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African American Gospel Piano Style in the 21St Century: a Collective Case Study

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African American Gospel Piano Style in the 21St Century: a Collective Case Study University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 1-1-2020 African American Gospel Piano Style In The 21St Century: A Collective Case Study Roderick Vester Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Recommended Citation Vester, Roderick, "African American Gospel Piano Style In The 21St Century: A Collective Case Study" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1848. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/1848 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AFRICAN AMERICAN GOSPEL PIANO STYLE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: A COLLECTIVE CASE STUDY A Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Music The University of Mississippi by RODERICK VESTER May 2020 Copyright Roderick Vester 2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the African American gospel piano style in the 21st century, further examining the role of musical enculturation, transmission, and preservation through the lived experiences and perspectives as reported by five gospel pianists throughout the United States. A collective case study design (Stake, 1995) was used to explore how the gospel piano style is being learned, developed, transformed, transmitted, and preserved. Research questions focused on participants’ beliefs about the stylistic transformation of gospel piano in the 21st century and factors that influences those beliefs such as past and present stylistic developments. The data generation method included semi-structured interviews, artifacts, biographies, and recordings. Findings revealed that gospel piano is: (1) primarily learned informally through aural acquisition and listening to other gospel pianists and genres; (2) developed through experiential learning through church performance with assistance from mentors and supportive networks; (3) experienced transformation in the 21st century through evolution, commercialism, infusion of new genres, virtuosic musicianship; and (4) is being transmitted and preserved through teaching, technology, notation, and scholarship. These findings provide valuable insights into the African American gospel piano style for novice and practicing gospel pianists as they continue to develop and become efficient in the genre and for music educators interested in understanding this genre and style of performance practices. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank God for His faithfulness, guidance, and for giving me the beautiful gift of music. I am because He is. I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Elizabeth R. Hearn for her assistance, encouragement, and counsel throughout the process of completing this dissertation. I want to also extend a special thanks to Dr. Alan L. Spurgeon who saw my potential as a Ph.D. student, researcher, and music educator. I am most appreciative for his steadfast support as an advisor. To my other committee members – Dr. Rhonda S. Hackworth, Dr. Michael D. Worthy, and Dr. Ethel Young-Scurlock, thank you for your expertise, clear- sighted feedback, and ideas. I deeply appreciate your dedication and valuable insights. To the participants in this study, thank you for allowing me to learn from your experiences and perspectives. I am most thankful for your passion and commitment to gospel music performance and scholarship. To my parents, Rufus and Lena Vester, thank you for believing in me and my pursuit of music. At the age of 5, you bought me my first keyboard (a Casio CT-630) and since that day, you’ve always encouraged me to follow my passion. Thanks mom and dad! To my big brother, Reginald Vester, thank you for your love and support. To my wonderful, funny, and intelligent children Cameron and Candace, I am extremely proud of the young adults the both of you have become. You’ve found your passions and are pursuing them relentlessly. You’ve both done this while caring for others and maintaining high standards of excellence and integrity. I have no doubt you both will make a lasting positive influence on the world. I love you both dearly. iii To my life partner, Dalila Capuchino, thank you for your support, encouragement, and wisdom. It probably seems like you’ve earned a Ph.D. too as you’ve been there since I was accepted into the graduate program. Your thoughtfulness is truly mesmerizing and I am most appreciative of your optimism and heart. You are such a beautiful soul and I look forward, with great anticipation, to our future. To Dr. Leo H. Davis, Jr., thank you for your wisdom and support for the past 23 years. You’ve been a true inspiration. To the countless others who have supported me, during this writing process, thank you! Your support is invaluable. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .....................................................................................................5 Purpose and Research Questions .........................................................................................6 Definitions............................................................................................................................7 Significance of the Study .....................................................................................................8 Chapter Organization ...........................................................................................................9 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..........................................................................10 Gospel Music and the African American Church ..............................................................11 The piano in the African American Church .......................................................................12 Origin of the Gospel Piano Style .......................................................................................14 The Role of Piano in Gospel Music ...................................................................................17 Accompaniment .................................................................................................................17 Cross-Pollination of Secular Genres in Gospel Piano .......................................................20 Musical Enculturation ........................................................................................................22 Enculturation and Music Education ...................................................................................25 Music Transmission ...........................................................................................................26 Informal Learning ..............................................................................................................29 v Popular music and Informal learning .................................................................................30 Individual informal learning practices ...............................................................................31 The Role of the Teacher in Informal Learning ..................................................................32 Aural Music Transmission .................................................................................................35 Use of Recordings in Aural Transmission of Musical Style ..............................................37 Music Preservation.............................................................................................................39 Oral Tradition.....................................................................................................................40 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................42 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................44 Summary of Research Design ............................................................................................44 Participants .........................................................................................................................45 Data Generation .................................................................................................................46 Interviews ...........................................................................................................................47 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................49 Thematic Analysis .............................................................................................................50 Within-case Analysis .........................................................................................................50 Cross-case Analysis ...........................................................................................................50
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