Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses
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ItemOn the precipice of some space else: an ecology of being through (with) improvisational performance process( 2020)All performance events, and particularly those of General Assembly of Interested Parties (GAIP), that I have participated in from 2014 until 2019, constitute the work upon which I have based reports, extrapolations and interpretations in text, resulting in this dissertation. The original works, in varying physical modes and carried out in wide-ranging contexts, were undertaken for their own sake, as creative imperatives. That work has come and gone across time. Documentation from this activity is a new work and experience in itself (in the making or witnessing) even though its existence stems from the original event, it is freed of obligation to simply record what happened. Writing, directly referencing or stimulated by these performative events, exists as an improvisation upon and around memory of the original work. Much, but not all, of the vast quantity and array of original work was documented, to some extent. The format of documentation exists as video, still image, audio file and physical object. As the reader will discover, the digital file containing the dissertation text also contains digital images, external video links, and is a ‘designed space’ that takes notice of the aesthetic experience of reading text in combination with textual meaning. This approach is in keeping for an examination of an holistic creative practice. There are three audio files, using source material from each year of data gathering (2014-16), and one video that together with all linked media and text, constitute the creative project. External links for the three audio files and video file can be found on pages 153 and 154 of this document.
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ItemLearning Britten's Violin Concerto: a reflexive & collaborative approach to interpretation( 2019)Performance manuals are seemingly divided into two approaches: those that provide the reader technical instruction on the execution of a work or works and those that adopt a more self-reflective investigation into personal performance practice. Using a critical, reflexive approach, this thesis examines the development of a highly-personal interpretive methodology that aims to create personal authenticity in my interpretation of Britten’s Violin Concerto through the cultivation of a combined composer-performer perspective that stimulates my technical decisions, thus developing a framework I can freely apply to a variety of contexts within my broader performance-practice. Through a detailed investigation, Part One analyses significant events and experiences that shaped Britten’s early life, developing a lens to inform my interpretation of the score. Part Two demonstrates how my interpretation of Britten’s compositional craft and the specific technical decisions I arrived at in my practice supports the narrative uncovered in Part One. This study aims to provide an example to performers looking to apply a methodology to their own practice to assist in creating highly personal interpretations that attempt to honour the intentions of both composer and performer.
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ItemThe impact of synaesthesia and absolute pitch on musical development( 2018)This dissertation investigated the impact of synaesthesia and absolute pitch (AP) on musical development. Synaesthesia is a rare neurological condition in which the stimulation of one sense modality leads to an automatic, involuntary experience in a second sense modality. While synaesthesia is more prevalent among arts professionals, and is linked to enhanced memory and creativity, no studies to date have examined the impact of synaesthesia on musical development. A review of the literature uncovered that AP - the ability to label a given note in the absence of a reference note - was often reported to co-occur with synaesthesia. Synaesthesia and AP are thus two uncommon neurological conditions that require involuntary and stable mappings between perceptual and verbal representations. The purpose of this study was to identify the degree to which synaesthesia or AP possession may facilitate or impair the cognitive, affective, and behavioural outcomes of musical development, and to investigate the potential interaction between synaesthesia and AP for participants who possess both conditions. In order to fulfil these objectives, a mixed-methods study was devised which involved thirty-five students and academic staff members of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, the University of Melbourne (Australia). The data collected from each participant consisted of information obtained from an online survey, a semi-structured interview, and synaesthesia and AP test batteries. A cognitive-affective-behavioural model of musical development was formulated to provide a framework for the organisation of the results collected. The results of this study indicate that synaesthesia and AP initially impact musical development at a cognitive level, by enhancing memory encoding and multimodal mental imagery. Enhancements in these domains exert a developmental influence on affective states, specifically motivation, identity, and emotion. These affective outcomes influence musical behaviour, notably choices, preferences, and performance. Both enhancements and limitations to cognitive, affective, and behavioural outcomes were recognized as being influenced by the possession of synaesthesia or AP. Ultimately, however, all participants indicated they would retain their condition(s) if given the choice, with advantages outweighing any negative aspects. Furthermore, a phenomenological analysis of both conditions demonstrated that the overwhelming majority of AP cases in this study meet the diagnostic criteria for synaesthesia. While further research is needed to test and confirm this claim, synaesthesia and AP are conjectured to be phenomenological variants of the same condition. The results fulfil an important initial role of uncovering and recounting the unique lived-world experiences of these musicians, and have implications for how musicianship is taught to students who possess synaesthesia and AP. This study has broadened understandings of the effects of synaesthesia and AP on musical development, and of the complex relationship that exists between these two conditions and musical potential and ability. Findings support evidence from other areas by demonstrating a positive link between synaesthesia and memory, data organisation, and creative inspiration, while additionally expanding this link to include AP.
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ItemHurdy-gurdy: new articulations( 2016)The purpose of this thesis is to expand existing literature concerning the hurdy-gurdy as a contemporary musical instrument. Notably, it addresses the lack of hurdy-gurdy literature in the context of contemporary composition and performance. Research into this subject has been triggered by the author’s experience as a hurdy-gurdy performer and composer and the importance of investigating and documenting the hurdy-gurdy as an instrument capable of performing well outside the idioms of traditional music. This thesis consists of a collection of new works for hurdy-gurdy and investigation of existing literature including reference to the author’s personal experience as a hurdy-gurdy composer and performer. It will catalogue and systematically document a selection of hurdy-gurdy techniques and extended performance techniques, and demonstrate these within the practical context of new music compositions created by the author. This creative work and technique investigation and documentation is a valuable resource for those seeking deeper practical and academic understanding of the hurdy-gurdy within the context of contemporary music making.
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ItemPuppy love: understanding identity and emotion through the dog/human bond( 2015)The central research focus is an exploration of identity, my childhood and my mother, told through the story of Irma-Dream, my dog. It examines the symbiotic relationship between dogs and humans; the banality and comforts of home life; and the ubiquity of amateur aesthetics. The works are informed by photography, with varying manifestations including photographic books, videos and images brought together in installation. The studio practice is contextualised with reference to contemporary artists and contemporary research.
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ItemMusic therapy performances with pre-adolescent children and families living in crisis: an interpretative phenomenological analysis( 2014)Living in crisis due to homelessness and family violence is associated with feelings of fear, chaos and uncertainty, yet little is known about how music therapy may assist children and families at this immensely challenging time of their lives. The development of community music therapy as a theoretical framework has drawn attention to the potential value of including performance in community programs. However, the majority of research focusses on adult and adolescent populations, rather than children. Considering family members and supportive networks are likely to be audience members at children’s performances, the inclusion of performance in music therapy with children presents different challenges as well as opportunities. This qualitative project explored the experience and meaning of a music therapy performance for pre-adolescent children and their families living in crisis due to homelessness and family violence. Three children aged 11 and 12 participated in a 14-week music therapy group that culminated in the sharing of a musical performance with their families. After the performance, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the children who participated in the performance, as well as their parents. This project sought to understand the phenomenon of the performance itself, rather than the process leading up to it. The performance was a multifaceted experience for the children and their families. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers and Larkin, 2009) uncovered some of the positive and negative aspects of the performance, and these were explored in detail at an individual and family level. A cross case analysis explored some of the similarities and differences in participants’ experiences and identified three recurrent themes: the children experienced intense, but mixed emotions; the performance connected the children to their family and peers; and the audience played an active role in the performance. Adopting flow as a theoretical lens provided a possible explanation for the children’s internal and external responses that contributed to their experience of the performance. At an internal level, the children described intense emotions that were similar to flow experiences. At an external level, the children’s parents and the entire audience played an integral role in supporting the children and provided some of the conditions for flow to occur. The findings from this project may help music therapists to understand the potential therapeutic outcomes for the inclusion of performance with children and families living in crisis. However, further research focussing on the ways that music therapists and families might support children’s complex needs throughout the performance experience is required.
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ItemBeyond incantation: paths to the interpretation of André Jolivet's Sonata for flute and piano( 2013)French composer André Jolivet (1905-1974) contributed several important works to the flute repertoire, constantly pushing the limits of the instrument’s technical and expressive capabilities yet maintaining a musical language distinct from that of French compositional trends in the mid-twentieth century. His two concertos and sonata written between 1949 and 1965 are seldom performed, with flautists preferring to engage with the programmatic pre-1945 works Cinq incantations pour flûte seule and Chant de Linos. This thesis adopts the methodology of practice-based research, and seeks to facilitate an informed and engaging performance of Jolivet’s 1958 work, the Sonata for flute and piano through contextual study and analysis.
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ItemOh the humanity! Humour and performance in a contemporary art practice( 2013)This Masters project discusses humour and performance through the use and presentation of a number of video and photographic artworks. Humour can be derived from the ability to imaginatively juxtapose imagery and ideas to create unexpected relationships and outcomes. Art and creativity can function in a similar manner. This MFA seeks to examine and develop a contemporary art practice, through contrasting imagery and ideas in a performative and humourous way. The project draws parallels between the strategies and functions of humour and art, exploring the possible relationships between the two. The thesis explores questions arising from the artworks produced resulting from an investigation of specific historical and contemporary artworks and a discourse around performance. Through consideration of art historical examples, some linages and links to ways of conceiving, thinking and discussing performance and humour are made. The research acknowledges the problems of taste and subjectivity as it applies to humour, in concert with art. The project reflects upon the role of the artist, his motivations and takes excursions into formal and material concerns of photography and performance to clarify their relevance and significance to contemporary art practice and this project. Themes and ideas brought to the surface are used as foils, something to defend or push against and experiment with. They sometimes act as shadowy motivations that assist in the production of artwork. These themes include mans’ relationship to the landscape, personal histories, digital and analogue photography in the age of technological convergence, the image, self and representation, notions of personhood, contemporary performance and art. Through discussion and uncovering the toil of artwork and ideas engaged with, the humanity of the project is revealed.
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ItemBeing scripted( 2012)This thesis examines the role of materiality and site-specificity in generating performancebased film work. In focus, is how the body can be scripted, prompted, or instructed by thephysical characteristics of objects and spaces that it encounters. Historical and contemporaryvideo art and filmmaking practices are surveyed bringing into question the parameters of“object” and “performance” shaped through the medium of film. This paper and the creativework that has subsequently developed, considers the potential of film, to facilitate performancethrough its embodied sense of time and durational framing.This thesis is separated into three sections, which examine the foundations and outcomes of myproject with reference to creative practices that have influenced and shaped my understandingof the dynamic nature between performance and film. The first section identifies with myrelationship to sculptural practice, and works to unpack the elements of this discourse withreference to objects, space and the performing body. The second section revolves around“repetition” as a generative force within the context of performance. Practices and texts areexamined that illustrate the relationship between actions and futile outcomes. The final sectionof this paper focuses on the impact of specific cinematic practices, which have played a seminalrole in the development of my conceptual and technical relationship to performance and themoving image. This thesis is separated into three sections, which examine the foundations and outcomes of my project with reference to creative practices that have influenced and shaped my understanding of the dynamic nature between performance and film. The first section identifies with my relationship to sculptural practice, and works to unpack the elements of this discourse with reference to objects, space and the performing body. The second section revolves around “repetition” as a generative force within the context of performance. Practices and texts are examined that illustrate the relationship between actions and futile outcomes. The final section of this paper focuses on the impact of specific cinematic practices, which have played a seminal role in the development of my conceptual and technical relationship to performance and the moving image.
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ItemNoumenal secrecy: transference of dislocated acts of possession( 2012)In this paper, associations with philosophical arguments, critical design theories, meta-fictional discourses, and experimental publishing houses are drawn into a platform where suspension of disbelief is required to systematise the recording of data, speculations, and psychical transference. So as to actively engage with discourses of Otherness and transmutate the boundaries between objective chance and chaos; validity and hoax are no longer in the equation, tricksters are for hire. Both, the conceptual and material research is focused on the shift from interference and noise dialectics onto transference of fictional speculations that create the corpus and the annunciation of noumenal performance presence. It originates within the invocation of the exogenic agencies and its consummation is offered through ensembles that involve electronics, sound, digital media and design elements. Does this methodological platform of exchange and praxis, solely work as fiction for believers, or does an act or event offer potentialities for further engagement?