Date of Award
12-2016
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Music
First Advisor
Dr. Christopher Biggs
Second Advisor
Dr. Lisa Coons
Third Advisor
Dr. Richard Johnson
Keywords
Music, perception, audiovisual, music education, performance
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Abstract Only
Restricted to Campus until
12-15-2026
Abstract
It is challenging for one to imagine a musical performance devoid of non-sonic elements, without factors such as visuals, space, or human interaction impacting our perception. Since senses are not self-contained systems, isolating sonic stimulus from the visual is practically impossible. Scientific studies and experience demonstrate that these non-sonic factors are a fundamental part of experiencing music. Nonetheless, their impact on musical activities are often ignored in academic curricula, and serious discussions about visuals rarely occur within schools of music. Music pedagogy should reflect the importance of the visual domain to the experience of individuals witnessing musical performances. This would benefit student understanding of music performance more accurately as a multisensory activity and encourage conceptions of music that are commensurate with the significance of accompanying non-sonic factors of musical performance. Additionally, schools of music would add value to their education by providing students with visual tools and an understanding of the importance of visual phenomena in order to succeed in the ocularcentric twenty-first century.
Recommended Citation
Niskanen, Mark, "A Case for Implementing Visual Aesthetics in Music Pedagogy" (2016). Masters Theses. 745.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/745