Musical Concepts Research Articles

Compositional Rheology: Drafting Musical Flux through Fluid Mechanics and Drawing

Abstract This article explores the fluctuating relationship between the concepts of the “smooth” and “striated” musical space and time introduced by French composer Pierre Boulez and further developed by philosopher Gilles Deleuze, as well as its connection to rheology. The study focuses on how the understanding of the Reynolds number (Re), a parameter that characterizes the way a fluid flows in a duct, might provide a new approach to investigating the aforementioned musical concepts and visualizing them through drawing. This article also introduces a way of studying and visualizing musical compositions by establishing analogies between compositional parameters and the molecular and inertial forces that exist within the stream of a fluid.

개념 기반 교육과정에 기초한 음악과 수업 설계 방안 탐색

Concept-based curriculum is a curriculum that emphasizes on leading learners to form conceptual understanding through the process of inquiry into facts and phenomena and transferring them to new contexts. The purpose of this study is to explore music class design plan based on Concept-based curriculum. For this purpose, the main contents of concept-based curriculum, the emergence and application of conceptual approach in music education field, and concept-based lesson model for music class. Music concepts are the basis of understanding the structure and principles of music and musical activities, and it is very important to help students form concepts even in music classes centered on various activities. This study is significant in that it reconsiders the meaning and role of conceptual understanding in the general school music education process and expands the discussion on connections to other subjects and life.

A “set” of ancient bronze bells excavated in Changsha, Hunan Province, China

This article explores the criteria used to ascertain whether or not, and how, ancient Chinese bronze bells might form sets of musical instruments, thus clarifying their original intended use by ancient musicians. The focus is on ten bells unearthed from Changsha city in Hunan province in China, which date to the twelfth century BCE. A range of diverse relationships between these bells provide valuable insights that can be explored. Debate is ongoing among music historians regarding the nature of the bells. Some argue that the ten bells do not constitute a set of musical instruments because their designs and acoustic properties lack sufficient similarity and correlation. Conversely, another group of historians suggests that nine of the ten bells could indeed be seen as a set, but with the tenth bell being an outlier due to its distinct design. The third group of historians contends that the ten bells should be considered a musical set because of their organized sequence of consecutive semi-tones, while the design differences of the bells are less significant and can be overlooked if we focus on their musical functions. In this study, we scrutinize the assumptions made by these music historians, including their definitions of design similarity and the sequence of progressive pitches. Further previously overlooked criteria, such as the geographical proximity of these ten bells and others found in neighboring areas, and the incremental changes in the bell sizes, are also considered. Through the use of these criteria we aim to explore a wide range of relationships between ancient Chinese bells and to reassess what other new evidence the bells may offer to the study of ancient Chinese musical concepts. The concept of the chromatic scale discovered by ancient Chinese musicians was embodied on the casting of bronze bells.

Scoping Review of Music Interventions Aimed at Improving Reading Skills in Children with Specific Learning Disorders in Reading.

An emerging body of research utilizes music in the treatment of children with specific learning disorders in reading. However, greater understanding of music interventions is necessary for efficient application of music to address children's specific reading needs. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to identify the key musical concepts used to improve reading skills. Intervention studies were identified through online searches of databases and hand searching of primary journals in music therapy, and 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. For the 12 studies, auditory processing, phonological processing, and temporal processing were the underlying mechanisms identified in the interventions. Most of the interventions presented rhythmic activities for the purpose of improving reading accuracy. The results of this study highlight the lack of specific descriptions for the musical elements used within music interventions targeting reading skills. In addition, due to the diversity of the terms used to describe the music interventions, it was difficult to compare the effectiveness of these interventions on reading accuracy, comprehension skills, and fluency. Therefore, future studies are needed to articulate clear rationales for how musical elements can be used in music interventions to treat specific reading disabilities in children.

Representation of the MUSIC concept in the linguistic consciousness of young people from different professional groups (according to the analysis in the information systems “Semograph” and “SciVi”)

Representation of the MUSIC concept in the linguistic consciousness of young people from different professional groups (according to the analysis in the information systems “Semograph” and “SciVi”)

“Donasdogama Micma”

To this day, Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, written in the early fourteenth century, remains one of the most significant literary works of Western culture. It has not only been adapted in music, film, and art, but also in the world of video games. Since the early 1980s, video games have chosen the poetry as a basis for their plots, and various approaches to musical interpretation have emerged. With the release of Dante’s Inferno (2010), for the first time an approach was demonstrably chosen that resulted from an intensive examination of the Divine Comedy. This article explores the thesis that using literary works as a basis for video games not only affects the plot, gameplay, and character design, but also significantly influences the musical concept. Thus, it is evident that the literary source and its interpretation should be incorporated into the analysis of video game music. Thanks to Garry Schyman, who made the original scores available for analysis, the resulting musical concept will be examined more closely and compared with the previous Dante games.

The use of an interactive whiteboard in solfeggio teaching

This paper explores the application of digital technology, that is, interactive whiteboards, in solfeggio lessons. Digital technology, such as computers and interactive whiteboards, is gradually becoming part of the classroom, both in general education and music schools. In addition to traditional teaching tools (blackboard, chalk/markers, piano, and printed textbooks), computer programs and web applications can be beneficial complements to solfeggio lessons. The music classroom for teaching solfeggio is a great place where interactive whiteboards can be integrated. However, to effectively implement any form of digital technology in solfeggio, the teacher must be competent, IT-literate, know basic musical terms in English, and be receptive to the modern possibilities offered by technology. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the possibility of using an interactive whiteboard in solfeggio teaching. Employing a descriptive methodology, the study entailed the application of the interactive whiteboard for certain classroom activities while covering topics in solfeggio such as intonation, music dictation, and theoretical musical concepts. The research revealed that the interactive whiteboard can primarily function as a conventional whiteboard without its multimedia capabilities, allowing the written content to be preserved. In addition, interactive whiteboards have numerous advantages when utilized for singing musical examples, writing musical dictations, and practicing theoretical musical content.

The Embodiment of Postmodernism in Ryuichi Sakamoto's Rap Track Undercooled

Since the postmodernism has spread around the world and the advent of electronic music, more and more composers based on traditional music concepts are fusing modern technology to explore sound and acoustics, using the combination of acoustic instruments and electronic music. Ryuichi Sakamoto is one of the most representative composers of contemporary electronic music influenced by postmodernism. This article will take Ryuichi Sakamoto 's work Undercooled, composed in 2004 from album Chasm, as an example to analyze The musical structure, melody design, lyrics will be the focus of the analysis. Secondly, through the analysis of the postmodernism concept displayed in this piece, the author tries to clarify the postmodernism concept is reflected in the music piece.

Expression in the music of Andrzej Krzanowski

Abstract Despite the many research perspectives from which Andrzej Krzanowski’s music has been analyzed, so far there is no study that would attempt to interpret this work from the point of view of expression. The aim of the text is to answer the question about expression in Krzanowski’s music and his original compositional style. In the article, I refer primarily to the score (in Mieczysław Tomaszewski’s terms – the phase of musical conception). The starting point is the performing cast, with very often goes beyond the traditionally understood instruments (whistles, sirens). I am trying to find out what are the roots of using such an unusual cast and what significance it has for issue at hand. A separate place in the text is devoted to the expression of the voice as well as the influence of vocal genres (song, aria, chorale) on the instrumental music of this composer. The last issue related to the expression of the piece is the layer of verbal instructions. The number and repetition of many of them indicate how important for Krzanowski was not the recording itself, but its interpretation in performance. The analysis of Krzanowski’s scores in terms of the above-mentioned aspects ultimately leads to the conclusion that the musical choices he made resulted from the author’s autobiographical experiences, which shaped the original language of the author’s musical expression and, consequently, its type of expression.

특수교육 기본 교육과정 변천에 따른 시기별 음악 교육과정의 내용 및 초등학교 음악 교과서 분석

Objectives This study aims to analyze the changes in the content of music education from the first curriculum of special education to the latest curriculum and provide the characteristics and implications of music textbooks by each period.
 Methods The analysis of music curriculums was focused on the composition of curriculum documents and the changes in content; 11 music textbooks were analyzed from the perspectives of “music area and activity,” and “musical concept and element.” For music area and activity, the ratios of music area and activity type were ana-lyzed, and for musical concept and element, learning content and the grade hierarchy of learning content were analyzed.
 Results The content and content composition of music curriculums have been organized the same as those of the general curriculums since the 2011 curriculum. Music element was suggested with a focus on “sound” in the 2008 and 2011 curriculums, but it was mostly replaced with musical terms in the 2015 and 2022 curriculums. First, in the textbook analysis for the ratio of music areas, the area of “appreciation” was the highest in the 2008 and 2011 music textbooks and the area of “singing” was the highest in 2015 music textbook. When it comes to the ratio of activity types, the activity related to “sound” was the highest across the areas of singing, instrument, and appreciation in the 2008 music textbook. In the 2011 and 2015 music textbooks, activity related to “musical concept and element” was the highest. In the area of creation, two activities, “making sounds” and “changing lyrics,” were most frequently observed. In the area of daily life, the activity of “play” was the highest across all the textbooks. Second, the results of analyzing the musical concept and element showed that the level of the 2008 music textbook was similar to the lower grades of other textbooks, and the 2011 and 2015 music textbooks had a similar level of learning contents on “rhythm, form, tempo, and dynamic”. On the other hand, in terms of “melody” and “timbre,” association and hierarchy between grades had no distinct differences, and “harmony” was not sug-gested in most of the textbooks. In activities related to the characteristics of sound, instructional errors were found in the association with musical concepts.
 Conclusions The scope and level of music education content in special schools need to be improved; simulta-neously, research on systematic teaching and learning is required. This study explored the trend in music cur-riculums and the results of analyzing music textbooks. The findings are expected to provide useful basic data for developing the music curriculum of special education and for writing elementary school music textbooks. Further research should be conducted based on this study.

Research on Analyzing the Commercial Value of AI and Kwangya World View to SM Entertainment based on AESPA’s Musical Concept

Since AI plays an important role in the development of human beings nowadays, it is becoming a topic that people want to consider. For example, people are deeply dependent on high-precision AI tools to analyze data. Similarly, SM Entertainment also captured the importance of AI, creating the girl group AESPA and building the Kwangya worldview. Although SM Entertainment already has famous idol groups such as NCT and Red Velvet, it still chooses to take the risk of building, Kwangya, a brand-new concept. Some scholars studied the reasons that AESPA stands out among many idol groups from the visual design aspect and also researched AESPA’s influence on fans, but there is still a research gap in finding the business value of AESPA and Kwangya on SM Entertainment. Therefore, the article studies compare different idol groups’ visual concept settings and idol role positionings, and it found that AESPA is the most suitable team for the Kwangya world because of its clear and definite role positioning. The Kwangya worldview is also more attractive than other groups’ concepts. Also, the close connection with AI allows AESPA to get more cooperation opportunities. Therefore, the company is willing to try further building Kwangya. For the better development of the company, it can pay more attention to whether the concept setting is in line with the group style. In addition, allocating every idol’s personal resources equally is also a way to help the group develop.

Investigating the Roles of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Music Education: A Systematic Literature Review

Despite the growing recognition of the importance of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in music education, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding the precise nature of its role and how it contributes to effective teaching and learning. The objective of this systematic literature review is to examine and synthesize existing research on the roles of teachers' PCK in music education. Specifically, the study aims to explore how the PCK of music educators influences their teaching strategies, curriculum development, student engagement, and assessment practices. The research seeks to examine how these roles may vary across different scenarios and the implications of these variations for teaching and learning, especially in the context of music education across various educational settings. By synthesizing findings from diverse educational levels and cultural contexts, this review seeks to offer profound insights into the optimization of music education across various educational settings. The study follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The analysis focused on the research question and identified themes related to the PCK in music education. The analysis revealed four emerging themes: understanding of music concepts, pedagogical strategies, student-centered teaching approaches, and assessment practices. These findings provide insights into effective practices for music curriculum designers and instructors in designing and developing strategies in teaching and learning in music education. These insights can inform the development of effective teaching strategies, curriculum design, and assessment practices in music education, ultimately enhancing the quality of instruction and learning experiences for students.

Ladrang Siyem: The Royal Anthem of Thailand, in Javanese Gamelan Version

Ladrang Siyem: The Royal Anthem of Thailand, in Javanese Gamelan Version. During 19th century, Thailand modernized by associating itself with the "West" or Westernization; consequently, musical concepts from the West were implemented. Sansoen Phra Barami, also known as the Thailand Royal Anthem, is a musical composition composed to pay tribute to the King of Thailand. Therefore, the Western musical style was utilized in the composition. The Thai people should examine Java's prosperity in the areas of transportation, postal and telegraph, railways, military, and irrigation, in addition to European colonial policies and governance styles toward Asian nations. Through the Netherlands, the relationship between Thailand and Java was revealed during the three visits of Thai King Chulalongkorn in 1870, 1896, and 1901, as well as King Prajadhipok in 1929. An item that was performed in homage to His Majesty King Prajadhipok, King Rama VII of Thailand, who arrived at Surakarta palace in 1929 accompanied by the Queen, is Ladrang Siyem, which is the Javanese rendition of the Thai Royal Anthem. This item is mentioned in an archive titled Serat Saking Gotek or Wedhapradangga. The Javanese musicians at the Surakarta Palace adapted the gamelan piece known as "Sansoen Phra Barami" to become known as "Ladrang Siyem." An unmistakable illustration of the manner in which crypto-colonialism is projected through music is provided by the occurrence. In other words, the text takes into consideration political movements that occurred in Southeast Asia during the time of the colonial era.

Emerging Trends in South African Higher Education: A Critical Analysis of Distance Learning Modalities in Music

This study addresses the dynamic shifts in South African higher education, focusing on integrating distance learning into music education. The proliferation of digital platforms has redefined educational paradigms, necessitating a critical examination of its impact on music pedagogy within the South African context. Employing a qualitative critical analysis methodology, this research leverages existing scientific literature to discern patterns, challenges, and opportunities presented by distance learning modalities. Anchored in Jack Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory, this study investigates emerging trends in distance learning modalities within South African higher education music programmes. Two significant findings emerge: firstly, distance learning fosters student autonomy, enabling self-directed exploration of musical concepts. Secondly, collaborative online environments facilitate cross-cultural musical exchanges, enriching students' cultural understanding and musical proficiency. This study underscores the imperative of harnessing technology for music education in South Africa, emphasising its capacity to democratise access and broaden cultural understanding. The findings contribute to a growing body of literature on transformative learning experiences in music education, offering practical insights for educators and policymakers. As South Africa's educational landscape continues to evolve, this research lays a foundation for the innovative integration of digital platforms, ushering in a new era of inclusive and culturally enriched music education.

Woodwind Instruments in al-Fārābī’s Kitāb al-Mūsīqī al-Kabīr

Al‑Fārābī (d. 950 CE), the so-called ‘Second Master’ (Aristotle being the First Master), is known for his influential works on philosophy, especially his commentaries on Aristotle, as well as for his works on logic, physics and metaphysics, ethics, and politics. It was on behalf of al‑Karḫī, Caliph ar‑Rāḍī’s (r. 934–940 CE) wazīr, that al‑Fārābī wrote his Grand Book on Music, explaining musical concepts such as rhythm and melody to the wazīr. As a logician and practicing musician, he combined and improved upon different sources, such as Greek musical theory, as well as on the Arabic authors and musicians al‑Kindī (d. after 870 CE) and Isḥāq al‑Mawṣilī (d. 850 CE). In this paper, I discuss several issues related to woodwind instruments mentioned in al‑Fārābī’s Grand Book on Music. Al‑Fārābī expounds on their interconnections with the tonal production of other instruments, specifying their tone system in terms of finger positions on the fretboard of the ʿūd. Further questions address the relation between theory and practice, as well as some considerations about the modes that seem to be common on woodwinds.

Sexualized Violence Toward Children and Adolescents: The Visibility and Implementation of Safeguarding Concepts in Sports, Music, and Church

Sexualized Violence Toward Children and Adolescents: The Visibility and Implementation of Safeguarding Concepts in Sports, Music, and Church Abstract: Objective: In 2010, the disclosure of sexualized violence in educational organizations led to a public debate and calls for safeguarding concepts against sexualized violence toward children and adolescents. However, there have been few efforts to systematically record the visibility, availability, and implementation of such concepts. We used a broad Google search and a telephone survey as an initial approach to close this research gap. Method: In a systematic Google search and a telephone survey (N = 50), we identified and examined safeguarding concepts against sexualized violence toward children and adolescents in the context of religious organizations, sports, and musical education regarding its visibility, availability, and implementation level. Results: The results of our systematic internet research show a low hit rate of identified safeguarding concepts in all contexts. The low number of search hits indicates that the issue of sexualized violence toward children and adolescents has been inadequately addressed in many institutions, and that protective measures have been neglected. The supplementary results of the telephone survey suggest a low implementation level within organizations and a low availability of existing safeguarding concepts.

초등 통합 교과와 3학년 음악 교과 간 연계성 분석 - 2015 교육과정 제재곡을 중심으로 -

The purpose of this study was to analyze the connections between elementary school integrated subject and 3rd-grade music subject by focusing on the common music pieces in textbooks reflecting the 2015 revised curriculum. A total of 14 music pieces were analyzed by applying the following criteria for connection analysis: ‘Unrelated’, ‘Repetition’, ‘Expansion’, ‘Advanced’, and ‘Developed’. The results of the study showed that all 14 music pieces were presented as various scores in the integrated textbook, but all of them were presented as staff notation in the third grade textbook. In addition, the most common Musical elements and concepts presented in the common music pieces were ‘Jangdan(Rhythm Cycle), Se of Jangdan(Accent of Rhythm Cycle)’ in 10 cases and ‘Beats, Measure’ in 6 cases. When comparing the main learning activities, the number of the common music pieces with ‘Advanced’ and ‘Developed’ level of connections through expanding musical concepts was the highest at 7 music pieces, followed by 4 music pieces with varying levels of connections and 3 music pieces with low connections. Through this study, we hope to lead to a concrete discussion of appropriate music subject curriculum connections for grade-level transition textbooks.

Music motivation depends on what to motivate: research review of Gumm’s music teaching and conducting models

The history and philosophy of music education are traced with varied efforts to hone, enhance, and shift a strong tradition of performance-based instruction. The purpose of this study is to summarize the research of Gumm’s empirical models of eight music teaching and six conducting approaches and their application in the profession across three decades toward varied philosophical aims. Each approach coordinates a distinct set of instructional and motivational behaviors toward a particular learning effect or outcome. Different balances of approaches reveal broader aims, such as performance, comprehensive musicianship, cooperative, discovery, and affective learning, or even basic on-task behavior. Broader yet are two overarching aims found in common to both music teaching and conducting—to control or release. Controlling music teaching asserts correct on-task behavior through clear task directions and corrective feedback, motivates attention to task nonverbally, efficiently fills time with active tasks, and clarifies and affirms positive learning. In contrast, cooperative group leadership releases interdependent learning, questioning fosters music concept learning, imagery and movement release artistry, and discussing unique perspectives releases independent ideas and feelings. In conducting, precise gestures control accurate timing, signals and alerts motivate attention, and mimicry of musician exertions controls physical tone production; whereas shaping of phrases and score markings release musical expression, psychosocially familiarized gestures foster interdependence, and tension-easing gestures release freer independent tone production. Control-oriented teaching is most prevalent across the field, yet links to greater burnout and appeals to accommodating students motivated by effort and ability more than students motivated by social and affective enjoyment of music. In conducting, music-oriented precision and expression are more prevalent than musician-oriented approaches. Releasing approaches are more prevalent in Western than Eastern culture, upper levels, early rehearsals well before concerts, smaller ensembles, competitive ensembles, and teachers and conductors with greater experience or varied movement training. Conclusive implications are that the key to motivation is to draw attention to specific and intentional forms of learning, and that whatever is motivated to attention also motivates a particular philosophy of music education. Future research is suggested in general music and ethnic, folk, popular, community, and professional music ensembles.

CROSS-CULTURAL MUSICAL TRANSFORMATION: SHAPING CHINESE TRADITIONS

This article endeavors to thoroughly examine the processes of Western influence on Chinese musical culture, focusing on the perspectives of prominent figures within the Chinese composer-performer tradition. Specifically, it highlights the role of Westernization as a means of shaping musical concepts in the works of Fei Shi, Ou Man, Qing Zhu, and Zeng Zhizhi. Furthermore, it acknowledges that a substantial number of music scholars pursue education abroad with the intention of delving into Western musical experiences and engaging with the resources of Western musical culture and the arts. Upon their return, whether they adopt a “Westernized” or “reformed” approach, they are actively contributing to the practical development of their own musical culture and innovative musical ideas. It is revealed that the processes of Westernization primarily occurred through the efforts of individual representatives within the Chinese community. The article highlights their practical actions involving the adaptation and creation of contemporary styles and forms within Chinese musical culture.

The creative process of creating dance accompaniment gendhing Murdanata Dedarining Aringgit: the mascot dance of Nagasepaha Village in Buleleng Regency, Bali

The Gendhing accompaniment for Murdanata Dedarining Aringgit is a newly composed musical piece designed to accompany the Murdanata Dedarining Aringgit dance, which serves as the mascot dance of Nagasepaha village in Buleleng Regency, Bali. Data for creating this piece were gathered through literature studies, observations, interviews, and discography (recordings). The primary question guiding this creation was: 'What is the creative process involved in composing the accompaniment for the Murdanata Dedarining Aringgit dance?' The creative process involved three stages: exploration, improvisation, and formation. The key findings of this creation include: (1) The Gendhing accompaniment for Murdanata Dedarining Aringgit is a novel composition rooted in Balinese karawitan musical concepts, (2) The structural framework of the Gendhing utilizes the Tri Angga concept, comprising Kawitan, Pengawak, and Pengecet, and (3) Both the Gendhing and the Murdanata Dedarining Aringgit dance emerged from a collective desire to establish a new musical language that fulfills the community's evolving cultural needs. This creation underscores the inseparable unity between the Gendhing accompaniment and the Murdanata Dedarining Aringgit dance, thus serving as a cultural representation of the people of Nagasepaha village in Buleleng Regency, Bali.