Date of Award
Spring 2024
Document Type
Thesis Restricted
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Transformative Education and Social Change
Committee Chairperson
John Elmore, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Jason Wozniak, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Hayoung Heidi Lee, Ph.D.
Abstract
String orchestra teachers have a crucial pedagogical opportunity to instruct students about music history and present exceptional composers to students. The repertoire, however, has historically been limited in terms of inclusion. Therefore, music teachers should evaluate the current repertoire in their classrooms. The history of the classical music canon, research about inclusive programming, educational psychology theories, and the qualities of exceptional artistic merit are explored in this study. This thesis provides a proposal for an action research project consisting of a workshop for music educators about inclusive programming with attention to female composers. The workshop includes a compendium of six featured female composers. Five of the selected composers are historical: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Cécile Chaminade, Amy Beach, Florence Price, and Elizabeth Maconchy. One of the selected composers is living, Tania León. Additionally, the compendium features a curated list of suggested works for each composer and notes ways music teachers can use these pieces in their classrooms. The workshop also presents the research methods used to create the compendium and review repertoire for these six composers, which music educators can use to research other composers. Transcriptions of works by Chaminade and Beach are included in the workshop, along with a list of steps music teachers can use to create transcriptions for their classrooms.
Recommended Citation
Plourde, Emily, "Adding to the Canon in School String Orchestra Programs: A Workshop for Music Educators and Compendium of Six Female Composers" (2024). West Chester University Master’s Theses. 318.
https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/all_theses/318