Masters Degrees (Music)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Music) by browse.metadata.advisor "Berger, Martin"

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    The plight of Anglican Church music in the Western Cape : three case studies.
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03-03) Alexander, Levi; Berger, Martin
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Music ministries still providing Anglican church congregations with traditional Anglican church music find themselves clutching onto a musical tradition in a church plagued by the increasing secularisation of society. This thesis, in three case studies, investigates the musical output and general daily function of three Anglican churches in the Western Cape by interviewing the rector and music director of each parish. Each parish was selected as it presented a varied historical, musical, liturgical and churchmanship culture. The aim of the thesis is to ascertain, primarily, whether traditional music is under threat of falling into disuse in the church and secondly, if traditional music is indeed under threat, the possible measures which could be implemented to preserve the heritage for future generations of Anglican worshippers. The literature review presents a body of information to define traditional Anglican music and contextualise its practices by tracing its historical development through the centuries, and in so doing, creates a contextual framework on which the findings of the three case studies are based. This research presents the challenges endured by music ministries by: (1) defining the role of church music in the service and the Anglican liturgy; (2) identifying Anglican music history in South Africa by ascertaining styles of worship; and (3) contextualising the function of the music ministry in the church by discussing the role of the music director and the working dynamic with clergy, education and development, youth participation, future planning and finance.
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    Shaping identity and educating male choristers: exploring the music teacher's influence on male singers' self-perception during the voice change.
    (2021-12) Von Mollendorf, Marissa; Berger, Martin; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Music.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : In a country known for its cultural heritage and high standard of choir singing at school and university level, it is unsettling to realize that the number of South African high school boys participating in choral, or any other form of musical activities, is declining. The investigation towards understanding the reasons behind this phenomenon led to the identification of two central themes requiring further research. Firstly, male identity shaping during adolescence is explored, including a study on different masculinities, as well as the role of the possible selves framework, as described by Markus and Nurius (1986). Furthermore, the different roles of the music teachers and choir conductors are discussed in order to understand the influence they have on boys during adolescence. Little research has been done locally to address the reasons behind boys’ apparent lack of participation in music activities at high school level. Hence, to gain a South African perspective, questionnaires were given out to more than 250 high school boys in three different provinces in the country. The participants had to answer text-based questions on their experience dealing with voice change, their views on their respective school choirs, as well as their impressions of certain stereotypical assumptions, such as the opinion that singing is a feminine activity. Additionally, they had to complete a drawing of themselves before and after voice change. This last section utilizes a methodology that has (to my knowledge) not yet been done in this context in South Africa. In observing the drawings, I aimed to combine both the verbal and non-verbal commentary on voice change in order to gain a holistic perception of the participants’ views and opinions on this matter. By comparing the existing literature to the findings emerging from this study, I was thus able to make certain recommendations for practical application in South African schools in order to assist teachers in keeping high school boys in choral programmes.
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    Vocal training during male puberty : a critical literature review on male voice mutation
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Kritzinger, Xander; Berger, Martin
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In a country where choral music enjoys a rich heritage especially in schools, little focus has been placed on vocal health and the development of young singers. Very few studies have been done in South Africa in this regard. Furthermore, the question of how to deal with pubescent boys experiencing vocal change during this development period in a choral context has enjoyed even less attention. This study endeavoured to answer the above question by asking another question, namely, what happens physiologically during puberty and how do these changes impact the voice of the pubescent boy? In answering, a physiological overview has been presented to provide a better understanding of this process. The intention is to provide conductors and pedagogues with a basic understanding of how to manage the vocal change of pubescent boys. Contrasting literature has been studied to tap into the thoughts of theorists and researchers regarding the pubescent singer and whether these boys should be allowed to sing as opposed to resting their voices. Once it was established that the modern approach is to let the pubescent boy continue singing, the next step was addressed, namely, how vocal pedagogues should deal with the singing adolescent while they (the pedagogues) had no resources at hand. This study provides the conductor working with pubescent boys with solutions in the form of vocal exercises. The study furthermore elaborates on the use and application of exercises for results in breath control, the improvement of healthy phonation (vowel placement), and the successful mixing of problematic register changes. Exercises are presented for the use in choral rehearsal spaces thus providing choral conductors with practical solutions to deal with the pubescent boy and his changing voice that could result in a generation of pubescent boys equipped with tools to cope with vocal change.