Music and health in Kenya : sound, spirituality and altered consciousness juxtaposed with emotions

Music and Healing, African Music, Music therapy, Healing Rituals, Kenyan Music

Music and felt emotions: how systematic pitch level variations affect the experience of pleasantness and arousal

Pitch is a fundamental musical factor; however, findings about its contribution to the elicitation of emotions are contradictory. The purpose of this work was to assess the effect of systematic pitch variations on self-reports of felt valence and arousal. In a within-subject design, 49 subjects listened to four 1-minute classical piano excerpts, each presented at three different pitch levels (one octave lower than the original version, the original version and one octave higher than the original version). Compared to excerpts both without octave modification and in the +1 octave variant, pleasantness of excerpts in the -1 octave variant was significantly lower. This main effect was stronger for women than men and, importantly, was modulated by the specific characteristics of the stimuli. There was also a significant, yet smaller, negative relationship between pitch level and arousal, moderated by gender: Compared to higher pitch, lower pitch was associated with higher arousal in men only. Regarding the complex outcomes of this study, future studies should investigate to which extent our findings can be generalized to other musical works. The ultimate goal might be to demonstrate how pitch level interacts with other musical features and listeners' characteristics in eliciting diverse affective experiences.

You get what you pay for : independent music and Canadian public policy

The aim of this MA thesis is to demonstrate how corporate concentration within the global music industry specifically affects the Canadian music industry's ability to compete for its own national audience as well as audiences worldwide. Federal public policies, regulatory regimes and subsidies are considered within the context of the structure of the global marketplace which is, in effect, an oligopoly controlled by four major corporations. Through an extensive literature review of political economy theory, Canadian public policies and music studies, as well as personal interviews conducted with Canadian musicians, entrepreneurs and public servants, I will situate my research within the body of political economy theory; present a detailed report of the structure of the global music industry; address the key players within the industry; describe the relationship between the major corporations and the independent companies operating in the industry; discuss how new technologies affect said relationships; consider the effectiveness of Canadian public policies in safeguarding the national music industry; and recommend steps that can be taken to remedy the shortcomings of Federal policies and regulatory regimes.

Receipt from W. H. Eckhardt, Pianos, Organs, Sheet Music and Musical Merchandise for piano

Receipt from W. H. Eckhardt, Pianos, Organs, Sheet Music and Musical Merchandise for piano, May 9, 1887.

Acoustic composition : exploring metaphorical and perceived connections between patterns of sound in the Opera The Beast in the Jungle

La version intégrale de ce mémoire est disponible uniquement pour consultation individuelle à la Bibliothèque de musique de l ’Université de Montréal (www.bib.umontreal.ca/MU).

The Wolf and the Whale: aesthetic relationships between electroacoustic music and poetry inspired by the Canadian landscape

La version intégrale de cette thèse est disponible uniquement pour consultation individuelle à la Bibliothèque de musique de l’Université de Montréal (www.bib.umontreal.ca/MU).

Music and life : unidad didáctica.

Unidad didáctica pensada para el comienzo del segundo ciclo de ESO (tercero). A través de ella se realiza la conexión con el ciclo anterior mediante el repaso de conceptos conocidos pero en situaciones que suponen un mayor grado de dificultad. En su programación se ha seguido el método de tareas, cuyo primer paso es la elección del tema, en este caso la música, que se ha considerado altamente motivador. El contenido de la unidad se ha dividido en tres bloques interrelacionados: el primero orientado al estudio previo de la necesidades e intereses de los alumnos, en el segundo se organizan las actividades en torno a bloques temáticos,con especial énfasis en actividades de producción oral y escrita, y en el tercero se ha dado un mayor peso a la destreza de comprensión lectora y al bloque de reflexión lingüística. Al principio de cada bloque se especifican sus contenidos, así como los objetivos didácticos y una explicación del proceso que se sugiere para su puesta en práctica. También se han programado tareas de evaluación.

Music and dyslexia : a positive approach.

Esta obra se centra en los avances de la investigación de la neuropsicología en el campo de la dislexia, y señala los aspectos de la educación musical que pueden beneficiar a jóvenes que tienen este trastorno. Aborda los problemas de los músicos disléxicos en temas específicos, tales como lectura a primera vista, los requisitos de los exámenes escritos de música y los nervios extremos de rendimiento. Ofrece a los maestros y a los padres técnicas, prácticas y estrategias para ayudarlos a trabajar con jóvenes y músicos disléxicos.