Aprendizagem criativa na aula de piano em grupo

The central focus of this thesis was to investigate creative learning in music at piano group lessons. Thus, the theoretical framework adopted was guided by two main principles: (1) creativity in the field of music education and (2) Piano teaching and learning. As a methodological procedure we used a research-action with students of the disciplines Prática de Instrumento Harmônico I e II, at the Music Education Undergraduate Course of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). This research-action was structured in four phases: 1) the identification of the starting points and the theme of creativity matters in piano group lessons, considering the context of a teacher training course in music; 2) the projection of actions, the definition of the objectives and the organization of instruments of data collection and analysis; 3) the realization of the planned actions; and 4) the evaluation of the results, the transcription, organization and analysis of the data collected through observation and interviews. Given the Creative Learning Cycle in Music, represented by the activities of composing, performing and criticizing Music, defended by Beineke (2009, 2013, 2015), we propose in this thesis a creative cycle of formation in music to promote creative learning in piano group lessons, in which teachers and students teach and learn creatively, expanding training opportunities in the field of Music Education. This was possible due to the joint experience of creative practices related to improvisation, elaboration of arrangements and musical compositions - elements that contributed positively to the learning process of the participants. But for this to occur, the planning, implementation and evaluation of the creative and pedagogical musical procedures adopted were decisive, considering the perspectives of students, their conceptions, musical creations, processes and collaborative exchange.

Formal function and phrase structure in contemporary music : Pierre Boulez’s late solo works and Sean Clarke’s "Lucretia Overture" and "4 Impromptus"

Cette thèse présente une théorie de la fonction formelle et de la structure des phrases dans la musique contemporaine, théorie qui peut être utilisée aussi bien comme outil analytique que pour créer de nouvelles œuvres. Deux concepts théoriques actuels aident à clarifier la structure des phrases : les projections temporelles de Christopher Hasty et la théorie des fonctions formelles de William Caplin, qui inclut le concept de l’organisation formelle soudée versus lâche (tight-knit vs. loose). Les projections temporelles sont perceptibles grâce à l’accent mis sur les paramètres secondaires, comme le style du jeu, l’articulation et le timbre. Des sections avec une organisation formelle soudée ont des projections temporelles claires, qui sont créées par la juxtaposition des motifs distincts, généralement sous la forme d'une idée de base en deux parties. Ces projections organisent la musique en phrases de présentation, en phrases de continuité et finalement, à des moments formels charnières, en phrases cadentielles. Les sections pourvues d’une organisation plus lâche tendent à présenter des projections et mouvements harmoniques moins clairs et moins d’uniformité motivique. La structure des phrases de trois pièces tardives pour instrument soliste de Pierre Boulez est analysée : Anthèmes I pour violon (1991-1992) et deux pièces pour piano, Incises (2001) et une page d’éphéméride (2005). Les idées proposées dans le présent document font suite à une analyse de ces œuvres et ont eu une forte influence sur mes propres compositions, en particulier Lucretia Overture pour orchestre et 4 Impromptus pour flûte, saxophone soprano et piano, qui sont également analysés en détail. Plusieurs techniques de composition supplémentaires peuvent être discernés dans ces deux œuvres, y compris l'utilisation de séquence mélodiques pour contrôler le rythme harmonique; des passages composés de plusieurs couches musicales chacun avec un structure de phrase distinct; et le relâchement de l'organisation formelle de matériels récurrents. Enfin, la composition de plusieurs autres travaux antérieurs a donné lieu à des techniques utilisées dans ces deux œuvres et ils sont brièvement abordés dans la section finale.

The Influence of the Guatemalan Municipal Orchestra's Curriculum on the Social Relations of its Members

The purpose of this case study is to determine the influence of the curriculum used by the Guatemalan Municipal Orchestra (GMO) upon the social interactions of its members. Social interactions include relations with families, teachers, and music colleagues. To determine this influence, the researcher framed the study using three main components: the impact of music in the development of children’s social skills; the curricula forming educational processes; and the characteristics of the Venezuela musical program, El Sistema. These foundations are explored via the tenets of participatory literacy. The data collection included interviews, surveys, and observation of students, parents, teachers, and administrative personnel. Two primary themes emerged from the data analysis: the development of a sense of community and the presence of intrinsic and external motivators implicit in the GMO environment. The final analysis suggests that curricular practices in the GMO positively influenced the development of students’ social interactions.

TRPV4: Molecular Conductor of a Diverse Orchestra

Transient receptor potential vanilloid type 4 (TRPV4) is a calcium-permeable nonselective cation channel, originally described in 2000 by research teams led by Schultz (Nat Cell Biol 2: 695-702, 2000) and Liedtke (Cell 103: 525-535, 2000). TRPV4 is now recognized as being a polymodal ionotropic receptor that is activated by a disparate array of stimuli, ranging from hypotonicity to heat and acidic pH. Importantly, this ion channel is constitutively expressed and capable of spontaneous activity in the absence of agonist stimulation, which suggests that it serves important physiological functions, as does its widespread dissemination throughout the body and its capacity to interact with other proteins. Not surprisingly, therefore, it has emerged more recently that TRPV4 fulfills a great number of important physiological roles and that various disease states are attributable to the absence, or abnormal functioning, of this ion channel. Here, we review the known characteristics of this ion channel's structure, localization and function, including its activators, and examine its functional importance in health and disease.

Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit: Extra-musical subtext, and its role within interpretive performance

Few works within the realm of the piano repertoire have amassed a reputation as formidable as Gaspard de la Nuit. These three pieces, each unique in character and pianistic requirements, arguably represent a pinnacle of early 20th-century French piano music. This paper seeks to illuminate points for consideration for the pianist who wishes to embark upon studying the work for performance, and for the musicologist.

I shall first consider the three character poems of Aloysius Bertrand that inspired the suite, as an understanding of these Diabolic creations is essential to understanding the piece analytically and programmatically. I shall then explore the subtitle of Bertrand’s Gaspard de la Nuit: ‘Fantaisies À La Manière De Rembrandt Et De Callot’, as an acknowledgement of these artists helps us better to engage with Bertrand’s poetry, and provides us with a direct link to the visual stimuli for Ravel’s compositions.

Finally, using Ondine as a case study, I shall explore how the composer unifies his inspirations to paint a musical portrait of both the character and the content of Bertrand’s poem. I shall focus on three particular aspects of Ravel’s style: the refined textures that create washes of watery colour, subtle rhythmic variations that imply the ‘deep, rolling currents of the sleeping lake’, and the simple melodic lines sung by the water nymph in the manner of a French air. Each element plays its part in the thematic development that illustrates Ondine’s seductive powers.

Franz Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B Minor: Precedents for an Analytical Evolution

Franz Liszt has all too often been discarded as the virtuosic showman, despite the fact that his several of works have often gained great praise and attracted scholarly engagement. However, one also finds striking development of formal design and tonal harmony in many of the works for his principal composition medium, the piano. This paper seeks to explore the practical application of James A. Hepokoski and Warren Darcy’s 'Sonata Theory' upon Liszt’s magnum opus for the instrument, the Sonata in B Minor.

I shall first consider the historical analyses placed upon the work that deal with structural design, as it pertains to the paradigm of Classical sonata-form. Previous research reveals two main theoretical camps; those in favour of a multi-movement analysis (with conflicting hypotheses therein) and those in favour of a single movement sonata-form. An understanding of these historical conceptions of the piece allows one to then highlight areas of conflict and offer a new solution.

Finally, I shall use Sonata Theory to survey the Sonata in B Minor’s landscape in a new light. The title ‘Sonata’ has clear generic implications, many of which are met by Liszt; 'Sonata Theory' provides a model with which to outline the compositional deformations employed by the composer and the implications of this practice. In particular, I offer new perspectives on the validity of the double-function form, insight into the rhetorical layout of a rotational discourse, and propose a nuanced analysis befitting of this striking work.

Seeing How it Sounds: Observation, Imitation and Improved Learning in Piano Playing

Research in various fields has shown that students benefit from teacher action demonstrations during instruction, establishing the need to better understand the effectiveness of different demonstration types across student proficiency levels. This study centres upon a piano learning and teaching environment in which beginners and intermediate piano students (N=48) learning to perform a specific type of staccato were submitted to three different (group exclusive) teaching conditions: audio-only demonstration of the musical task; observation of the teacher's action demonstration followed by student imitation (blockedobservation); and observation of the teacher's action demonstration whilst alternating imitation of the task with the teacher's performance (interleaved-observation). Learning was measured in relation to students' range of wrist amplitude (RWA) and ratio of sound and inter-sound duration (SIDR) before, during and after training. Observation and imitation of the teacher’s action demonstrations had a beneficial effect on students' staccato knowledge retention at different times after training: students submitted to interleaved-observation presented significantly shorter note duration and larger wrist rotation, and as such, were more proficient at the learned technique in each of the lesson and retention tests than students in the other learning conditions. There were no significant differences in performance or retention for students of different proficiency levels. These findings have relevant implications for instrumental music pedagogy and other contexts where embodied action is an essential aspect of the learning process.

Formless being for flute, clarinet, bassoon, french horn, percussion, piano and string quartet

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

THREE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITIONS: THE PIANO WORKS THEY COMMISSIONED BETWEEN 1962 AND 2012

Over a period of 50 years—between 1962 and 2012—three preeminent American piano competitions, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the University of Maryland International Piano Competition/William Kapell International Piano Competition and the San Antonio International Piano Competition, commissioned for inclusion on their required performance lists 26 piano works, almost all by American composers. These compositions, works of sufficient artistic depth and technical sophistication to serve as rigorous benchmarks for competition finalists, constitute a unique segment of the contemporary American piano repertoire. Although a limited number of these pieces have found their way into the performance repertoire of concert artists, too many have not been performed since their premières in the final rounds of the competitions for which they were designed. Such should not be the case. Some of the composers in question are innovative titans of 20th-century American music—Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, John Cage, John Corigliano, William Schuman, Joan Tower and Ned Rorem, to name just a few—and many of the pieces themselves, as historical touchstones, deserve careful examination. This study includes, in addition to an introductory overview of the three competitions, a survey of all 26 compositions and an analysis of their expressive characteristics, from the point of view of the performing pianist. Numerous musical examples support the analysis. Biographical information about the composers, along with descriptions of their overall musical styles, place these pieces in historical context. Analytical and technical comprehension of this distinctive and rarely performed corner of the modern classical piano world could be of inestimable value to professional pianists, piano pedagogues and music educators alike.

Tracing Beethoven Through the Ten Sonatas for Piano and Violin

Examination of Beethoven’s ten sonatas for piano and violin as a single arc, to uncover linkages between the individual sonatas and observe their stylistic evolution as a set, benefits from placing these works also in relation to the wider realm of Beethoven’s chamber music as a whole. During the years in which his sonatas for piano and violin were written, Beethoven often produced multiple works simultaneously. In fact, the first nine sonatas for piano and violin were written within a mere five-year span (1798 – 1803.) After a gap of nine years, Beethoven completed his tenth and final sonata, marking the end of his “Middle Period.” Because of this distribution, it is important to consider each of these sonatas not only as an interdependent set, but also in relation to the whole of Beethoven’s output for small ensemble. Beethoven wrote the last of his piano and violin sonatas in 1812, with a decade and a half of innovation still ahead of him. This provokes one to look beyond these sonatas to discover the final incarnation of the ideas introduced in these works. In particular, the key creative turning points within the ten sonatas for piano and violin become strikingly apparent when compared to Beethoven’s string quartets, which dramatically showcase Beethoven’s evolution in sixteen works distributed more or less evenly across his career. From the perspective of a string quartet player, studying the ten sonatas for piano and violin provides an opportunity to note similarities between the genres. This paper argues that examining the ten sonatas from a viewpoint primarily informed by Beethoven’s string quartets yields a more thorough understanding of the sonatas themselves and a broader conception of the vast network of interrelationships that produce Beethoven’s definitive voice. The body of this paper contains a full exploration of each of the ten sonatas for piano and violin, highlighting key musical, historical, and theoretical elements. Each of the sonatas is then put not only in context of the set of ten, but is contrasted with Beethoven’s sixteen string quartets, identifying unifying motives, techniques, and structural principles that recur across both bodies of work.

Move, for string quartet, piano, percussion and electronics

MOVE is a composition for string quartet, piano, percussion and electronics of approximately 15-16 minutes duration in three movements. The work incorporates electronic samples either synthesized electronically by the composer or recorded from acoustic instruments. The work aims to use electronic sounds as an expansion of the tonal palette of the chamber group (rather like an extended percussion setup) as opposed to a dominating sonic feature of the music. This is done by limiting the use of electronics to specific sections of the work, and by prioritizing blend and sonic coherence in the synthesized samples. The work uses fixed electronics in such a way that allows for tempo variations in the music. Generally, a difficulty arises in that fixed “tape” parts don’t allow tempo variations; while truly “live” software algorithms sacrifice rhythmic accuracy. Sample pads, such as the Roland SPD-SX, provide an elegant solution. The latency of such a device is close enough to zero that individual samples can be triggered in real time at a range of tempi. The percussion setup in this work (vibraphone and sample pad) allows one player to cover both parts, eliminating the need for an external musician to trigger the electronics. Compositionally, momentum is used as a constructing principle. The first movement makes prominent use of ostinato and shifting meter. The second is a set of variations on a repeated harmonic pattern, with a polymetric middle section. The third is a type of passacaglia, wherein the bassline is not introduced right away, but becomes more significant later in the movement. Given the importance of visual presentation in the Internet age, the final goal of the project was to shoot HD video of a studio performance of the work for publication online. The composer recorded audio and video in two separate sessions and edited the production using Logic X and Adobe Premiere Pro. The final video presentation can be seen at geoffsheil.com/move.

Pairings: Quintets and Duos from the Collaborative Piano Repertoire

Chamber music with piano comprises some of the greatest masterpieces in the Western canon. The works range from duo sonatas with various instruments through septets. In regard to duo sonatas, the violin is the instrument most frequently paired with the piano. Of all the chamber works for larger ensembles, the most popular is the quintet. In this dissertation, I will be exploring the similarities and differences between the duo sonatas and quintets of a given composer. I will be surveying Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 along with his Violin and Piano Sonata in A Minor, Op. 105. The next pairing will be Johannes Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34 and his Piano and Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 108. Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57 and his Cello and Piano Sonata in D Minor, Op. 40 will be the last two works examined in this dissertation. This dissertation project consisted of three recitals, presented in the Gildenhorn Recital Hall at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center of the University of Maryland. The recitals featured works by Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann and Dmitri Shostakovich and took place on March 14, 2014, February 13, 2015 and November 22, 2015. All three recitals were recorded on compact discs, which can be accessed at the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM) and at the University of Maryland Hornbake Library.

Gestural communication of music structure during solo classical piano performance

The production and perception of music is a multimodal activity involving auditory, visual and conceptual processing, integrating these with prior knowledge and environmental experience. Musicians utilise expressive physical nuances to highlight salient features of the score. The question arises within the literature as to whether performers’ non-technical, non-sound-producing movements may be communicatively meaningful and convey important structural information to audience members and co-performers. In the light of previous performance research (Vines et al., 2006, Wanderley, 2002, Davidson, 1993), and considering findings within co-speech gestural research and auditory and audio-visual neuroscience, this thesis examines the nature of those movements not directly necessary for the production of sound, and their particular influence on audience perception. Within the current research 3D performance analysis is conducted using the Vicon 12- camera system and Nexus data-processing software. Performance gestures are identified as repeated patterns of motion relating to music structure, which not only express phrasing and structural hierarchy but are consistently and accurately interpreted as such by a perceiving audience. Gestural characteristics are analysed across performers and performance style using two Chopin preludes selected for their diverse yet comparable structures (Opus 28:7 and 6). Effects on perceptual judgements of presentation modes (visual-only, auditory-only, audiovisual, full- and point-light) and viewing conditions are explored. This thesis argues that while performance style is highly idiosyncratic, piano performers reliably generate structural gestures through repeated patterns of upper-body movement. The shapes and locations of phrasing motions are identified particular to the sample of performers investigated. Findings demonstrate that despite the personalised nature of the gestures, performers use increased velocity of movements to emphasise musical structure and that observers accurately and consistently locate phrasing junctures where these patterns and variation in motion magnitude, shape and velocity occur. By viewing performance motions in polar (spherical) rather than cartesian coordinate space it is possible to get mathematically closer to the movement generated by each of the nine performers, revealing distinct patterns of motion relating to phrasing structures, regardless of intended performance style. These patterns are highly individualised both to each performer and performed piece. Instantaneous velocity analysis indicates a right-directed bias of performance motion variation at salient structural features within individual performances. Perceptual analyses demonstrate that audience members are able to accurately and effectively detect phrasing structure from performance motion alone. This ability persists even for degraded point-light performances, where all extraneous environmental information has been removed. The relative contributions of audio, visual and audiovisual judgements demonstrate that the visual component of a performance does positively impact on the over- all accuracy of phrasing judgements, indicating that receivers are most effective in their recognition of structural segmentations when they can both see and hear a performance. Observers appear to make use of a rapid online judgement heuristics, adjusting response processes quickly to adapt and perform accurately across multiple modes of presentation and performance style. In line with existent theories within the literature, it is proposed that this processing ability may be related to cognitive and perceptual interpretation of syntax within gestural communication during social interaction and speech. Findings of this research may have future impact on performance pedagogy, computational analysis and performance research, as well as potentially influencing future investigations of the cognitive aspects of musical and gestural understanding.

Feeding students’ creativity with language arts: a project developed at ESEV (2013-15)

Children live at a time when the rapid turnover of information and the ongoing changes in the technological, social, cultural, political and economic spheres make it more difficult for teachers to prepare lessons that enhance students’ interest and motivation. There is so much to be learnt outside of the classroom’s four walls that traditional methods of teaching may not be the most effective way to teach today’s learners. When it comes to classes of Portuguese language, teachers are faced with the challenge of teaching culture, literature, grammar and skills such as reading, writing and speaking in a way that involves students as active participants, that is, in a way that engages while also instructing. It means that several strategies need to be adopted, from games to the use of new technologies or, among others, an interdisciplinary approach with maths, (social) sciences and arts, for instance. In an attempt to motivate gifted and talented children that were attending elementary school in a small town near Viseu, in Portugal, The School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu was asked to be part of a project in 2013, in a collaborative partnership that proved successful and that was re-enacted in 2015. It is in light of the above that, in this paper, we aim to: a) describe the support that the School of Education provided to these participants, children who were between six and fourteen, by presenting Portuguese language activities that intended to stimulate creative thinking and artistic production; and b) discuss the results of the project, by analysing the students’ productions across verbal and visual modes (ie. script writing and dubbing an excerpt of an animation film, interviews, news reports, drawings, the creation and recitation of poems…). Future activities are on the table, meaning that the School of Education’s commitment to feeding the students’ creativity has shown promising results. Creativity in Portuguese classes is not a guarantee of success but it certainly is food for thought.

Formal function and phrase structure in contemporary music : Pierre Boulez’s late solo works and Sean Clarke’s "Lucretia Overture" and "4 Impromptus"

Cette thèse présente une théorie de la fonction formelle et de la structure des phrases dans la musique contemporaine, théorie qui peut être utilisée aussi bien comme outil analytique que pour créer de nouvelles œuvres. Deux concepts théoriques actuels aident à clarifier la structure des phrases : les projections temporelles de Christopher Hasty et la théorie des fonctions formelles de William Caplin, qui inclut le concept de l’organisation formelle soudée versus lâche (tight-knit vs. loose). Les projections temporelles sont perceptibles grâce à l’accent mis sur les paramètres secondaires, comme le style du jeu, l’articulation et le timbre. Des sections avec une organisation formelle soudée ont des projections temporelles claires, qui sont créées par la juxtaposition des motifs distincts, généralement sous la forme d'une idée de base en deux parties. Ces projections organisent la musique en phrases de présentation, en phrases de continuité et finalement, à des moments formels charnières, en phrases cadentielles. Les sections pourvues d’une organisation plus lâche tendent à présenter des projections et mouvements harmoniques moins clairs et moins d’uniformité motivique. La structure des phrases de trois pièces tardives pour instrument soliste de Pierre Boulez est analysée : Anthèmes I pour violon (1991-1992) et deux pièces pour piano, Incises (2001) et une page d’éphéméride (2005). Les idées proposées dans le présent document font suite à une analyse de ces œuvres et ont eu une forte influence sur mes propres compositions, en particulier Lucretia Overture pour orchestre et 4 Impromptus pour flûte, saxophone soprano et piano, qui sont également analysés en détail. Plusieurs techniques de composition supplémentaires peuvent être discernés dans ces deux œuvres, y compris l'utilisation de séquence mélodiques pour contrôler le rythme harmonique; des passages composés de plusieurs couches musicales chacun avec un structure de phrase distinct; et le relâchement de l'organisation formelle de matériels récurrents. Enfin, la composition de plusieurs autres travaux antérieurs a donné lieu à des techniques utilisées dans ces deux œuvres et ils sont brièvement abordés dans la section finale.