administered during the instructional phase, a MANOVA on the social studies transfer, and a MANCOVA on the science transfer. Results indicated that there were no statistically significant results on any of the testing measures. However, the overall results were promising as the subjects instructed in the mnemonic keyword method performed equally as well as those instructed in notetaking/outlining on all measures. This indicates that the mnemonic keyword strategy, while not superior to notetaking/outlining, is indeed a practical study method applicable to normal classroom use

West Virginia principals\u27 knowledge and application of school law

Public school principals must be prepared to apply knowledge of school law in a variety of situations. An electronic survey examined West Virginia principals\u27 knowledge and application of school law in five areas: separation of church-state, faculty issues, special education, student issues and tort liability. The study extended previous school law survey research of Brabrand (2003), Littleton, Hiram and Styron (2001), Power (2007) and Schlosser (2006), and utilized adapted or actual survey items from those studies with additional items constructed by the researcher. The purpose of the study was to determine if a relationship existed among West Virginia principals\u27 ability to accurately answer school law questions, given application scenarios and fact-based statements, compared with seven selected independent variables: programmatic level of the school; experience as a teacher; experience as an administrator; type of credentialing program; type of school law course taken; number of school law courses taken; and reported pedagogical construct of course delivery. Open-ended questions allowed principals to list likes/dislikes of university level school law coursework, recommendations for university preparation, recommendations for professional development, and areas of school law not included in the survey. A quantitative causal comparative research design utilized nonparametric measures to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data was categorized and reported. The study identified six statistically significant differences. Principals\u27 recommendations for university credentialing programs and professional development indicated a compelling need to include coursework and ongoing professional development in knowledge and application of special education law