A music therapy informed music group program was created and implemented at the Maricopa Reentry Center in Phoenix. This program \u2014 entitled Building Hope Through Music \u2014 utilized music therapy techniques including lyric analysis, songwriting, singing, musical games, and guided visualization in order to improve self-awareness, provide a medium for self-expression, increase teamwork and collaboration, promote relaxation, facilitate emotional processing and awareness, and improve tolerance of non-preferred activities in participants. This group was conducted for seven months and had participation from over 400 male ex-offenders.

Both dialogic reading and embodied cognition have showed to be effective strategies in the development of early literacy skills. Additionally, the use of electronic books has been found to also have a positive effect, including in combination with dialogic reading. The effectiveness of dialogic reading and embodied strategy while reading an e-book has not been compared. The purpose of the study is to determine if embodied cognition can improve dialogic reading practices and possibly offer a theoretical framework for why dialogical reading practices work. Additionally, this study aims to determine the impact of embodied cognition and dialogic reading on the development of both vocabulary and story recall skills in preschool-aged children. Twenty-nine preschool children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old took part in a matched pairs experiment that included reading an e-book. Children in the experimental groups received four readings of either an embodied cognition condition or a dialogic reading condition. Following the four readings, the groups switched treatment. The children who received the embodied cognition conditions scored significantly higher on both story recall and vocabulary acquisition compared to those in the dialogic reading and control groups. Results of the study suggest embodied cognition in conjugation with dialogic reading practices could provide a more effective and improved model for promoting early literacy skills.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the Big Four Sporting Leagues of US Professional Sports. In recent years, the NBA has enjoyed milestone seasons in both attendance and television ratings, resulting in steady increases to both, over the previous decade. (Morgan, 2017) This surge can be attributed in part to the integration of "cultural recognition" initiatives and the overall message of inclusivity on the part of NBA franchises, with their respective promotions and advertisements such as television, social media, radio, etc. Heritage Nights, such as "Noche Latina," among other variants in the NBA, typically feature culturally influenced changes to team logos, giveaways, and other consumer offerings. In markets where Hispanics make up a significant percentage of the fan-base, such as Phoenix, NBA franchises such as the Phoenix Suns must ascertain the financial or perceptual impacts, associated with risks of stereotyping, offending or otherwise unintentionally alienating different categories of fans. To this end, data was collected from the local NBA franchises' fanbase, specifically Phoenix Suns season-ticket holders, and was statistically checked for significant relationships between both categories of fans and several different variables. This analysis found that only $192K in revenue is being missed through the investment of Heritage Nights, and that fan perceptions of stereotypical or offensive giveaways and practices have no significant effect on game or event attendance, despite the stereotypes toward giveaways and practices still being present. Implications of this study provide possible next steps for the Suns and continue to widen the scope of demographical sports marketing both in professional basketball and beyond.

This thesis explores the musical and historical aspects of two of the greatest solo works for the cello: Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012 by Johann Sebastian Bach and the Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8 by Zoltán Kodály. The thesis and creative project consists of a researched paper of approximately 30 pages of historical and musical analysis on both pieces and the “defense” was a recital where I performed both pieces memorized with an informed approach. Part I explores of Bach’s Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012, and Section 1 includes a biography and historical context during the period in which the sixth suite was written. Section 2 consists of an analysis of all six movements (Prelude-Allemande-Courante-Sarabande-Gavottes I and II-Gigue). The analysis explores the German dance form of the suite movements and how they are relevant to the sixth suite, as well as musical aspects that make the sixth suite unique. Part II explores Kodály’s Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8 that has a similar structure as Part I with a Section 1 of biography and historical context during the period of the sonata, and a Section 2 analysis. Section 1 explores Kodály’s life and studies in folk music that is relevant to the Sonata, and Section 2 musical analysis with points of relevance to the Hungarian language folk song. The Sonata consists of three lengthy movements (Allegro maestoso ma appassionato-Adagio con grand espressione-Allegro vivace) and the analysis consists of formal, musical, and a few pedagogical approaches. The thesis is rounded out with a conclusion of personal reflection added during the revision process. This musical and historical analysis greatly informed my performance of these works and the “defense” recital was highly successful.

This online course is designed to educate students on the most popular yet conflicting generations: Millennials and Generation Xers. The lectures discuss what is a generation, what makes someone a Millennial or Generation Xer, and explains how to communicate with each generation. Whether you are a manager, coworker, or student, this course will teach you how each generation views the world, and how you can effectively communicate and relate to both generations. Below is a link to take this course at a discounted price: https://www.udemy.com/generational-communication-in-the-workplace/?couponCode=COMMUNICATE

This creative project explores the concept of how music is like a language and how, as a teacher, I plan to enforce this concept through my teaching. The aim of this project is to highlight the importance of completing research and acquiring knowledge of aspects, such as the composer's life, historical background and literary references, when learning a piece of music. Through this project, I address connections between the brain and music pertaining to memorization, the components of language, the similarities between language and music, the role of the teacher and the development of a "toolbox" of knowledge for studying a piece of music. I present my own research on Schumann's Novelette Op. 21, No. 8 in f-sharp minor as well as my own experiences of learning the piece to demonstrate an example of the process and discoveries I hope my students will make in their own studies of repertoire.

Of Leto: a staged concert reading is a new work development created by Alexander Tom and Daniel Oberhaus focusing on collegiate collaboration, production process, and creative intuition. An original story was adapted by Daniel Oberhaus into a working libretto. Alexander Tom created a two-act musical-drama and utilized the colleges on the Arizona State University \u2014 Tempe campus: Barrett, the Honors College, W.P. Carey School of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts: School of Music and School of Theatre, Film and Dance. This cross-discipline staged concert reading was comprised of a libretto by Daniel Oberhaus, music, additional lyrics and orchestrations by Alexander Tom, and orchestrations by Drew Nichols. The performance included a thirteen-piece orchestra and fourteen vocalists in undergraduate and graduate programs. This paper includes research on Benjamin Britten and Myfanwy Piper's Death in Venice and Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Its purpose is to impart a comparative analysis on the process of collaboration in opera, musical theatre, and the newly determined "musical-drama" \u2014 the genre in which Of Leto resides. Use of historical research will expound on the evolution of musical theatre along with each team's collaborative processes in relation to the music (lyrics and melody respectively), the libretto, and the production. The research permits conclusions regarding the possible practices to utilize in creating new student works like Of Leto.

"French Vanilla" is a collection of written narratives drawn from lived experiences which serve as the vehicle storytelling that I use to examine larger themes related to the intersections of race and gender. Themes include: binaries, legitimacy, intersectionality, biracial identity development (border identity construction), whiteness, shame, and crisis. While the narratives are situated within theoretical discourse, the narratives present a representation of the lived experience. These pieces engage members of my family as well as a number of figures, including Rachel Dolezal, President Barack Obama, Alicia Keys, and a stranger on a tram in an airport. My relationship with these people present the grounds for an interrogation of identity. This project asks the question: How does one negotiate biracial identity with herself and others through narrative performance? It engages theories, such as critical race theory, black feminist theory, and standpoint theory, which informed my understanding of the discourse of race and contextualized my commentary on race. These theories present a framework within which to situate my understanding and analysis of race through lived experience. Narrative performance, the formal methodology for this work, provides a structure for the performance itself: the ultimate end product. Note: This work of creative scholarship is rooted in collaboration between three female artist-scholars: Carly Bates, Raji Ganesan, and Allyson Yoder. Working from a common intersectional, feminist framework, we served as artistic co-directors of each other's solo pieces and co-producers of Negotiations, in which we share these pieces in relationship to each other. Thus, Negotiations is not a showcase of three individual works, but rather a conversation among three voices. As collaborators, we have been uncompromising in the pursuit of our own unique inquiries and voices, and each of our works of creative scholarship stand alone. However, we believe that all of the parts are best understood in relationship to each other and to the whole. For this reason, we have chosen to cross-reference our thesis documents: French Vanilla: An Exploration of Biracial Identity Through Narrative Performance by Carly Bates; Deep roots, shared fruits: Emergent creative process and the ecology of solo performance through "Dress in Something Plain and Dark" by Allyson Yoder; and Bhairavi: A Performance-Investigation of Belonging and Dis-Belonging in Diaspora Communities by Raji Ganesan.

Based on the techniques of spectralism and using Grisey's "Partiels" as a model, my thesis composition combines my desire to explore computer music, visual mediums, and my personal desire to create meaning in music through integrating manipulated recordings of "place" in a piece for string orchestra and fixed electronics. My thesis paper includes spectralism history, analysis of "Partiels," and analysis of my own composition.

Three high-school and college-level band directors were interviewed about how their ensemble students (both individually and collectively) are affected during times of tragedy and how they responded to the situation. Tragedies discussed included student deaths, school-wide incidents, national emergencies, and other instances of shared grief. Questions that guided the research were: (1) In what musical or non-musical ways do band directors aid their students in the grieving process? (2) How do band directors handle their own personal emotions, both in front of their students and privately? and (3) What resources and previous experiences have prepared band directors to handle a grief situation, and what additional methods may have prepared them more effectively? Interviews were qualitatively analyzed for common themes and compared with literature related to responding to student grief. Four main themes emerged from the study: (1) contextual factors affect stakeholders' responses, (2) band directors make many decisions when handling student grief, (3) band directors recall responses of the wider community, and (4) band directors experience personal impact. Implications for the field included suggestions for band directors to consider non-musical student needs in their orientations to teaching, for the band director community to communicate about student grief situations, and for social workers and administrators to ensure that classroom teachers receive training and information on how to help students with grief. Recommendations for further research included replicating the study with other demographic areas, examining the students' experiences themselves, conducting a survey-based study about the topic, and exploring the role mentors have in shaping band directors' philosophies on this topic.