Temporal Mandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) and Muscle Tension Dysphonia (MTD) are presently two of the most common vocal disorders in the world. These disorders can wreak havoc in anyone’s life; but are incredibly destructive in the lives of singers. When a classically-trained singer begins to notice problems in his or her voice, they typically go to their favored Professional Voice Instructor (PVI) for help. However, not all PVIs are familiar with these disorders and their symptoms, and what starts as a sincere wish to help their student can end with injury instead. This study surveys PVIs to determine what they know and do not know about TMD and MTD and if they have worked with medical professionals -- otolaryngologists and Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) - to assist their students. The study poses the questions of how prevalent the knowledge and treatments of TMD and MTD are with PVIs and how open PVIs are to ongoing education about these disorders. Included in this document is a brief summary of each disorder with illustrations as well as opinions from a Speech Language Pathologist.

Dr. SoonAe Kim was one of the first Korean female composers to contribute substantial works for kagok, or the Korean art song. In 1920, the year she was born, Korean society was undergoing critical changes throughout the nation as a result of wars, colonization, and political upheaval. Due to these circumstances, Dr. Kim had to deal with multiple unexpected events like most Korean people had during the period. The experiences she faced tremendously influenced her musical identity and composition. This paper will examine three significant factors, such as Christianity, the Korean War, and kagok (Korean Art Song), that affected Dr. Kim’s professional musical identity and composition. Christianity helped her to affirm her independent and brave identity as a female composer and Christian hymn gave numerous inspiration to her music. The Korean War gave her the strength and ability to overcome extreme hardship. It also gave her deep empathy for Korean people and their experiences, which affected the atmosphere in her music. Lastly, kagok, the art form for which she received her greatest enthusiasm, became her main power for encouraging Korean people’s spirits to recover a peaceful and stable life. SoonAe Kim dealt with her despairs bravely throughout her entire life and successfully overcame them with her music and became an irreplaceable figure in Korean Western-music history. I heartily believe it is essential to study her musical identity and unique compositional style, especially in kagok, to appreciate SoonAe Kim’s importance as a significant female musician. This document will also serve as a performance guide for non-Korean singers and musicians who want to perform Korean art songs yet are hindered by the language and cultural barrier. This performance guide includes the International Phonetic Alphabet for the Korean language, companion pronunciation recordings, and a brief musical analysis. The performance guide will encourage better access and performances of Korean art songs by foreign artists and singers who are not familiar with the Korean language and bring kagok and SoonAe Kim into the universal art song canon.

Derived from the Greek word soma, meaning body, somatics is a field of movement methodologies designed to promote a greater sense of physical self-awareness through kinesthetic learning. Gaga Movement Language and Bartenieff Fundamentals, two methodologies based on somatic principles, offer unique processes to develop an individual’s movement vocabulary. By synthesizing Gaga Movement Language and Bartenieff Fundamentals with vocal pedagogy and vocal repertoire, singers can develop a kinesthetic awareness of their vocal technique that informs their artistic expression, movement vocabulary, and performance ability.

This paper presents a model for a Voice Somatics Integration Lab (VSI Lab), geared toward voice performance majors and designed to bridge the gap between Gaga Movement Language, Bartenieff Fundamentals, and vocal pedagogy. The course will culminate in a performance of a song or aria that students have selected, staged, and choreographed in accordance with the lab curriculum, along with a brief three-to-five-minute presentation detailing their choreographic process. Complete with a detailed syllabus and lesson plans, the course will use movement philosophies and techniques to guide each student in developing their pieces. Ultimately, the VSI Lab will assist singers in more effectively blending the physical demands of staging and choreography with their singing technique and artistry.

This research project will focus on two poems by the Korean poet So-wol Kim (1902-1934). His poems are admired throughout Korea and are often set by Korean art song composers. This paper will examine four art song settings by composers Sung-tae Kim (1910-2012) and Soon-nam Kim (1917-1986) of two poems by So-wol Kim: “Azalea” and “Wildflowers of the Mountains.” The discussion will examine in detail the varied interpretations and expressions of the texts by each composer. To be clear, the translations of the poems investigated in this paper are poetic renderings and are not meant for performance purposes.

After the passing of the Homestead Act in 1862, a large wave of immigrants arrived in Dakota Territory, most of them during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Two of the largest immigrant populations in the Dakotas were the Norwegians and Germans who had spent approximately the last hundred years living in isolated rural colonies in Russia, referred to as Germans from Russia or russlanddeutschen. This document examines the role of music in the lives of these ethnic groups from the 1862 to 1930, and includes the discussion of sacred music, especially hymns, secular music such as folk songs and dance music, and music’s place in the rural one-room schools that their children attended.

We endeavored to begin the process of writing a musical. We composed a total of three songs, 30 pages of script (non-consecutive) with an outline summarizing the remaining uncompleted pages, seven character summaries/analyses, and a reflection on the process and next steps, and presented them in a “Producer Pitch” format to our readers. In our paper we discuss the birth of inspiration for Girls And Boys—namely philosophical conflicts about the role of biology vs. society in gender identity and real, local events of public districts reevaluating their sex education program—as well as the challenges we experienced during the process and our intentions for continued work towards the completion of the material. In our written script we span the opening of the show to the climax through sporadically completed scenes, with the outline serving to fill in the blanks. In our music, we composed three pieces—a solo ballad, an ensemble number, and an emotional trio—that we converted into an audio file format, and performed live for a small audience. Ultimately, we seek to use the elevated drama of a musical to convince the audience that empathy is the truest, ageless, and genderless expression of humanity.

A strong correlation exists between the effects of bullying on a singer and his or her performance anxiety. An exhaustive literature review and a survey of classical singers were used to assess this hypothesis. The survey was compiled using standard psychological and current performance anxiety questionnaires with additional questions created by the author. The data were analyzed using a Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, a regression analysis, and an Analysis of Variance.

This paper explores the relationship of text and music in Dies Natalis by Gerald Finzi. Many of Gerald Finzi’s compositions have been researched and analyzed, but Dies Natalis, a work for high voice and string quartet, has received limited attention. The text is by Thomas Traherne, a lesser-known English poet and theologian. The research investigates textual interpretation and an explanation or a discussion of the religious mysticism of Traherne. After a biographical discussion of the composer and the poet, this paper provides a musical analysis, including a study of thematic and harmonic relationships in the work, and an examination of word painting and text setting. To facilitate my analysis, I used the piano reduction and not the string score for this project.

Opera education is a relatively new addition to opera companies in the United States, introducing children and adults to opera and spreading the message that operas are dramatic stories told through music. This paper focuses on the opera education group OperaTunity and its relationship with the company Arizona Opera, which is based in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. The majority of the paper consists of a history of Arizona Opera, the establishment of its Opera Education Department, and the inception and activities of OperaTunity. The information in this account comes from interviews with personnel involved with OperaTunity and from documents pertinent to the program. This study also examines the reception and success of the group in Arizona and includes examples of educational materials to provide to teachers who are introducing children and adults to opera. This account of the history and activities of OperaTunity is intended to aid future educators and opera companies in developing opera education programs.

ABSTRACT

This research is focused on technology in the arts, social media, and the opera singer. Topics include recent performance trends, social media, marketing techniques, and creating a successful brand. This paper also focuses on how to leverage social media platforms build a digital persona, and create an engaged audience. The same techniques used by corporations and opera companies for their social media and marketing strategy can be leveraged to increase brand awareness, build a strong network, and may aid in generating new opportunities for the opera singer.

Key Words: Social Media, Opera Singer, Branding, Marketing, Technology