Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2007, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

Parents of young musicians have a major effect on their children in regard to their chosen musical path. In order for some of these musicians to succeed, they have to be forced to improve their talents. Parents even turn into “stage mothers and fathers” so their child can be successful. Research and even reality television has explored parental effect on young athletes and academics but little research has been completed with regard to young musicians. For this project, approximately 200 youth orchestra and college musicians were surveyed. For the youth orchestra sector, the members of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and Baldwin-Wallace Senior Youth Orchestra were chosen. In the college sector, Baldwin-Wallace College Symphony Orchestra and the University of Akron Symphony Orchestra were selected. The surveys consisted of 24 questions for the youth orchestra members and 20 questions for the college musicians. The questions address such issues as seating and financial support.

Committee: Durand Pope (Advisor) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2003, Music

Orchestral musician and teacher Clement Barone (1921-), played piccolo in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Symphony Orchestra for over forty years. A native of Philadelphia, Barone plays an open g-sharp system, which he learned from his first teacher, his flutist-father Clemente Barone. Subsequent teachers included Joseph La Monaca, Frank Versaci, Fernando Morrone, and the eminent William Kincaid, who recommended Barone for his first major orchestral position: piccolo and assistant first flute in the Houston Symphony Orchestra. While playing in Houston, Barone secured and refined his piccolo technique performing for conductors Efrem Kurtz, Sir Thomas Beecham, and Leopold Stokowski. In 1959 Barone moved to Detroit to play piccolo in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under principal conductor Paul Paray. During his thirty-two year career in Detroit, Barone collaborated with fellow flutists Albert Tipton, Irvin Gilman, and later members, Ervin Monroe, Shaul Ben-Meir, and Robert Patrick. In addition to presenting a chronological study of Barone's professional activities, this document also discusses selected aspects of Barone's flute and piccolo pedagogy, formed from his premise that the flute “should imitate the human singing voice in style and quality of lyricism.” Additional chapters include an account of lessons with William Kincaid, a discussion of Barone's publication, Learning the Piccolo: A Treatise on the Subtleties and Problems of Playing the Piccolo in Relation to the Flute (1975), and Barone's perception of changes in orchestral procedures as they impact the professional orchestral musician.

Committee: Katherine Borst Jones (Advisor) Subjects: Music

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Music Composition

"Seeing a Tree for the Forest" is a composition for flute/piccolo, oboe/English horn, clarinet/bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, harp, percussion, and strings (2 2 2 2 1). It is approximately eight minutes in duration and is cast in a single movement. The title, a reversal of the well-known adage, signifies this composition's focus on the shifting relationship between a complex whole and its parts. In "Seeing a Tree for the Forest," I create shifting colors and textures by interweaving melodies in narrow registral spaces. I draw upon the image of a mass of thickly grown branches with fluttering leaves, shifting perspective gradually toward and then away from the individual branches. The dramatic arc features rapid transitions from clear, stark verticalities to chaotic, kaleidoscopic melody-clusters and gradual interpolation between melody-clusters and solo melody. The pitches in this work are controlled by fixing select notes in specific registers across the range of the ensemble (sometimes called pitch-fields). I utilize pitch-fields with different material in each octave in order to create modal scales with individual coloristic capabilities in each registral area. These registrally fixed modal scales combine to create unique harmonic and contrapuntal interactions. Five main sections comprise "Seeing a Tree for the Forest," making an arch-shaped formal structure. The third and central section presents a complete loss of the individual line in a mass of shifting string timbres, contrasted on either side by the more transparent second and fourth sections which feature solos and duos. The second section has a lyrical, yearning quality while the fourth section is energetic and jovial with moments of intense orchestral interjections. The first and last sections rely most heavily on dense melody-clusters. While both sections feature related intervallic content, the beginning avoids clear tonal structures whereas the ending section clearly artic (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mikel Kuehn Dr. (Advisor); Elainie Lillios Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Music

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Music Composition

The Location of Lines is a nine-minute work for orchestra theoretically and structurally based the piece on the wall murals of Sol LeWitt. The piece follows the standard orchestral arrangement, with three each: flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, and trombones; four horns; one tuba; three percussion parts playing various instruments each; harp; piano; timpani; and strings in divisi throughout. Using LeWitt's work as inspiration, The Location of Lines explores ideas of perception, structure, and texture from a sonic perspective with musical elements, such as harmony, rhythm, and melody abstractly sonifying LeWitt's technique. Taking LeWitt's 1995 Wall Drawing 797 as an example, The Location of Lines was written with a single initial melodic line that fluctuates across the mid-treble register on a horizontal plane (through time), yet is vertically (or harmonically) self-referencing. Background material in the piece supports the initial line by sustaining pitches for greater durations in various octaves, thereby further blurring harmonic movement of the material in the foreground, expanding the frequency content, establishing invariance relationships, and creating a rather seamless kaleidoscopic shifting of color. Further, this line, as well as the accompaniment, is exchanged and redistributed throughout the ensemble.

Committee: Elainie Lillios Dr. (Advisor); Mikel Kuehn Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2021, Music

Eugene Bozza completed the score to Children's Overture in 1964 for a commission by Robert Boudreau and the American Wind Symphony Orchestra (AWSO). The piece was designed for and performed on the ensemble's series of children's concerts. Per the commission request, Bozza based the work upon several French children's songs but also cleverly hinted at other large ensemble music which programmatically referenced children. Since then, the work has received countless performances across the world by both professional and academic wind bands. Children's Overture is one of more than 450 works found in the catalogue of the American Wind Symphony Commissioning Project. Launched by AWSO conductor Robert Boudreau, this commissioning venture sought-out new writing styles from international composers and is postulated to be the most expansive project by one individual. Both the manuscript score and parts to Children's Overture are plagued with errata that create confusion in rehearsal and performance. In partnership with representatives from Edition Peters and Robert Boudreau, the author has created a new, critical edition of the work. In scrutinizing the score, parts, and related materials, the author additionally offers an analysis of the piece, identifies the thematic material Bozza quotes, and indexes the 717 errata discovered in its current edition. The intent of this project is to both revitalize one of the most important and oft-performed works in the American Wind Symphony Commissioning Project catalogue and provide relevant supporting information.

Committee: Russel Mikkelson (Advisor); Graeme Boone (Committee Member); Scott Jones (Committee Member); Robert Ward (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Music Composition

Impetus is a six-minute single movement piece for orchestra consisting of 3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets in Bb, bass clarinet in Bb, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, 3 percussion, harp, piano, and strings. The title is in reference to the interjections that take place throughout the piece, which may cause the preceding material to drastically change, or at times not change at all. The piece is in three large, contrasting sections, each connected by two different types of transitions. The first section involves a quiet, dense, slow moving texture using quarter-tones. This density is interrupted—but not affected—by loud, abrupt interjections from the entire orchestra. The second section is a loose reflection of the first; however, the loud, abrupt interjections do change the preceding material. This section is fragmentary and episodic, alternating between the orchestral interruptions and material differing completely in instrumentation, timbre, dynamics, and character. The third and final section begins with slow, quiet swells transferred throughout the orchestra. It also features sound-based techniques that have not been used at any other point in the piece: air sounds, scratching/rubbing parts of the instruments, and key clicks. Through the use of these techniques, references to the first section will take place; however, these references are blurred and ultimately unrecognizable.

Committee: Marilyn Shrude Dr. (Advisor); Christopher Dietz Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music; Music Education

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2017, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

Research has long supported the benefits of the arts, specifically to students in grades K-12. Although arts programs have been decreasing over the last decade, nonprofit organizations have created strong programs that enrich students in the arts and create opportunities for collaborations with the community. The Weill Institute of Music at Carnegie Hall developed the Link Up music education outreach program to provide a beneficial means of music education in collaboration with partner host organizations and schools and has proven to be highly effective.

Committee: Elisa Gargarella (Advisor); Ramona Ortega-Liston (Committee Member); Jonathan Willis (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management; Music; Music Education

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2016, College-Conservatory of Music: Composition

To answer the question “who am I as a composer?” I felt a strong desire to compose a serious work. Throughout my time in academia, and especially during my master's degree, I became convinced that the only music that could be considered serious or interesting was music that was modern in nature. Meaning that it used dissonance language, extended techniques, and dynamics as the primary structures for interest. Therefore, something that didn't meet that criterion wasn't bad music; rather it just wasn't serious music. CCM challenged me to break through these notions, and since then I've been at a crossroads: Do I want my music to focus on timbre, rhythm, and dynamic exploration, or do I want to pursue music that is based on harmony, melody, and pulse? I suspect that the answer is somewhere in between. Chamber Symphony is an attempt of writing a serious piece that bridges both those gaps. More broadly, Chamber Symphony comments on the way people disengage or lose focus on something only after a short time. For example, film directors typically edit their movies to change a certain shot every five to ten seconds. Similarly, my work is composed using several short ideas (usually lasting around a minute or less) that piece together a narrative.

Committee: Mike Fiday Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Mara Helmuth D.M.A. (Committee Member); Douglas Knehans D.M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Master of Music (MM), Ohio University, 2015, Music Composition (Fine Arts)

From the time of its conception in Spring 2013, until its final manifestation in Spring 2015, Persepolis Symphony has developed from a short melodic motive into a large-scale composition for full orchestra. The piece embodies a majestic sensibility that may be perceived as apt for an ancient royal court. The title pays tribute to one of the grandest palaces of Ancient Persia, Persepolis. Accordingly, the work derives its musical inspiration from Persian folk and traditional music, featuring melodic and rhythmic elements from the musical tradition of Iran. The piece is written in the Persian melodic mode of Shoor, which uses an aggregate set of pitches similar to that of the Western natural minor scale, but utilizes a 2nd scale degree lowered by a quarter-tone. The work also features a pervasive rhythmic cycle salient in Persian folk music. Persepolis Symphony commences with the main theme presented in a light orchestration and gradually develops into a fuller texture as the thematic material progresses.

Committee: Mark Phillips (Advisor); Richard Wetzel (Committee Member); Garrett Field (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Cultural Anthropology; Ethnic Studies; Music

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, Arts Policy and Administration

In the face of declining attendance rates and aging subscriber bases, American symphony orchestras have begun to seek out new ways to market classical music to a younger demographic. This target group includes the Millennial generation, which has displayed a widespread disinterest in classical music alongside a higher level of comfort with (and reliance on) technology than any previous generation. In response, many performing ensembles are experimenting with augmenting their concerts with technology such as social media interaction, projections and smartphone applications. It is important to note that although many new and interesting digital genres are made possible by the advancements of technology, this thesis focuses on classical music as performed by acoustically traditional symphonic instruments. This study explores the current phenomenon of implementing technology in the concert hall as an audience development tool using case studies of the Philadelphia Orchestra, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, and Elevate Ensemble. The data suggests that these performing ensembles are including technology in three main areas of their audience development strategy: targeting specific niche demographics, programming new and community-based repertoire, and increasing social engagement. These themes point to the conclusion that the injection of technology alone into the concert experience is not enough to make classical music concerts appealing to the next generation. Orchestra administrators must be willing to mindfully consider each part of the traditional concert structure as an opportunity to modernize, while still keeping the celebration of quality classical music central to their mission.

Committee: Wayne Lawson PhD (Advisor); Shoshanah Goldberg-Miller PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Arts Management; Music

Master of Music, Youngstown State University, 2009, Dana School of Music

Part One, "The Seven Days of Creation For Narrator and String Orchestra" depicts the seven days of creation as portrayed in the Bible. The narrator will first read the depiction of that particular day, followed by the referant musical movement, which will enhance the bible passage. The seven-movement piece uses a wide variety of compositional techniques including modes, whole tone scales and other artificial scales.Part Two examines Movement 4 of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. The hope in analyzing this movement is to discover if Shostakovich could be a progressive 20th. century composer while being closely scrutinized by the Communist Party. A brief discussion of some historic background is followed by a parametric analysis consisting of a study of form, harmonic and tonal outline, climaxes, rhythmic structure, timbre, and textural structure. The thesis shows that Shostakovich was able to be creative despite the very adverse conditions of Communist Party control. Through the examination of this movement, we find that Shostakovich can be a source of inspiration to musicians and non-musicians alike who are faced with adversity.

Committee: Robert Rollin PhD (Advisor); Stephen Gage PhD (Committee Member); Jee-Weon Cha PhD (Committee Member); William Slocum Prof. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2009, Music

Grover Schiltz, a prominent oboist and English hornist, was a member of theChicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) from 1959-2005. This document details his musical training and career with special emphasis on his tenure with the Chicago Symphony. Included is a survey of prominent English horn symphonic repertoire performed and recorded by Schiltz with the CSO. The survey lists the date, conductor, location, and frequency each composition was recorded or performed. The names of soloists, record labels, catalog numbers and special notes about the concerts/recordings are listed when applicable. This document also provides an historical overview on how the job of the orchestra musician and the audition process has transformed throughout the years. This includes details from Schiltz's own experiences along with research regarding the formation of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) and orchestra players' committees. In addition, Schiltz's views about life as an orchestral musician are discussed. Among the topics are, soloing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, playing chamber music, performing, practicing, and teaching, as well as a conversation on what equipment he uses and his life outside of the orchestra. Of special interest are comments regarding Schiltz as a teacher and mentor from eight professional musicians who studied with him at crucial points in their careers.

Committee: Robert Sorton (Advisor); Russel Mikkelson (Committee Member); Gregory Proctor (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2005, Music

Conductor, performer, and educator Dr. Donald E. McGinnis (b. 1917), directed The Ohio State University Concert Band from 1952 to 1979, played principal clarinet and flute in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and was recognized as a distinguished educator by numerous musical organizations. A native of Barberton, Ohio, McGinnis graduated from Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he studied clarinet with George Waln. He received a Masters of Arts and PhD from the University of Iowa, studying clarinet with Himie Voxman. Flute studies included lessons with Robert Cavally and Maurice Sharp. McGinnis began his career at The Ohio State University in 1941 as Assistant Director of the Concert Band under Manley Whitcomb. He was appointed conductor of the Concert Band in 1952 and developed the program into one of the most recognized bands in the country. He gained prominence as a conductor and was elected to The American Bandmasters Association in 1956. McGinnis served as President in 1978, and was granted Honorary Life Membership in 1999. An accomplished clarinetist and flutist, McGinnis developed a reputation as a woodwind authority, and was a clinician and recording artist for the Selmer Company for thirty years. Considerable research for this document was obtained through oral interviews with McGinnis. Thirty-five colleagues and students of McGinnis contributed to this document through personal interviews and questionnaires. Other research materials were available through McGinnis' personal collection of concert programs and artifacts, The Ohio State University Archives, The Oberlin Archives, The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and The Ohio State University School of Music. In addition to a complete chronological study of McGinnis' professional activities, pedagogy and philosophies, this document presents an extensive repertoire list from The Ohio State University Concert Band, recording lists, instrumentation information, and pedagogical materials used in clinics and in the cl (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Katherine Jones (Advisor) Subjects: Music

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2005, Music Composition

Transit: Flux is a nine-minute composition for symphony orchestra, whose title refers to motion and the idea of passing sound from right to left and front to back. The perception of sonic motion is created through and around the orchestra by using numerous instruments to play large gestures, dovetailing the instruments to create a single coherent event. To achieve this effect, some of the orchestra members were relocated. The brass section was evenly split and paired with a set of timpani on the left and right sides of the stage behind the string section. The contrabasses were placed upstage of the percussion. Transit: Flux is cast in a single movement and consists of four interior sections. It begins with a declamatory brass introduction that establishes the main idea of movement and panning. A melodic section devoted to the woodwinds with light string accompaniment follows the introduction. The third and largest section is sparked by the low brass playing doppler effect gestures from right to left and vice versa, creating the perception of a spinning wheel. The gestures gradually quicken until the “spinning” is nothing but a high-pitched hum or whirling sound in the strings, singing tube, and vibraphone. The final section of the piece begins when the high-pitched hum eventually snaps, sending down a cascade of chaotic rhythmic pandemonium. This gives rise to passages of controlled aleatory with an individual cell's pitch content derived from the melodic material of the second section. The piece ends as the texture slowly dissipates away to nothing. The harmonic and melodic material was derived from intuitively designed twelve-tone sets, each containing different groups of intervals and levels of dissonance. These sets were inspired by Witold Lutoslawski's use of pitch in pieces such as Jeux Venitiens and Livre. Karlheinz Stockhausen's Gruppen, Jacob Druckman's Windows, and Gyorgy Ligeti's Lontano were also influential in the composition of this piece.

Committee: Marilyn Shrude (Advisor) Subjects: Music

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2008, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

The proliferation of symphony orchestras has enriched American cultural life. However, as the environment has changed over the past decades, symphony orchestras have encountered new challenges and opportunities in developing audiences. To survive, symphony orchestras must identify challenges and adapt their programming and marketing to maintain audiences and to develop new audiences. This thesis discusses the special challenges in developing audiences in the twenty-first century, and proposes the development of young professional audiences as one possible solution.

Committee: Neil Sapienza (Advisor) Subjects: