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The Percussionist’s Guide to Developing Performance Skills and Emotional Connection
No full textWhat is this?
The primary goal of this book is to enable students to be more comfortable projecting emotionally to an audience through their body movement and touch while also providing lesson plans and support for the front ensemble instructor. We want this collection to be useful for a student alone in a practice room as well as in a large ensemble setting. There are 10+ activities with examples that encourage the student to dive deeper into the emotion of their piece. Each etude has curated exercises that develop necessary techniques used in the tune. Program/performance notes aid the student and instructor in their search for the emotional content. This book should guide students into an emotional connection with music and develop stronger technique.
What\u27s so special about it?
Move it! stands out among other keyboard method books because of the option to customize the etudes for any ensemble regardless of playing ability. The typical problem of giving a student a part that is too challenging or worse….too easy… is eliminated.
This collection consists of 6 etudes of varying lengths/styles for front ensemble. Each part in each etude has three different levels of difficulty to choose from, depending on the performer’s ability. Difficulty levels can be mixed within an ensemble, i.e. A marimba player can be playing the level 2 marimba part even if the xylo player is playing the level 3 part. Level one can be played by late beginner players while level three is geared more towards advanced college age students.
Additionally, while many keyboard books mention body movement in regards to technique, they rarely discuss in depth how to convey emotion to an audience effectively. The written activities help students personalize their content and apply it to their own environment.
Digital content includes:
1.Play along tracks for all exercises
2.Recordings of each etude
3.Scores and all other instrument parts that are not printed in the book
Only marimba and vibraphone parts are included within the book.
4.Videos demonstrating movement, expression, and technique
Abstract
As the virtual world grows and percussion performances are spread around the globe, it has become increasingly more important for musicians to be entertainers and great emotional communicators. The marching activity is expanding and testing the limits of what musicians can do, often encouraging performers to become “a character” in their show. Unfortunately, students are expected to perform upon command but are not always given all the necessary tools and training to be able to emotionally convey their music. They are also sometimes prescribed a modified band choreography that is too uniform to be believable in the context of a true emotional performance. This book aims to clarify effective communication vs ineffective communication strategies to enhance the musician’s connection to a performance.
The ability to emotionally connect with the music makes students more invested in their work, sometimes even encouraging them to continue pursuing music long after they’ve left the classroom. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of thinking about music in this way is the process of developing an inquisitive mind. Through these activities and etudes the musicians are encouraged to ask what the music makes them feel, why does it invoke that feeling? How can changing the phrasing affect the piece or the audience’s reaction? Making the student comfortable with asking these questions promotes the inquisitive mindset that can help them problem solve for the remainder of their life.
Who is it marketed towards?
Generally 7th grade-College Senior
This is also a book for instructors, especially if percussion is not their primary instrument. The written activities and exercises keep students engaged and encourage creativity, collaboration, communication, and consistency. This is not an all inclusive guide for technique, Stevens’ Method of Movement is recommended if there are additional questions
Minimize barriers, maximize success: Optimizing the private trumpet lesson experience for students with ADHD
No full textAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a high-prevalence neurodevelopmental disability found in an estimated 6% to 16% of children ages 3-17 in the United States. A recent survey showed that 84% of private piano and string lesson instructors have taught students with disabilities and needed to adapt their teaching, but most cited having little to no education in how to appropriately do so. While public school teachers may receive support from specialists and recommended accommodations in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan, private lesson instructors may not be informed of a student’s disability and often lack resources to support diverse learners. By synthesizing research from neuroscience and music education, I propose physical and pedagogical accommodations and strategies to enhance instructors’ efficacy when teaching private trumpet lessons to students with ADHD.
In this document I examine studies on the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological differences in individuals with ADHD and provide a review of literature on teaching students with ADHD in the music classroom setting. I analyze which of these recommendations can be transferred to the private lesson setting and which can be applied to pre-existing pedagogical methods for private lesson instruction. Suggested accommodations are grouped into two categories. Physical modifications include reducing potential visual and auditory distractors in the studio space and altering the sheet music to increase contrast and reduce visual clutter. Pedagogical modifications involve strategies for structuring lessons, allowing student agency, incorporating multimodal learning, teaching in a stepwise progression, and assessing students.
The instructor and student should experiment to discover which of these accommodations are most effective for that specific learner. This can significantly improve lesson outcomes by fostering better engagement, focus, and skill development. These suggestions are not exhaustive or guaranteed to work for every student but instead serve as a starting point for brass instructors who feel unprepared to teach students with ADHD. This document serves as a resource for private brass lesson instructors to foster more equitable, effective, and empowering private lesson experiences for all learners
There’s a Crisis Brewing in Higher Education
No full textThis dissertation addresses the increasing need to enhance crisis preparedness among student affairs practitioners in higher education. With the growing frequency and complexity of campus crises—ranging from mental health emergencies to incidents of violence, the preparedness and self-efficacy of those in student support roles are paramount. This three-manuscript dissertation explores crisis intervention training, crisis self-efficacy, and the lived experiences of student affairs practitioners navigating campus crises. The first manuscript provides a conceptual overview of the gaps in current crisis intervention training within graduate programs, advocating for the integration of core competencies informed by accreditation standards and professional associations. The second manuscript presents a quantitative study examining the relationships between crisis self-efficacy, prior training, and experience among graduate students and new practitioners in student affairs, utilizing a cross-sectional survey design and the Counselor\u27s Crisis Self-Efficacy Scale (CCSES). The final manuscript employs a transcendental phenomenological approach to exploring the lived experiences of student affairs administrators during campus crises, offering insights into the emotional, psychological, and ethical challenges they face through in-depth interviews and personal artifacts. Findings from this research aim to inform the development of more effective training programs, guide policymakers in creating more resilient higher education institutions, and enhance the support systems for student affairs practitioners on the front lines of crisis management
Dysarthria in Children with Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 and Assessment of Labial and Lingual Sensation and Correlates with Swallowing Function in Individuals with Adult-onset Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1
No full textMyotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a rare, progressive, autosomal dominant genetic neuromuscular disease affecting many bodily systems and results in reduced life expectancy. Muscular weakness is a classic symptom at all ages and affects the orofacial and oropharyngeal muscles in CDM and DM1 resulting in dysarthria and dysphagia. The impact of 1) motor speech differences on communication in CDM, and 2) orofacial sensation on swallowing function in DM1 are underexplored. This dissertation contains two distinct studies that examined these topics.
In the first study, the perceptual characteristics of speech during a repetition task of 22 children with CDM under 14 years of age were analyzed. Eight mean severity values were considered deviant across articulatory, resonant, prosodic, and rate features. Additionally, reduced intelligibility was quantified in four children during a reading task (range 22.5-62.7%). Two children showed improvement in intelligibility at 12 months, one had minimal improvement, and one demonstrated a decline.
In the second study, orofacial sensation and swallowing performance were quantified in 23 individuals with DM1 and 23 sex- and age-matched controls. Participant and clinician rating of swallow function and cognitive testing were also assessed. No sensory differences between groups were observed, however performance differences existed on aspects of water swallowing and cracker ingestion tasks. Regression modeling found sensory contributions predicting participant report of function (R2adj=.79), performance on water swallowing task (R2adj=.20), and clinician rating of function (R2adj=.69), along with other demographic characteristics.
Taken together, these studies present novel aspects of this disease across the lifespan. Children with CDM have reduced performance on speech tasks with rate and prosody being most affected. These correlate with intelligibility in other neurological diseases and may help begin to explain reduced intelligibility in CDM. Individuals with adult-onset DM1 demonstrated differences in swallow performance and oral sensation was found to be predictive of swallowing performance as well as patient- and clinician-rating of function.
Both dysarthria and dysphagia in DM1/CDM are likely multifactorial. Despite heterogeneity in the data for both studies, these results are novel and may suggest avenues of intervention to improve communication and swallowing safety and efficiency in this neurodegenerative disease
Burnout and self-efficacy: Exploring the rewards and challenges faced by crisis counselors working in emergency department settings
No full textThis dissertation explores burnout and self-efficacy in counselors who work with clients in crisis in emergency department settings. Mental health and emergency departments are two areas that tend to report higher levels of burnout than are reported in other occupational fields. While much research has been done on the topics of burnout and self-efficacy, limited information is available about counselors who work in these crisis roles. This dissertation follows a three-manuscript format and includes a conceptual, qualitative, and quantitative manuscript. The conceptual manuscript explores the nature of the crisis assessment itself, focusing on the area of risk assessment. The qualitative manuscript used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and focuses on the rewards and challenges faced by the counselors working in these positions. The quantitative manuscript concludes with a study that surveyed counselors about their levels of burnout and self-efficacy. Instruments used were the abbreviated Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) and the Counselors Crisis Self-Efficacy Scale (CCSES). Results of the manuscripts indicate that training and education is still needed in both graduate training and in employment settings. The qualitative study also noted significant challenges counselors face when providing needed help to clients. The quantitative study showed a negative correlation between counselor self-efficacy and burnout. Recommendations are to provide more education to graduate students about the nature of crisis work and the opportunities in this field. Counselors should all feel comfortable conducting a risk assessment on a client in crisis, no matter the setting. Finally, further study should be done to explore burnout in these positions and what can be done to mitigate those risks
“I Was Just Doing My Job”: An Oral History of Vietnam Veterans and the Impact of Their Voices in Collective War Memory.
No full textThis master\u27s thesis explores how oral histories from Vietnam veterans provide vital counter-narratives to traditional, often impersonal, military histories. Inspired by the author\u27s grandfather, a Vietnam veteran, the project collects and analyzes ten interviews conducted as part of the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project. The study emphasizes how oral history not only preserves overlooked personal stories but also restores humanity and empathy to historical understanding. Not only does this project highlight the findings of the interviews but also details the process the author went through before and during the interviews, accompanying that is advice on best practices and how to better conduct an oral history project
From Essential to Expendable – Montagnards, Kurds, and U.S. Army Special Forces in Vietnam and Northern Iraq
No full textIn the Vietnam and Iraqi conflicts, the U.S. Army Special Forces teamed up with indigenous ethnic monitories to bring the fight to all corners of the battle space, and to take advantage of their immense local knowledge and strategic locations. The Montagnards of Central Indochina and the Kurds in Northern Iraq allied with the Special Forces for a number of reasons: protection from their ruling governments, recognition for their movements for autonomy, increased access to better medicine and equipment, and the opportunity to strike back at their historical enemies. The Montagnards and Kurds taught the Green Berets how to better navigate and survive in the inhospitable terrain and provided them with intelligence and manpower. The Special Forces men brought in more sophisticated weapons and the acumen for modern war. Together they formed efficient and close-knit teams that infiltrated the Ho Chi Minh Trail and pushed Saddam’s Army out of Mosul and Kirkuk.
The Special Forces of the 5th and 10th SFG (A) stepped into two markedly different, yet vaguely familiar, situations that required them to work closely with a disenfranchised populous. They were forced to deal with the turbulent past of their indigenous allies in a way policy makers or generals did not. In order to better understand the Montagnards, Kurds, and their roles in our wars, this thesis delves into their culture and political history, not simply their military operations. No matter the outcome of the conflicts, the combination of Montagnards and Kurds with Special Forces provided the U.S. with fierce and determined allies who possessed immensely valuable local knowledge that could not be found anywhere else
Movement-evoked responses contribute to co-contraction in the rat tail during the nociceptive withdrawal response
No full textThe nociceptive withdrawal response (NWR) is a protective response to noxious stimuli that causes the movement of a limb or appendage away from the stimulus. Previous behavioral studies from our laboratory demonstrated that the heat-evoked NWR of the rat tail consists of four components: local bend, caudal bend progression, tail-base rotation, and tail stiffening. We hypothesize that tail stiffening through muscular co-contraction is an evolved mechanism to lessen the neural computational burden the CNS faces during the NWR. Co-contraction could arise from either sensory input from the noxious stimulus or sensory input from the resulting tail movement. The specific aim of our study was to determine if tail movement-evoked responses contribute to co-contraction during the NWR by comparing electromyographic (EMG) responses to noxious heat stimuli during tail movement and isometric (no movement) conditions.
In adult rats (n = 10), fine-wire EMG electrodes were inserted bilaterally into 8 tail muscles (6 intrinsic, dorsal lateral; 2 extrinsic, M. sacrocaudalis dorsalis). Placement of electrodes in the extrinsic muscles was verified by electrical stimulation and postmortem dissection. The NWR was evoked using a heat stimulus (980 nm laser diode) applied bilaterally to 6 locations distributed rostral-caudally along the tail. The tail was secured to a rigid rod to confine tail movement to rotation at the base of the tail. EMG and tail movement were recorded in two conditions: isometric (no tail-base rotation, accomplished by fixing the rigid rod during the trial) and movement (tail-base rotation).
Our results revealed the presence of extensive movement-evoked co-contraction, especially for intrinsic muscles, during the tail NWR. Our results also demonstrated differences between the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles: intrinsic muscles showed substantially more movement-related co-contraction than extrinsic muscles, and extrinsic muscle responses, but not intrinsic muscle responses, depended on stimulus location and degree of angular movement.
Our results suggest that extrinsic and intrinsic tail muscles may have different functions during the heat-evoked tail NWR. Specifically, we believe that the intrinsic muscles are responsible for stiffening the tail during the NWR through primarily movement-evoked co-contraction, while extrinsic muscles are primarily responsible for creating movement of the tail away from the heat stimulus. Our results provide insight on the simplification of movement by the CNS as limb stiffening can lessen the mechanical complexity of the tail, while also establishing the rat tail as a model system to further study co-contraction. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying co-contraction may be critical to understanding the excess levels of co-contraction that are present in a variety of neurological disorders such as Parkison’s disease and Down syndrome
How effective are fact-checks in Pakistan and who engages with them?
Full text linkFor fact-checks to be effective, they must first and foremost reach their intended audience. Yet, little is known about what determines engagement with fact-checks and how to enhance their reach. We conducted a pre-registered online survey experiment in Pakistan (N participants = 302, N observations = 1208) investigating the effectiveness of fact-checking, and the determinants of engagement with fact-checks and misinformation. We found that fact-checking reduced misperceptions, especially among the most misinformed. Trust was an important moderator of the effectiveness of fact-checking and of engagement with both the fact-checks and misinformation. For instance, fact-checks were more effective among participants who trust the news the most and least effective among participants who trust social media the most. Participants more concerned about misinformation were more likely to like and share fact-checks on social media. Understanding and promoting engagement with factual corrections on social media is a pressing challenge to increase the quality of our information ecosystem