Instrumental Music and Reading Achievement of First Graders

Prior research studies point to a correlational relationship between music instruction and academic achievement studies, but varying results and confounding factors prevent causality. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to test Vygotsky\u27s sociocultural cognitive theory that playing a musical instrument is significantly associated with academic achievement in reading for 1st graders who attend 1 of 2 schools in Alaska. Using Analysis of Covariance, this study investigates the relationship between instrumental music and academic achievement on measures of academic progress (MAP) reading scores of 1st graders (n = 76) who received at least 90 minutes per week of string instruction for 2 consecutive years at a Title I school in comparison with those who attended another Title I school without the string program. Although the results of this study did not show a relationship between instrumental music and academic achievement on MAP reading scores of 1st graders, this study has implications for positive social change. This study contributes to this new field of music for social change and underscores the need from public school administrators and music educators for more research at the local and national level on the benefits of music education as a contributor to academic achievement and student success

How far can stochastic and deterministic views be reconciled?

In this short note, we try to provide the reader with a brief pedagogical account of some similarities and differences between stochastic and deterministic processes. A short presentation of some basic notions related to the mathematical description of stochastic processes is also given. Our main aim is to illustrate the somehow surprising fact that the gap between the behaviour of stochastic and deterministic processes might, from a practical perspective, be much smaller than a priori expected.Comment: 8 pages, pedagogical note, proceedings of the conference "Chance at the Heart of the Cell" (Lyon, November 2011), to appear in Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biolog

Senior Recital: Sarah Heagy, piano

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Senior Recital: Sarah Heagy, piano.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1863/thumbnail.jp

The Reduction Of Concentration Values In A Contaminant Cloud In Environmental Flows

This thesis considers the spread of contaminant after the release of a cloud of toxic gas into the atmosphere. A new measure, the Expected Mass Fraction (EMF), presents an improvement over the mean dosage as an indicator of the risk associated with the cloud release. The study shows that the variability of estimates of the EMF should be comparable to that of the dosage, so that reliable evaluation should be possible in many situations. The theory is based on the Chatwin-Sullivan {dollar}\alpha{dollar}-{dollar}\beta{dollar} formulation, which relates the mean concentration to the moments of the probability density function of the concentration. The proposed new measure is validated with data from a wind tunnel study performed at the Warren Spring Laboratory in Great Britain. The thesis concludes with an extension of the theory to incorporate G. K. Batchelor\u27s analysis of the rate of growth of a cloud released at the earth\u27s surface into the atmospheric boundary layer. These results should have application in the analysis of risk from accidental release of toxic gases into the atmosphere. By extending the information available to include predictions of concentrations of contaminant, the analysis can assist in analyzing other problems such as flammability. The same methodology should also find application in dissipation problems in other turbulent flows, such as lakes, rivers or oceans

Junior Recital: Alex Hansell, horn

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music in Performance. Mr. Hansell is a horn student of Tom Witte.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1640/thumbnail.jp