This research project evaluates the effectiveness of specific music theory instructional strategies in terms of D. A. Kolb’s theory of experiential learning and Kolb’s typology of individual learning style. The project provides an original methodology for the adaptation of music theory instructional material to the individual learning style types described in Kolb’s typology. The study compares the relative effectiveness of two music theory instructional sequences, one of which is adapted for all of the learning style modalities described in Kolb’s typology, and the other adapted for only a limited number of Kolb’s learning style types. In order to compare the potential “learning outcomes” produced by these instructional sequences, a detailed study is proposed, in which computer based instruction (CBI) will deliver the instructional sequences to research participants and electronically record the participants’ responses. The current study demonstrates the effective aspects of the original methodology and suggests methods for the successful adaptation of music theory instructional material to individual student learning styles.

This paper provides a biographical tribute and analysis of the life and music of tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who is known as one of the greatest jazz musicians. John Gunnar Mossblad explores the man's past, travels, and contributions.

This paper discusses the song cycle Despite and Still by Samuel Barber, created with three poems by Robert Graves, one poem by Theodore Roethke, and part of Jame Joyce's novel Ulysses. Phyllis Bush Thomas describes the feeling created by the song cycle and the compositional style of Samuel Barber.

This paper discusses the handling of Double Bass in the chamber music written by Gioacchino Rossini and Franz Schubert. Russell Clark White provides historical background to the importance of these contributions before delving into musical analysis of the individual bass parts of these pieces.

This paper discusses the pianist problems in the fifth sonata created by Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin and provides historical background to the works of the composer before analyzing his work.

This paper highlights aspects of unity in Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op. 81A. Jannis M. Peterson provides historical background to the work, identifies the problem of unity, and analyzes the piece.

This paper explores the history and creation of Maurice Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales and its predecessors. Walter M. Coldewey explores the waltz and its expression through Maurice Ravel's work, as well as the works that influenced him.

This paper explores the connection between the Commedia dell'arte and the opera buffa genre and asserts that performers should be aware of this connection. John Arden Hopkin explores the history of the Commedia dell'arte and the rise of opera buffa.

This paper explores the development of the practice of etudes and provides technical solutions for Frédéric Chopin's Etudes, Op. 10. David McKamie explores each etude in turn and considers various methods to perform them.

This paper analyzes Hector Berlioz's song cycle Les Nuits d’été, Opus 7, for the purpose of performance. Along with musical analysis, Anna Ruth Stone also provides background about the poet Théophile Gautier and describes the appeal of the Berlioz's song cycle.

This paper explores nine German art songs composed by Robert Alexander Schumann, songs that were solo settings of the poems of Robert Burns. Paula Shaneyfelt Spencer provides historical background to this detailed analysis of the songs.

This paper explores the development of the hautboy, or early oboe, and highlights the prominent oboe virtuosi of eighteenth-century England. Jennifer Bauer Morgan explains the lives and abilities of the performers and the evolution of the oboe.

This paper provides an analysis of Maurice Ravel's song cycle Cinq mélodies populaires grecques and "Tripatos." Pamela D. Hamblin discusses Ravel's musical style of composition and investigates the background and the individuality of the songs.

An analysis of stage band rhythmic pattern provide a basis of interpretation which will aid directors of stage bands in understanding this musical idiom.

Igor Stravinsky is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century and a pivotal figure in modernist music. This study analyzed how Stravinsky absorbed the bassoon's solo and ensemble functions which he inherited and later significantly extended the scope of these functions by adapting them to his individual needs. The study concluded that Stravinsky's compositions are and will remain important landmarks in the history of bassoon literature.

This study focusses on stage band intonation. The purpose of the unison study, for example, is to develop in the student a sensitivity for pitch placement and also make him conscious of the sounds around him.

This paper analyzes composer Paul Hindemith's Sonata for Double Bass and Piano and provides conclusions about how to interpret the movements in performance as well as the compositional techniques used by Hindemith to create them.

This paper discusses the historical roots, placement, shape, and materials and methods in the construction of the contemporary organ case. James W. Kibbie explores the acoustical considerations of its design and how these are reflected in the finished product.

This paper compares various editions of Carl Maria Von Weber's Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48, with the composer's original autograph score. Catherine E. Wood discusses how well these editions retained the composer's intentions, and which edition is the most accurate.

This paper analyzes the piano and organ versions of the Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H composed by Franz Liszt and provides a style comparison of the two. Jerry Glynn Smith also provides context for Liszt's work with the organ.

This paper evaluates the style of American composer Aaron Copland's Piano Variations. Philip Carey Jones discusses its position as a unique piece in twentieth-century piano literature and compares his work to that of other composers.

This paper explores the new extensions of clarinet technique in four published works, discussing the percussive effects, melodic effects, and multiple sounds that can be produced through these extensions. David R. Widder also explores the history of innovational solo clarinet works.

Thesis analyzes the concepts of ultra-rationality and anti-rationality as pre-compositional techniques and then compares and contrasts the two. John W. Petersen discusses the development and use of the two techniques and their impact on the history of music.

This paper explores the history of the bassoon and its construction. Bob A. Sparks analyzes its evolution over time, from the versions created in France and Germany to the bassoon of the twentieth century.