Music - Masters by Research Theses

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    "I'm gonna be free": listening to expressions of queer identity and cultural Catholicism in the music of contemporary Irish artists
    (University College Cork, 2024) Fleming, Laura; Marshall, Melanie L; Gale, Emily; Rollefson, J. Griffith
    This project is the culmination of my research into the relationship between Irish cultural Catholicism and queer Irish identity as revealed and complicated through music. For many, queer identity and Irish identity are polarised, situated at a point of tension as a result of the homophobic teachings of the Catholic church, an institution which has historically held immense power in Ireland. I will explore this contentious relationship, drawing from personal experience as well as those of other queer Irish people to examine what it means to be a queer person in Ireland today. With this as the contextual background for my case studies, I will examine the use of religious images, language and symbols by contemporary Irish queer musicians. Finally, I will explore the impact of this for queer listeners, and the participation of these musicians in the imagining of a queer Irish utopia through music.
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    Normal hero(ine)s and deviant villains: musical representation of moral archetypes in a selection of Disney films
    (University College Cork, 2023) Lozano Velasquez, Camilo Andrés; Gale, Emily; Rollefson, J. Griffith; Fundación para el futuro de Colombia
    In this dissertation, I examine the musical representation of hero(ine)s and villains in selected Disney animated films: The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994). While existing scholarship extensively scrutinizes Disney characters, this study provides a musicological approach to elucidate how music complements and underscores insights into the representation of the characters’ particular dimensions. Specifically, this research reveals connections between well-established traits associated with character portrayals, such as morality, gender, and sexuality, and the musical-performative elements within their musical numbers. Notably, the scenes featuring love ballads and villain songs provide intriguing opportunities to identify and assess these aspects, shedding light on the depiction and perception of the hero(ine)s as normal and the villains as deviant. The analytical framework of this research centers on musical elements related to lyrical content, musical performance, and contextual considerations such as genre and style. These musical components play a pivotal role in shaping the processes of representation, supporting and advancing conventionally used musical codes of character portrayal. Throughout this dissertation, I delineate the perceived normality of the protagonists, characterized by virtues, gender conformity, and heterosexuality, in stark contrast to the deviance embodied by the villains, depicted as evil and queer-coded. This dichotomy is musically reinforced by elements that resonate with Western cultural ideals of identity and alterity. Specifically, I discern dualities pertaining to the musical representation of the natural and the artificial, the familiar and the exotic, as well as the conventional and the unconventional. This study, then, provides a comprehensive examination of the intricate relationship between music and character representation in Disney animated films. However, this research goes beyond character analysis to unveil cultural intersections between beauty, gender, and sexuality, which serve as markers of morality in popular culture, and elements related to the musical texture of the songs.
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    Exploring the development and integration of music in preschool settings in Ireland
    (University College Cork, 2023) Ahern, Leah; Finnerty, Michelle
    This research study focuses on music in early years education, with a particular interest in children’s spontaneous musicking, early years educator’s perspectives of music education, and the role of music in the early years context; particularly preschool settings. The research study highlights the benefits of music education considering the role of music in children’s lives; also revealing the ability, potential and interests that are evident in children from a young age. The study reveals a clear understanding of the inner workings of music education within the context of preschool learning; appreciating that early years educators are the cornerstone of children’s early learning and must be supported. As part of the research, creative resource packs were designed in response to surveys, interviews and observations. The research study uses a qualitative approach to data collection, using a combination of literature, surveys, interviews and observations. The findings of this study presented a need for the integration of music training within early years courses and degrees, supports for early years educators to build confidence, access to music experts to encourage the provision of music and incentives for continuing professional development. These findings support the emergent model of pedagogy recommended by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment to offer meaningful learning experiences.
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    Connecting classroom, school and community: the role of music in primary level education in Ireland
    (University College Cork, 2008-04) Finnerty, Michelle; Mercier, Mel
    This thesis explores the role of music education in primary level education in Ireland. Since the introduction of the New Revised Music Curriculum in 1999 there has been an increase in the profile of music education at primary level. Principals and teachers have become more aware of the importance of enhancing the provision of and access to music education in schools and creating equal opportunities for children to participate in music. The renewed interest in providing access to music education at primary level has also led to a number of extra-curricular developments. Arts organizations, local community groups, music teachers, and musicians have become more involved in music education programs through various extra-curricular projects and initiatives. This study focuses on the classroom as the locus of the schooling system. It focuses on fieldwork conducted in two primary level schools in Cork. By entering the environment of the classroom, the research presents an understanding of the role of music at primary level and it highlights how music is ‘unique’ in the way it makes connections between the classroom, the school community and the wider community outside of the schools. This investigation of the primary school system argues that there are two approaches to the provision of music education at primary level in Ireland: the formal curricular based teaching, implemented by the classroom teacher, and the informal, extra-curricular work, involving the classroom teacher and various members of the school community and the wider community. It reveals that there are three main agents involved in the co-ordination of music at primary level: the classroom teacher, the music curriculum co-ordinator and the music specialist. Through observations and discussions with the people at the centre of the classroom, this research provides an understanding of the ways in which music education can be provided and how connections between school and community can be strengthened.
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    Eispéireas mná: an cleachtas cruthaitheach sa damhsa ar an sean-nós
    (University College Cork, 2021-09-30) Ní Chuirrín, Nada; Gilson, Jools; Finnerty, Michelle; Ni Shíocháin, Tríona; University College Cork
    Déanann an togra taighde seo cíoradh ar chleachtais an damhsa ar an sean-nós le béim ar leith ar an eispéireas baineann laistigh den traidisiún. Chun dul i ngleic leis an gcultúr teangeolaíoch a bhaineann leis an traidisiún Gaeltachta seo agus chun doiciméadú a dhéanamh ar shaintearmaíocht a bhaineann leis an gcultúr damhsa seo, shocraigh mé ar an taighde seo a dhéanamh trí mheán na Gaeilge. Is ar an damhsóir mná a dhíreoidh an taighde seo go príomha. Scrúdóidh an taighde seo m’eispéireas féin mar dhamhsóir a oileadh sa traidisiún beo i nGaeltacht Chonamara agus mar bhean taobh istigh de traidisiún an damhsa ar an sean-nós. Anuas air sin, déanfaidh an taighde seo anailís ar an damhsa ar an sean-nós bunaithe ar an bhféinmhachnamh chomh maith le anailís chomparáideach bunaithe ar agallamh le damhsóir iomráiteach mná ón gceantar. Labhróidh mé mar gheall ar an teoiric bhéil agus an damhsa ar an sean-nós, agus déanfaidh mé iniúchadh trí mheán an chleachtais chruthaithigh féin ar ghnéithe ar leith de shaothar Lord (1960) a d'fhéadfadh cur lenár dtuiscint ar phóiseas cruthaitheach an damhsa. Breathnóidh mé ar an saibhreas a bhaineann le heolas inchollaithe agus ar an tábhacht a bhaineann leis don damhsa ar an sean-nós. Ina theannta sin, lábhróidh mé mar gheall ar mhodhanna teagaisc agus foghlama i dtraidisiún an damhsa ar an sean-nós agus ar an gcaoi a bhfuil sé difriúil ón bhfoghlaim struchtúrtha fhoirmeálta.