Music

Written at the invitation of and published by the International Society of Contemporary Music (ISCM).
Magazine archives at: https://member.iscm.org/catalogue/wnmm
This piece was published in May, 2019, even though ISCM's official date for the release of volume 28 is 2018.

IB Mathmatics - Internal Assessment (2017)

According to the Merriam-Webster, a fugue is a musical composition in which one or two themes are repeated or imitated. As I explored Bach’s various fugues I realized that there was not just one way to go about writing a successful fugue. In fact, Bach cycled through multiple formulae as he composed his fugues. One fugue might sound similar to another while another might sound completely different from it’s counterpart. So how did Bach know he was making a fugue and not a prelude or some other type of music? As I looked more into the question I realized that math can help us better define a fugue by creating a generic equation which can then be personalized.

To begin this endeavor, I wish to start with a simple example. Bach’s first fugue in the Well Tempered Clavier Vol. 1 provides us with a very basic example. The piece begins with a single melody and ends with four distinct voices, or counterparts, that mimic the original voice, or melody.

IB Language and Literature -  Creative Written Task (Unofficial) (2017)

As I pondered the meaning of the play I was astounded by how Bernard allowed himself, a salesman, to be manipulated by advertisements and persuasive writings. The main article featured in the newspaper, which is to be the newspaper published a week after Loman’s death, focuses on Bernard's success with the Supreme Court. When writing the article I learned what it may have felt like to be a news reporter during this time period.

IB Language and Literature - Analytical Written Task (2017)

Ovid’s Pyramus and Thisbe is about two star-crossed lovers whose story ends with the painful death of the two main characters. In many aspects, the story line is undoubtedly tragic; thus it earns its genre. However, when considering Shakespeare's Pyramus and Thisbe, the story line is not a tragedy, and is instead, a comedy. Shakespeare's play of Pyramus and Thisbe deviates from the original tragedy through its change in style and structure, the use of asides, and use of doggerel poetry.

IB Language and Literature - Creative Written Task (2017)

The purpose of my written task is to recreate Much Ado About Nothing in a more modern time period. Due to the comedic actions characters express in Much Ado About Nothing, I chose to use a comic strip to help modernize the text. Since a play is meant to be performed, the comic strip helped me illustrate the play’s implied stage directions. Additionally, interaction between the play’s characters often times resembled interaction between children; therefore, the use of cartoon children complimented my written task’s purpose. To further develop the the immature characters, I incorporated additional parallels within my written task: Charlie Brown’s lunch bag symbolizes a mask, and Beatrice’s “two hearts” is similar to Lucy’s two jaw-breakers (II, i, 274). I added these allusions to further strengthen the childlike behavior found throughout Shakespeare's play. I casted the little-red haired girl as Hero since the reader never learns the girl’s name; this emphasizes Hero’s marginalized role in Much Ado About Nothing

"The Paper Proposition" inspired by "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes. (2017)

Every page starts out blank.

It might be different in hue, but it’s true.
A vast amount of paper is made each day. In lots of ways.
With nothing to separate the one from the other.

Introduction: Metastatic tumors (METs) are responsible for the death of about 90% of cancer patients with solid tumors. METs can be as small as 0.125μL in volume. Due to the small sizes of METs, conventional imaging produces many false positive diagnoses. This research uses two simultaneous detection methods, both of which must be positive for identification of a MET. When the detection methods are “orthogonal” to each other (not projecting one onto the other) then the occurrence of a false diagnosis is reduced significantly. Two Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) contrast agents, Iron-Oxide particles (IOP) and Gadolinium (Gd), were hypothesized to be orthogonally detectable using T2* and T1 scans, respectively. Previous studies have shown that Gd and IOP can be detected orthogonally in gel phantoms, shown signs of promise in excised tissue. These studies are to show the proportionate ratios in which Gd and IOP can be orthogonally detected.

Integration and interdisciplinary teaching practices can provide students with meaningful and relevant learning opportunities in the general music classroom. This column presents a couple of examples on how to approach creating integrated lessons.

As social-emotional learning (SEL) initiatives are being adopted by many states and school districts, many music teachers have been actively and successfully integrating SEL into their elementary general music curriculum. Whether teaching in person or remotely music educators can create an environment conducive to SEL by practicing mindfulness, building relationships with and between students, encouraging family music engagement, and engaging in inclusive music activities. In this column, you will find resources and ideas about SEL, discover how it looks and functions in the music classroom (virtual or not), and hear from music educators who currently incorporate SEL in their teaching.

Children’s literature offers many benefits to children, which include developing imagination, building knowledge, enhancing vocabulary, and offering pleasure. As it promotes these areas of development, literature can also serve as a gateway for curriculum integration. Literature can be a particularly powerful tool in executing a dynamic, integrated music lesson. In this article, the authors share how The Noisy Paint Box (2014), written by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mary Grandpré, provides a context for students to explore the four artistic processes identified in the National Arts Standards in a music context: create, perform, respond, and connect. At the same time, the book provides opportunities to introduce students to artistic processes and practices shared by music, visual arts, literature, and dance.

Children’s picture book biographies on composers and musicians can prompt powerful music learning experiences. Biography breaks are the reading aloud of a picture book biography and the questions or activities the teacher engages students in while and after reading the book. In the music classroom, biography breaks can be used with children of all ages to introduce students to composers, musicians, music elements and concepts, music vocabulary, music genres and styles. Biography breaks provide a groundwork for discussing the historical, social, and cultural context of music, as well as a catalyst for engaging students in meaningful music experiences creating, performing, responding to, and connecting with music.

Literature provides a wonderful impetus for both meaningful integration and music study, as it can be used to guide students to understanding the relationships between music and other disciplines, varied cultural and historical contexts, and experiences in daily life. This column presents the benefits of integrating literature in the music classroom, and provides an example of an integration lesson using the Russian folktale of The Firebird and the music of Stravinsky.

Music and visual art share many common elements, principles, and processes. The numerous commonalities shared between music and visual arts afford for natural, meaningful integration opportunities that create natural synergies. Synergy or syntegration is achieved when the learning outcomes accomplished through the integration of subjects are greater than the outcomes achieved by teaching each subject individually. This article examines some of the natural commonalities between music and visual art through the music of Bach and the art of the Baroque Period that provide for syntegrated learning opportunities in the general music classroom. The authors provide ideas for integrated lesson plans for music and visual art.

Teacher certification and licensure practices for music educators vary by state. Enhancing music teacher educator knowledge of state music education certification and licensure practices can inform music teacher preparation and improve future music teacher quality. The purpose of this study was to compile relevant information for music educators about the certification practices of each of the United States and the District of Columbia as of January 2016, and to examine the commonalities and differences among the states’ policies. Results revealed a movement toward comprehensive certification for all grade levels and music subject areas. Researchers noted heightened accountability through increased testing requirements and the inclusion of teacher performance assessments.