Two dissertation recitals and a piano pedagogy workshop were given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctoral of Musical Arts in Piano Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Michigan. The first dissertation lecture recital, "Afro-Cuban and Brazilian Dances," was presented in McIntosh Theatre on…

Few university students in Italy today possess the necessary skills to read a musical score. Consequently, alternative strategies are needed in order to visualize -- and hence to memorise -- music. This is the main reason underpinning the pilot laboratory of musical architecture, which was launched in 2019 as university workshop thanks to the…

A model for incorporating diverse musical content into the core conservatory aural skills curriculum is presented. We position the contemporary conservatory as a solid institution providing Western musicians with a sense of stability and heritage in an age of anxiety (Bauman's 'liquid modernity'). Despite these benefits, we argue that the…

This article explores how music and lyrics serve as modes of storytelling in the language classroom, integrating a multimodal approach and the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. In the 'Sing My Story' project, language students creatively write their own lyrics, which are subsequently performed by either student musicians or target…

Feedback plays an essential role in music education, helping individuals learn to consider creative works from multiple perspectives. In this article, we explore the Critical Response Process, a four-step process for engaging with artistic works in progress. Founded on the principle that both artists and responders play active roles in feedback,…

The authors examined how middle and high school students participating in a literacy-and-songwriting initiative in Detroit, Michigan, experienced moments of possibility that supported the youth in envisioning themselves as college bound. The authors explain how they drew from culturally relevant and sustaining educational approaches to design…

A composer and project leader tracks the connections between the needs of incarcerated students and a successful music-making studio program design. Central to the work, and applicable to any art form or educational setting, is the informed predicting of students' potentials and the communities transformation of the meeting place--in this case, a…

We examined pedagogical strategies for facilitating and developing songwriting skills with 17 males incarcerated at a U.S. medium security prison. We also investigated the participants' sense of self-worth, purpose, and social adjustment related to their participation in the songwriters' workshops. The songwriting sessions spanned over two…

In recent decades, the teaching and learning of composition has become an important topic for research in music education. Composition is established as one of the three main areas in the Norwegian curriculum "Laereplanverket for Kunnskapsløftet" (LK06, 2006), and the importance of creative competencies is being increasingly recognized…

Today, some of the important dilemmas of music education are that performers are too dependent on the notes in a written musical score and they are not being so able to improvise. Stage phobia, lack of motivation and problematic of perception regarding today's modern music are additional problems facing musicians. This research aims at revealing…

The myth of Orpheus is intricately implicated in the origin of song. For centuries, myth and music have cooperated in a variety of genres, foremost among them in opera. The myth, open to reinterpretation across linguistic, national, and temporal boundaries, served as a starting point for an extracurricular opera project in the metropolitan region…

In the past few decades, the steel band art form has experienced consistent growth and development in several key respects. For example, in the United States, the sheer number of steel band programs has steadily increased, and it appears that this trend will continue in the future. Additionally, pan builders and tuners have made great strides in…

Ian Tamblyn's workshop on song writing emphasized that song writing takes time and work and that one should enjoy the process, whether or not anyone else will ever hear the song. Guidelines cover choosing a song topic, developing a story within the song, conveying a distinct perspective, and using song writing in outdoor and experiential…

A program to develop the talents of music educators is described. (CK)

A report on MUSICOMP 76, "an intensive workshop designed to introduce music historians, theorists, and analysts to computer techniques relevant to their research," is presented. (Author/RW)