Virtual Presentation (requires Zoom)
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Abstract
This presentation will explore dynamic relationships between aspects of human musical activity; what Christopher Small has called "musicking." I will navigate historical ideas and present my current holistic approach in order to examine meaning-making processes in music, while respecting its many forms and specialized language. I will demonstrate how music integrates human temporal existence with aesthetic experience. In the process, I will address music theory, cognitive development, the necessary flexibility of musical definitions, form, and more. In order to exemplify the findings of my senior capstone project, I will use the concert piece "Csárdás" to demonstrate the complexity of musicking. I will show how the tangible and intangible, temporal, physical, and spiritual are all wrapped into a short virtuosic piece that - when performed for you - will display my interpretation and projection of past experience. My goal is to elicit a sensual response to sound, technique, color, and other stimuli that solidifies an awareness to the many facets within how we “music” and create meaning through encounters with the aesthetic.
- Andrew Smeader, Master of Finance, Bachelor of Arts in Music, 2022