The Implications of Technology on Music Composition and Performance
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BEYOND “PUSHING PLAY”: THE IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY ON MUSIC COMPOSITION AND PERFORMANCE A Thesis by Ryan David Mackey Master of Arts, Friends University, 2009 Bachelor of Arts, McPherson College, 2001 Submitted to the School of Music and the faculty of the Graduate School of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music May 2015 © Copyright 2015 by Ryan D. Mackey All Rights Reserved ii BEYOND ‘PUSHING PLAY’: THE IMPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY ON MUSIC COMPOSITION AND PERFORMANCE The following faculty members have examined the final copy of this thesis for form and content, and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Music in Music History/Literature. ______________________________________ Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn, Committee Chair ______________________________________ Mary Channen Caldwell, Committee Member ______________________________________ Robert Bubp, Committee Member iii DEDICATION To my wife, Allison…we did it! iv “Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.” — Ludwig van Beethoven “If you had a sign above every studio door saying, ‘This Studio is a Musical Instrument,’ it would make such a different approach to recording.” — Brian Eno v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is the result of days of writing and researching, listening to a lot of music, consuming many cups of coffee, and the support of many people. My deepest thanks to: -My thesis “advising team”: Dr. Mary Channen Caldwell, Dr. Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn, and Dr. Elaine Bernstorf – for walking with me through this long, emotional process, and encouraging me to pursue my passion. -My thesis readers: Dr. Mary Channen Caldwell, Dr. Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn, Prof. Robert Bubp – for encouraging new scholarship and academic excellence. -My professors at Wichita State University: Dr. Mary Channen Caldwell, Dr. Mark Foley, Dr. Sarunas Jankauskas, Dr. Harold Popp, Dr. Dean Roush, Dr. Frances Sewright, Dr. Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn – for blessing me with the depths of your knowledge and your passion for music. -My primary adviser: Dr. Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn – for walking with me through every step of my time at Wichita State. I appreciate you joining me on the journey. -My undergraduate music professors at Central Christian College and McPherson College: Dr. Stephanie Brunelli, Dr. Alan Gumm, Dr. Mary Heape, Dr. Larry Kitzel, Rev. Thomas Seaman, Prof. Rob Wolcott, Rev. Sylvia Wolcott – for guiding me towards a vocation in music education. -The professors of the Music and Education Departments at Central Christian College of Kansas: Dr. Jacob Kaufman, Prof. Brett Janssen, Prof. Tiffiney Harms, Prof. Staci Horton – for your constant encouragement and support, in thought, word, and deed. -The members of Agraphia (past and present): Prof. Candi Alexander, Rev. Dr. Lenny Favara, Dr. David Grubbs, Rev. Tim Holgerson, Dr. Jacob Kaufman, Mrs. Ruth Ong – for keeping me “academically accountable” throughout the whole of this degree program. -My students (past and present – especially my student workers!) at Central Christian College of Kansas – you are the reason I love teaching! -My other academic colleagues: Prof. Jd. Bowman, Rev. Dr. Steve Crain, Rev. Dr. Chris Kettler, Dr. Herb Smith – for your encouragement in my academic pursuits. -My church family and the pastoral staff of The Father's House, Hutchinson – for your prayers and support! I appreciate it. -My friends – for your prayers, thoughts, well-wishes, concern, social media posts, coffee meetings, etc. They were felt and appreciated. -My sister and brother-in-law: Lacey and Jeff Scully – for your prayers and the times of conversation. -My sister-in-law: Staci Horton – for your academic insights and spiritual support. -All the members of the Horton/Lightner Family – for your love, prayers, and encouragement. -My in-laws: Everett and Sandi Horton – now in heaven, but still singing. Thank you for the musical heritage you passed to your children. -My parents: Robert and Shirley Mackey – for raising me in a home filled with God, love, and music. It made me who I was, am, and will become. -My beautiful wife: Allison Mackey – for every late night, early morning, cup of coffee, snack, hug of encouragement – this degree would not have been possible without you. Thank you for patiently loving me and holding me up in prayer through this whole process. I love you. -The Triune God of grace, from whom all blessings flow – Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat. vi ABSTRACT Some purveyors of traditional music may see the introduction of electronics and electronic instruments as stains on the grand tapestry of music; yet there are many composers and performers who have embraced the possibilities that can emanate from technology and deftly woven those threads into this aural tapestry. Beyond the realm of the elite lies the concept that humans possess an “inherent musicality” – that we have the potential to be musically creative. If everyone is inherently musical, what if they don't possess the means and tools to realize that musicality? What could be a solution? I believe technology is one way that people from all walks of life can compose and perform music. This thesis seeks to explore ways in which technology has and is influencing the composition and performance of music in the early twenty- first century by exploring the use of technology in extending cognitive ability, the use of technology with gesture and extending physical ability, and the evaluation and assessment of technologically-composed and -performed music. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................1 2. EXTENDING COGNITIVE ABILITY .....................................................................................6 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................6 Discussion of Cognition in Music........................................................................................6 Technology and the Extension of Cognition in Music ........................................................8 Case Study .........................................................................................................................12 Case Study, Part One: Hyperscore .........................................................................12 Case Study, Part Two: Tewksbury Project and Dan Ellsey ...................................15 3. GESTURE AND EXTENDING PHYSICAL ABILITY .........................................................19 Introduction ........................................................................................................................19 A Brief Discussion of Musical Gesture .............................................................................20 Case Studies .......................................................................................................................24 Case Study: Movable Controller ............................................................................25 Case Study: Extending Physical Gesture – Fully-Able Human………………….26 Case Study: Extending Physical Gesture – Differently-Able Human ...................35 Case Study: Extending the Human Voice ..............................................................41 Technical Matters and Skills ..............................................................................................45 4. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT .....................................................................................49 Introduction ........................................................................................................................49 Defining “Composition” ....................................................................................................49 Musical Cohesion/Coherence ................................................................................50 Musical Complexity ...............................................................................................51 A Composition in the Eyes (or Ears) of its Composer ...........................................53 Skills ..................................................................................................................................55 Evaluation and Assessment ................................................................................................60 Evaluating/Assessing Composition .......................................................................60 Evaluating/Assessing Performance ........................................................................66 Musical Literacy ................................................................................................................75 5. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................81 Introduction ........................................................................................................................81 Extending Cognition in Music ...........................................................................................81 viii Extending Gesture and Physical Ability in Music .............................................................82 Evaluation and Assessment ................................................................................................85 Closing Remarks ................................................................................................................89