1,720,967 research outputs found
The Effect of Instrumental Music Instruction on Disadvantaged South African Students' Career Plans
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of instrumental music instruction on the career plans of disadvantaged South African secondary school students. The study was part of the South African Music Outreach Project, a project that over the past two years has established concert bands (instrumental ensembles) at public schools in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The findings revealed that students' participation in instrumental music instruction had a positive effect on their career plans and decisions to major in music. After participation in the instrumental music programme, the majority of students indicated they were strongly contemplating a career in music upon completion of their secondary education. Similar to previous studies on comparable populations, there were gender and racial differences in the career plans of subjects within the current sample. Follow-up studies should focus on the impact of the South African Music Project on variables such self-esteem, leadership, teamwork and motivation
The occupational aspirations and expectations of college students majoring in jazz studies
No full textThis study was designed to investigate the occupational aspirations and occupational
expectations of college students majoring in jazz studies in the United States.
Participants included the population of jazz studies majors (N = 211) at a large
mid-southern university known for its prestigious and internationally recognized
jazz program. A response rate of 85% was obtained. Occupational aspirations and
occupational expectations were measured on the Jazz Occupational Prestige Index.
Results indicated that students aspired to more prestigious occupations but expected
to be employed in occupations less prestigious when considering the realities of the
job market. A small percentage of students (4.7%) aspired to teach while a higher
percentage (15.8%) expected to be engaged in teaching as a profession. The analysis
of relationships between variables revealed a low positive relationship between
occupational aspiration and support from significant others. All other relationships
were negligiblehttp://jrm.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/59/4/393doi: 10.1177/002242941142446
Karen Devroop with the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra 2021
No full textPerformances of soloists with orchestra are intense and require a lot of preparation and rehearsals because in addition to the soloist needing to have good technical ability, a host of other factors come into play when performing with an orchestra. These include the ability to perform in tune with strings (saxophones are notoriously out of tune by virtue of the design of the instrument), balance with the various sections (woodwind, brass), sectional blend on unison sections when called for in the music and the ability to project your sound above a 50-piece orchestra. In the case of jazz performers, improvisation plays a critical role when performing with orchestra. However, unlike a jazz trio or quartet set where the soloist is offered a lot of liberties when improvising, in an orchestral setting, there are many constraints that have to be adhered to including form, structure and style of the improvisation which must conform to the orchestra setting.
In this performance, I performed 4 original compositions namely: Hold My Hand, Her Mother’s Smile, Rita’s Heart and Ancestral Home. Each work was arranged specifically for this concert and arranged for saxophone soloist with full orchestra and jazz rhythm section comprised of piano, bass, drums and guitar. Each arrangement was conceptualised, and continuously revised 6 over months prior to the concert. This was done to ensure that arrangements worked for orchestra from an orchestration perspective and that the orchestral arrangements were balanced in terms of soloist, orchestra and rhythm section.
The composition Hold My Hand, was initially composed with a large strings section in mind. This work was composed to present interaction between saxophone and strings with accentuations being done by brass and woodwinds. Rhythm section accompaniment was meant to be supportive and not overbearing. This performance captures the essence of these ideas. The performance (as demonstrated on the recording) calls for good balance and interaction between saxophone and strings. Vital to my performance is maintaining good intonation and balance with the strings section. This work although simple sounding was challenging from a performance perspective because the work modulates from A major to F# major on saxophone with the latter key not the best key to maintain good intonation on saxophone. Accordingly, the performer is required to work exceptionally hard when performing in this key. Having to play in tune with strings makes the task that much more complicated.
The track Her Mother’s Smile is an RnB ballad composition in which the feel of the song in more important, accordingly the rhythm section is required to play with a good feel while saxophone has to play with appropriate style. This work calls for emphasis on the low strings specifically cellos who play a counter melody to saxophone while articulating the suspended 4th harmonies on the verse section of the composition. Brass section was arranged to provide intensity rather than movement in this work. Their role although simple was to provide intensity in the chorus section. This work calls for jazz improvisation by the saxophonist that is style specific. Rather than playing bebop lines, the saxophonist is required to play more RnB groove orientated lines. The interaction between saxophone and rhythm section is vital to this work.
The last two works on this output are very contrasting with Rita’s Heart a light pop orientated ballad and Ancestral Home a much more intense work contrasting Latin and Mbaqanga styles. The work is technically challenging for the orchestra with brass required to play a featured unison section in the middle of the composition. Saxophone is required to double the brass; accordingly, balance, intonation and blend play a pivotal role. The saxophonist is required to improvise extensively in this work often over harmonic shifts. Accordingly, technical ability and improvisational skill play a critical role in this work.Art and Musi
Performing arts medicine: A research model for South Africa
Get PDFPerforming Arts Medicine has developed into a highly specialised field over
the past three decades. The Performing Arts Medical Association (PAMA) has been the
leading proponent of this unique and innovative field with ground-breaking research
studies, symposia, conferences and journals dedicated specifically to the medical
problems of performing artists. Similar to sports medicine, performing arts medicine
caters specifically for the medical problems of performing artists including musicians and
dancers. In South Africa there is a tremendous lack of knowledge of the field and unlike
our international counterparts, we do not have specialised clinical settings that cater for
the medical problems of performing artists. There is also a tremendous lack of research
on performance-related medical problems of performing artists in South Africa.
Accordingly the purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the field of performing
arts medicine, highlight some of the significant findings from recent research studies and
present a model for conducting research into the field of performing arts medicine. It is
hoped that this research model will lead to increased research on the medical problems of
performing artists in South Africa.https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v10i2.9
Karen Devroop with the Lamont Symphony Orchestra
No full textKaren Devroop performs as saxophone soloist with the Lamont Symphony Orchestra in Denver Colorado.Receiving an invitation to perform with an international symphony orchestra is no small feat. From the large number of applications received by various orchestras around the world, only a handful of artists receive invitations to perform as soloists. Generally, the most popular invitees are primarily pianists, violinists and singers. Saxophonists are rarely invited to perform with orchestras, largely due to the instrument not being recognised as a primary solo instrument with orchestra and also due to the limited amount of literature available for this combination of forces. Accordingly, when a saxophonist is invited to perform with an orchestra, it is indeed an accomplishment.
In 2020, I was invited to perform as saxophone soloist with the Lamont Symphony Orchestra, the resident orchestra of the Newman Performing Arts Centre in Denver, Colorado. The Lamont Symphony Orchestra is internationally recognised and has accompanied some of the world’s great performers. The Newman Performing Arts Centre is one the most prestigious performance halls in Colorado with a seating capacity of close to 1000 people and a new, state of the art performance hall. My concert was widely publicised online and in print media across Denver and drew a capacity crowd. Generally, concerts are sold out at this venue but in April 2020, the pandemic was just taking hold in the USA; accordingly, the venue was not sold out but did draw a crowd of approximately 700 people.
My performance included the Piazzola Suite comprised of Libertango, Oblivion, and Adios Nonino which were specifically arranged for saxophone and full orchestra by internationally recognised arranger Trino Jimenez from Venezuela. I commissioned Mr Jimenez to arrange these works for me, after conceptualising the works in a manner that blended both classical and jazz styles. The works were arranged for full orchestra but included room for jazz improvisation. As a jazz saxophonist with classical training and background, I wanted to perform the works in a manner that was neither classical nor jazz but rather a blending of both styles. Hence, the performance tends to be classical but with occasional jazz inflections, jazz interpretation and jazz improvisation. Keeping in mind that these were tangos (Astor Piazzola was widely recognised for writing tango based orchestral works), I tried to keep the performance in the tango idiom with lots of emotion melodically.
Performing as a soloist with an orchestra (national or international) requires a significant amount of practice and preparation. Instruments such as the saxophone are notoriously out of tune (by virtue of their design), accordingly they require intensive preparation in order to balance, blend and play in tune with the string section. My preparation for this concert began a year prior to the concert, as the arrangements had not been performed before. Accordingly, I had to ensure that the arrangements were viable by rehearsing them with a local orchestra before performing them abroad. My personal practising and preparation took several months as I was afforded just one rehearsal with the orchestra prior to the dress rehearsal.
Ultimately, the concert was exceptionally well received with a standing ovation. I was indeed pleased with my performance and grateful to be afforded this rare opportunity.Art and Musi
Karen Devroop and Fabrizio Savino at the 2019 Unisa Jazz festival
No full textThis is a jazz quartet performance of Karen Devroop (South Africa) with Fabrizio Savino (Italy) at the 2019 Unisa Jazz Festival.This creative output involved a jazz quintet performance at the 2019 Unisa Jazz Festival. The featured artists involved a collaboration between Karendra Devroop (South Africa) and internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist, Fabrizio Savino (Italy), accompanied by a rhythm section comprised of some of South Africa’s leading jazz artists, including Roland Moses (piano), Marc Duby (bass) and Rob Watson (drums). This performance was initiated by Karen Devroop following a chance meeting with Fabrizio Savino in Italy in 2018.
The performance occurred in ZK Matthews Hall and was one of the featured ensembles on the 2019 Unisa Jazz Festival which included a host of national and international artists including but not limited to: Karen Devroop/Fabrizio Savino, Gloria Bosman, Riley G Collective, Artvark (Netherlands), Ildo Nandja Trio and the Unisa Big Band, among others. The festival occurred over 2 days and was widely publicised via print media, social media, online media and radio stations nationally. The Unisa Jazz Festival is currently considered one of the premier new jazz festivals in South Africa that has been in existence since 2018 and has featured international artists from the Seychelles, Netherlands, Italy and beyond in addition some of South Africa’s leading jazz artists such as Feya Faku, Nduduzo Makhatini, McCoy Mrubata, and many others.
The ensemble performed entirely original compositions except for one jazz standard. All works were specifically arranged for this performance based upon the available instrumentation. This was the ensemble’s first performance with additional performances by Karen Devroop/Fabrizio Savino scheduled for Italy. Unfortunately, these performances were postponed due to the current pandemic. It is hoped that these and other performances in South Africa will proceed in 2021.
The performance was extremely well received by the audience due to a stellar performance by the ensemble which ‘pushed the boundaries’ in terms of improvisation, innovative arrangements of the works, and originality on the artists’ part with regard to interpretation, interaction and collaboration.Art and Musi
Sophiatown Swing
No full textPlease follow the links to the individual videos of the performance.
Artists in the production included jazz musicians from Unisa, Tshwane University of Technology and Pretoria University in addition to Artvark Saxophone Quartet from the Netherlands.Sophiatown Swing is an original Jazz Theatre production that I had created in 2019. This unique, first of its kind production includes a 9 piece jazz ensemble, video, narration and a small set. The basis of the production takes the audience member into Sophiatown (the heart of jazz) in the late 1950’s and tells the stories of jazz during this time which was one of the most prolific jazz periods in South African history because a few years later (1960), jazz, dancing and the beer halls were outlawed. The result being that jazz as we know it practically ceased to exist with most artists going into exile.
Sophiatown Swing takes the audience member to various beer halls/shebeens in and around Sophiatown and focuses on the legendary artists of the time (Miriam Makeba, the Skylarks, Hugh Masekela, Dorothy Masuku, Abdulla Ibrahim and several others). The lives of the artists are told (via narration) while their music is performed live by the 9 piece jazz ensemble. The performance is put into its social environment via video which presents historic footage of Sophiatown, the artists, the dance and beer halls and the living conditions at the time.
Musically, all the music for this production was carefully selected and arranged for a 9 piece ensemble which included a saxophone section (5 saxophones) and rhythm section (piano, bass, drums and guitar). The music focusses on some of the iconic jazz compositions of this period that paved the way for future generations of jazz artists in South Africa.
The creation of this production required me to firstly research this time period in jazz by identifying social constructs of the time, setting, iconic artists and their music. Several influential artists were identified and key compositions were selected. I then had these compositions arranged for the ensemble while simultaneously searching the archives for video footage of Sophiatown and the artists. This video footage was then edited in order to create a storyline. A narrative script was created that told the story of the artists, their lives and their music. This narrative text was then synced to various compositions (that would be performed live) and to the video so that one continuous story unfolds. The net result being audience members transported into Sophiatown during the late 1950s and experiencing the music, video and narration in order to be fully immersed into this historic period in jazz.Art and Musi
The career expectations of students majoring in jazz in South Africa: Analysis of performance expectations, income and career plans
No full texthttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/18125980.2010.48615
The Occupational Aspirations and Expectations of Music Education Majors in Mexico
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to investigate the occupational aspirations and expectations of students majoring in music education in Mexico. Participants (N = 83) included the entire population of music education majors enrolled at the National School of Music at the National Autonomous University of Mexico during the 2002 academic year. Questionnaires were administered by one of the researchers, with a return rate of 92%.
The analysis of occupational aspirations and expectations revealed some disparities in the types of occupations subjects preferred and expected. The majority of students indicated they aspired to a combination of occupations however most students indicated they expected to be engaged in performance. Teaching was among the least aspired occupations with less than 9% of respondents indicating they would prefer to teach exclusively. This is an alarming finding when one considers that the population under investigation was comprised of music education majors. Within the context of this study one would expect students’ aspirations and expectations to be similar since it is generally accepted that a music education major would naturally aspire and expect to be engaged in teaching.
Although this study is among the first to investigate the occupational aspirations and expectations of music education majors in Mexico, the data does provide baseline information for subsequent investigations. Recommendations for future research are discussed
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