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‘Music and Nature’ A Folio of Original Compositions for Various Instruments with Detailed Analyses Volume 1
Get PDFThe basis of this thesis is a portfolio of eight original compositions with analyses of each
individual composition. All of the compositions have been composed under the working title
of ‘Nature and Music’; the compositions include solo works, works for small and large
ensembles ranging from solo violin, piano, to small wind ensemble, to large orchestra. These
works are a continuation of the development of compositional skill and style which I learned
and developed at undergraduate level. They have all been based on various aspects of nature;
water, trees, wind etc.
This submission has been divided into two volumes:
Volume 1
This contains the analyses of all eight compositions. Each analysis is presented under the
following headings:
· Introduction
· Analysis
· Compositional Approach
· Rhythmic Techniques
· Harmonic Style
· Formal Structures
· Instrumentation/Orchestration
· Sonorities/Texture/Timbre
Volume 2
This contains the scores of all of the eight compositions, presenting the analyses under the
same headings as volume 1. This volume also includes the conclusion and bibliography.
An accompanying CD containing MIDI tracks and recordings of the works accompanies
volume 2, along with a separate DVD featuring a visual clip to accompany ‘Drips’
CD Track List
Track: Title: File Type:
Track 1: Babbling Brook Recording
Track 2: Storm at Sea Recording
Track 3: Drips Recording
Track 4: Still Water Recording
Track 5: Changing of the Seasons Live Recording
Track 6: Voice of the Trees MIDI Sequence
Track 7: Incendios Forestales! MIDI Sequence
Track 8: Mechanical Wind MIDI Sequence
(N.B: some of the MIDI versions of these pieces have not performed the exact changes in
tempi which I have indicated within the music)
DVD:
This features a visual clip which was created to accompany ‘Drips’ as part of a collaboration
project – the MIDI track did not perform the changes in tempi, however the visual is intended
to be used as an accompaniment for live performance of the piece. This collaboration was
completed with Ruth Flynn, a Visual Art MA student of WIT
Restructuring Irish Higher Education through Collaboration and Merger
Get PDFIrish higher education has been undergoing significant change, provoked by the global financial crisis and its particular manifestation in Ireland. The demand for higher education is rising at the same time that public funding is declining. In response, mergers and strategic alliances, including regional clusters, of higher education institutions have become key components of the strategy to better position Irish higher education for greater efficiency, enhanced quality, improved competitiveness and visibility, and clearer alignment with national policy objectives. This chapter traces these developments. It describes the socio-economic and policy context underpinning developments in Irish higher education since the 1970s, and traces the origin and evolution of collaboration initially incentivised by government funding (1996-2011) to the current phase (2011-) which envisages structural reform and system-wide change as part of top-down policy-steering. The conclusion discusses over-all changes to the higher education landscape, and the implications of a shift from a policy of laissez-faire to steering-from-the-centre
Development of a Vertical Method for Dielectric Measurement of Powders and Liquids
Get PDFTwo free-space broadband measurement techniques to determine the dielectrics properties of powders and liquids are presented based on horizontal and vertical propagation paths, both of which allow for a series of measurements to be taken where the varying parameter is thickness of material under test (to overcome the challenge of the unknown electrical length)
Central Retinal Enrichment Supplementation Trials (CREST): design and methodology of the CREST randomized controlled trials.
Get PDFJudicial Separation and Divorce in the Circuit Court
Get PDFWhile family law is not a unique subject matter for research, it is however, a much neglected area.
What sets this work apart, is the significant volume of cases observed and analysed in the Circuit
Court, in all 8 Circuits. Information was extrapolated to definitively answer the questions, that to date
have been informed by anecdotal conjecture. The effects of a deep recession during the court research
period, October 2008 to February 2012, highlighted the serious failings of an opaque and costly
system, with long delays and over-burdened lists, which resulted in particularly poor outcomes for
children, male litigants and lay litigants.
While case reporting is not in itself an innovation, the development of a large database resource is.
For the first time, comprehensive empirical data has been gathered, from 1,087 cases observed during
the period of the research. This statistically significant sample size, gives confidence levels of
between +/-3% and +/-0.6%, indicating that the findings are good indicators of what happended
across all courts during the research period.
Judicial interviews were carried out, which assisted with the examination of the decision making of
the court, on judicial separation and divorce. While it was expected that inconsistencies would be
evident from court to court, what was unexpected, was the difficulty in identifying consistencies.
Comparative international research carried out in New Zealand, Canada and America, indicated that
hearing the views of the child is a priority for most courts. However, a finding in the Irish family
courts is the absolute disconnect between the courts and children, who have no voice. This research
unequivocally shows we are utterly failing the vulnerable members of our society, post the breakdown
of the ‘family’; particularly children, by refusing to hear their voices, or offer appropriate
support, in matters that are central to their lives
Toward a conceptual framework of personal, professional and situational teacher identity: A study of multiple teacher selves in Further and Adult Education in Ireland
No full textIn more recent years, there has been some fresh debate around the issue as to what constitutes the complex notion of teacher identity across various teacher education settings. Three seminal reviews of the literature in the last decade (Beauchamp &Thomas, 2009; Beijaard et al., 2004; Rodgers and Scott, 2008) have emphasised, in particular, the importance of and interrelation of notions of identity, context, emotion and agency.
One of the challenges that existed in researching the process of student teacher identity formation to date has been the general different foci of studies. According to both Beijard et al. (2004) and Hamman, Gosselin, Romano and Bunuan (2010), there has been a strong preoccupation with investigating characteristics or content, namely what roles and values, constitute teacher professional identity and less consideration of more situational and contextual factors within the broader framework of teacher professional development. Rodgers and Scott (2008) and Hamman et al. (2010) claim also that studies have also tended to focus more predominately on student teachers being authored by mico- and macrocontextual forces of change as opposed to authoring their own stories.
This paper reports on the first phase of a three-year research project undertaken at Waterford Institute of Technology. It focuses on the teaching-learning environment of two of the first graduate and postgraduate TEQ programmes for Further and Adult Education (FAE) in Ireland. More precisely, the study takes a close look at participants’ intentions, expectations and experiences in respect of their professional identity over the duration of their TEQ programme.
The focus of the research is to explore the evolving professional identity of Irish FAE educators. More specifically, how personal, professional and situational dimensions embrace their notions of identity, context, emotion and agency. It would seem that finding oneself in a FAE education culture entails a dimension of visualizing the possible and ideal self as an agent of creatively embracing principles of good practice in challenging times in education.
The WIT School of Lifelong Learning and Education is the primary context for this research study. Methods used included reflective statements, collaborative workshop, interviews and document analysis. Our research results are similar to those of Conway and Clarke (2003), and Hamman (2012):-
Student teacher possible selves evolve from being “task based” to “quality based”
Teacher feared selves remain predominately task based
Furthermore our results also show a strong relationship between personal, professional and situational mediating factors in the formation of possible future teacher selves. Teachers demonstrated that the process of reflection on action having experienced an eventful change in their lives, both personal and professional, was critical in the formation of their evolving possible selves. The question remains as to how to facilitate teachers “readiness for change” as they envisage future possible selves personally and professionally.
The need for more research into FAE teaching-learning environments in professional development for teachers in Ireland is identified. Further steps are also identified for developing the TEQ programmes, in particular support for the evolving future orientated possible teacher self
Minister and Minstrel : A Critical Analysis of the Plays of Jim Nolan
Get PDFA professional playwright since 1985, Jim Nolan has written seventeen plays, thirteen of which have been professionally produced and five have been published. However, little academic research has been undertaken into his work. This thesis addresses this gap in research by providing a critical analysis of all of Nolan’s plays and examines the contribution that he has made to contemporary Irish drama. In assessing Nolan’s contribution to contemporary Irish drama, the thesis considers published and unpublished texts, critical analysis of the work of other contemporary Irish playwrights and theatre reviews. It contends that, though his work is expressive of similar concerns to playwrights such as Brian Friel and Thomas Kilroy, Nolan’s dramatic focus is unique and is driven by different concerns that merit consideration. The thesis argues that, through his exploration of social and political issues in the Waterford region, Nolan’s work provides a unique insight into the manner in which the prevailing social, economic and cultural conditions from 1956-2010 impacted upon the lives of working-class people. In particular, the study considers the theme of redemption which is manifest throughout the work. The dissertation argues that redemption is experienced by Nolan’s characters through sharing, or participating in an act of creative performance. The thesis is relevant to researchers interested in the value of regional theatre to contemporary Irish drama
An Exploration of Effective Leadership Facets at Head of Department level in the Institute of Technology (IOT) Sector in Ireland
Get PDFChange management is becoming increasingly important in the public sector. The role of leadership in delivering such change is critical yet remains under-researched, Sadeghi and Pihie, (2012). Focusing on higher education, this study will address this gap by exploring effective leadership facets at Head of Department (HOD) level in the Institute of Technology (IOT) sector in Ireland.
Using a conceptual model developed by Bryman for the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE) (2007; 2009) in the United Kingdom, the study explores the leadership facets which are deemed important for IOT HODs and also the extent to which these leadership behaviours are displayed by incumbent HODs. The study was conducted in eleven Institutes of Technology in Ireland amongst academic staff. The number of responses received was 327 equating to a response rate of 10.4%.
The findings indicate strong support for the importance of all eleven leadership facets set out in the LFHE study for HOD leadership effectiveness. However, the extent to which HODs actually display these leadership facets is statistically significantly lower than the importance ratings for each of the eleven behaviours. Additionally, qualitative data presents some negative perceptions of leadership facets at HOD level and there were also comments pointing to additional important leadership facets for HODs which could form the basis of further research studies.
The study contributes to the field by providing insights into higher education leadership within the public sector and presents a study which is the first of its kind to do so in Ireland. The second substantial contribution is the identification of a competency framework for the IoT HOD role which can be used for leadership development initiatives aimed at enhancing HOD leadership effectiveness. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications for research and practice and the limitations of the current study
Creating a community of inquiry in a healthcare organization
Get PDFThis insider action research study was undertaken in a national healthcare organisation in Ireland over a twenty-eight month period from 2010 to 2013. The focus of the research was to study the establishment of a quality patient safety audit (QPSA) team, created to fill an assurance gap for clinical and social service at corporate governance level in the observed healthcare organisation. This audit team, once recruited, consisted of fifteen individuals with varied professional experience (both clinical and administrative/ management) and levels of seniority from different geographical locations within the studied organisation. The primary aim of the research account was on the learning that was generated internally by establishing the aforementioned team, underpinned by a critical action learning ethos. This project sought to document the creation of a suitable team environment and to track this team from establishment through to the observed evolution of a community of inquiry (COI) in the practice of audit. Using the stages within the experiential learning cycle (Kolb 1984) to guide team interventions and the researcher’s own critical reflection, this approach was the antithesis to subject-led teaching approaches to management, and ignited transformation dialogue and actions that facilitated individual and team engagement, immersion and growth when completing audits and working within the audit team. The action research (AR) methodology contributed to the researcher’s own learning and when used to underpin the practice of the audit team, ensured quality in inquiry. Furthermore, findings that emerged from each AR cycle were fed back directly into practice with the aim of bringing about sustained improvement. A key contribution of this research is that COI theory acted as an organising principle, underpinned by a critical action learning ethos in this study, resulting in a ‘favourable voice climate’ that allowed voices to be heard and acted upon. Notably, this created a tension as before team members could hear anything worth hearing, they needed to contemplate the power dynamics of the space they operated in and social actors therein and examine their own willingness to hear and be heard. Fundamental to this approach was that the grounding of learning in practice, combined with exposure to new perspectives and interpretation of organisational and managerial situations, tapped into the collective insights of individuals to inform practice
Driver attitudes to cyclists in an Irish city: a positive outlook for the future?
Get PDFLevels of cycling for transport in Ireland are starting to increase from a low base (2% DoT, 2009), and the Government has rolled out funding, nationwide, with the aim of increasing to 10% the amount of trips made by bike by 2020. This means Irish drivers having to share the road with an increasing volume of cyclists, something they are not used to doing.
However, international research has found that cyclists are viewed as dangerous, hazardous, inconsiderate, lacking in knowledge of and/or frequently breaking the rules of the road and ‘different’ to drivers (Stone & Gosling, 2008; Daley and Rissel, 2011; Basford et al., 2002) – for which they have also been derided in the UK press1. In addition, cycling for transport has a lower status and is less acceptable than recreational cycling (Daley and Rissel, 2011). What do Irish drivers think?
The overall aim of this research was to explore domestic and professional drivers’ attitudes to cyclists in Kilkenny and specifically to gauge their views on sharing the road with cyclists, cycling safety, cycling infrastructure, whether cycling is socially acceptable, and whether cyclists have good cycling skills and knowledge. Kilkenny is an example of a small regional city where many kilometres of on-road cycle lanes have been laid, reducing space for cars and parking. Anecdotal evidence suggested some driver hostility to this and an unwillingness to share the road. One hundred and eighty, randomly selected drivers, who were not cyclists, (38% aged 18-40 yrs; 43% female) completed a survey(based on Basford 2002) in their cars, and five of them (3 female, 2 male, aged 45-50) discussed the survey issues further, in a focus group setting, at a later date.
Results show that, overall, and contrary to existing research, drivers in Kilkenny have a very positive attitude to cycling and cyclists. They considered both cyclists and motorists as equally inconsiderate, but cyclists as much more vulnerable. They were in favour of more on-road cycle lanes, saw cyclists are the same sort of people as themselves and most intended to cycle sometime in the future. However, most agreed that it isn’t ‘normal’ to cycle for transport, that such cyclists should undergo training and wear protective gear (his vis and helmets), and that sports cyclists are more knowledgeable and safer cyclists.
In general, these attitudes bode well for future investment in cycling and cycling infrastructure in Kilkenny. However, it highlights the ‘Catch 22’ that without a change in the image of transport cyclists as ‘not normal’, and needing hi-vis, helmets and training, it will be difficult to get the critical mass of transport cyclists necessary to change this image.
Basford, L., Reid, S, Lester, T., Thomson, J & Tolmie, A. (2002). Drivers' Perceptions of Cyclists. TRL Ltd., University of Strathclyde, UK, for the Department of Transport.
Daley, M. & Rissel, C. (2011). Perspectives and images of cycling as a barrier or facilitator of cycling. Transport Policy, 18, 211–216.
Stone, M., & Gosling, R. (2008). Attitudes to cycling: Research report (for London Transport). London, England: Synovate Researc