Baroque music is an area largely neglected in the music education of young horn students and wind players in general. Baroque horn repertoire is very demanding primarily due to the range. Baroque composers wrote for horn using the uppermost register of the instrument. In this range the partials are closer together, allowing for more melodic writing. This music requires an advanced level of technique, endurance, and ability. Often this repertoire is not suitable for students until they are well into their collegiate years of study. Frequently this music is performed on descant horns. Since only a small number of middle school and high school horn students continue to play after they leave their school band programs, they many never get first hand experience performing Baroque music. Vocal students are often introduced to Baroque arias early in their training. Purcell’s songs and arias are an excellent example of the literature that young voice students use. These arias and songs can be the perfect portal to Baroque music for horn students as well. Here I have created an edition of Henry Purcell’s songs and arias for young horn students. Each aria used the text as a guide for the “affect” and its …

Penderecki made a tremendous variety of contributions to the cello repertoire. His profound respect for tradition and for his past is deeply appreciated by both performers and audiences. In each individual composition, he explored the cello’s sonorous possibilities and created a new technical and musical palette for the instrument. He worked with legendary, world-renowned cellists who not only gave the premieres of his works but also established deep friendships with him. The Divertimento/Suite for Cello Solo (1994-2013), a compilation of miniature movements, each with its sophisticated structure, demonstrates Penderecki’s three compositional style periods. Baroque and Romantic elements in each movement are achieved within their style characteristics. Penderecki’s Divertimento/Suite for Violoncello Solo is composed of eight contrasting movements that were written during a nineteen-year period. The work is characterized by a Neo-Romantic aesthetic and utilizes the cello’s dark lyrical tones with a variety of timbre and tonal contrasts. The purpose of the present study is to create a practical performance guide to this important musical work with a detailed stylistic, textural, and motivic analysis of all eight movements. Although there are many published documents and analyses of Penderecki’s orchestral, choral, chamber and other solo pieces, the Divertimento/Suite for Cello Solo has …

The composition 161 Glass is a 17-minute musical work with percussion, wind and brass instruments in which the intersection of mid-century architecture, and the art and culture of a dynamic city are inextricably linked. Through this paper, I explore the process of composing a musical work in relationship to the significance of site specific context. The paper begins by defining the concept of site specific art works; then reviews the discourse of the intersection of art, music and architecture. I then delve into the cultural and geographic context surrounding this project from the modern era through the present, and how those perspectives apply to the building and my piece. I reveal how the composition relates the musical ideas to the site. Finally, I describe the collaborative process between myself, the musicians and the Dallas Contemporary staff.

The aim of this dissertation is to lay the groundwork for an integrated approach to violin instruction for children who are not being groomed explicitly for professional careers as instrumentalists. The study presents a particular focus on the age of middle school children, in order to showcase a more specialized and definitive result of research without, however, distinguishing between advantages and limitations of different age groups of children who study music and learn to play the violin. My first goal is to craft a sample method of teaching with a premise that not all students studying music must or need to become professional musicians in their future. I promote an approach based on the premise that music has universal value available to all and that any kind of music education encourages the growth, personality development, and imagination of children. My second goal is to explore how music education functions in 21st century western culture. Research is based on teachings and methods established by Suzuki, Kodaly, Jaques-Dalcroze, and Orff, among others.