Book categories

Professor Lundy's Guide to Rock Music Connoisseurship

Developing Defendable Aesthetic Judgment and Discovering the Most Worthwhile Music Experiences

by Duane Emerson Lundy

10/20/2023

This empirical and theoretical book should be of interest to anyone who dares to consider the contentious topic of measuring and justifying aesthetic value in music, as well as the issue of how experts compare to nonexperts in terms of aesthetic fluency, aesthetic sensitivity and aesthetic judgment in appraising music. The book should be both practical and personal for anyone who has a music collection and loves to see it grow continuously but wisely. What makes someone an expert? The key issue tackled here is how one develops into such a connoisseur of music. Overall, the book should spark much healthy debate about rock music quality and aesthetics in general, both among scholars of aesthetics and the musically passionate general public. Many of the ideas for connoisseur development for m...

Across the Pacific

From Ancient Asia to Precolombian America

by Christian Lemoy

02/08/2011

In former times, even more than today, climatic changes had major influences on migratory flows, and consequently on ancient agrarian civilizations, leading to deep economic, social, political and religious chaos, history that we should meditate today to decide our future. This original book insists on the importance of the El Niño climatic phenomenon on the trans-Pacific migratory flows which occurred 5000 years ago, and presents comparisons between cultures and civilizations which existed on both sides of the Pacific, in Asia and America, in comparable epochs. Travelers who want to discover pre-Colombian America or ancient Asia, whether they are lovers of archeological sites or passionate about the cultural heirs of old civilizations, will be fascinated by the innovating content of thi...

In Harmony

The Complementary Musical Tales of the Brockton Symphony Orchestra, Sharon Civic Orchestra, and Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra

by Dr. Lisa Redpath

06/01/2022

In Harmony: The Complementary Musical Tales of the Brockton Symphony Orchestra, Sharon Civic Orchestra, and Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra is a stirring, historical account of these three Massachusetts ensembles. Each chapter documents the orchestras' operations ranging from their founders to the conductors, repertoire, players, soloists, volunteers, fundraisers, behind-the-scenes realities, and special features. While details of each organization are presented in depth, a seasoning of interesting, humorous, and at times tragic human-interest stories make these tales come alive. Musicians, audience members, supporters, and readers with a passion for history will find connections to the events told here. Welcome to the inside world of these venerable ensembles which take their places in...

ACT for Musicians

A Guide for Using Acceptance and Commitment Training to Enhance Performance, Overcome Performance Anxiety, and Improve Well-Being

by David G. Juncos and Elvire de Paiva e Pona

06/15/2022

While it is widely recognized that music contributes to the health and well-being of societies, the reverse is not necessarily true. Being a professional musician is a rewarding yet challenging occupation, and the results of newer survey studies show musicians experience psychological challenges, like depression and anxiety, at much higher rates than adults in the general public. This book introduces Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) as an intervention for addressing some of the most common problems facing student and professional musicians across the world. A broadly applicable model for behavior change, ACT can be used by professionals in both clinical and non-clinical settings with adequate training. Thus, this book is intended for musicians and practitioners from various back...

Beyond the Handsomeness

A Biography of Thomas Schippers

by Nancy Spada, Foreword by Steven Monder

07/01/2023

A lightning rod for powerful emotions, Thomas Schippers began his escalation to fame at nineteen continuing with performances in many renowned venues in the world. Here his career is traced through the accounts of those who knew or performed with him, redressing the astonishing lack of information about him which could be of interest to music historians and performers of today. "The brilliant young conductor, Thomas Schippers, is tall, with the face and body of a Greek god at a time when Greek gods are hard to find." (Life magazine, December 6, 1963). Admired by many for his classic handsomeness, he was highly praised for his musicianship and for the ease with which he conducted complex scores, often by memory. But following his untimely death at the age of forty-seven, he was rapidly f...

Unfinished History

A New Account of Franz Schubert's B minor Symphony

by David Montgomery; Foreword by David Zinman

06/01/2017

This study addresses a long-standing mythology concerning the "Unfinished" Symphony and reviews anachronistic performance practices that prevent listeners from experiencing the work as a product of its own time. David Montgomery’s Unfinished History challenges the traditional story of Franz Schubert’s B-minor Symphony and searches for a more credible account of this great work. Written for all Schubert lovers from lay readers to musicians and musicologists, the book reviews a strangely persistent mythology concerning the symphony, continuing with the first in-depth examination of its manuscript and related documents. Details of handwriting, notation, paper, watermarks, compositional procedures, and stylistic contexts suggest a new year and country of origin for the “Unfinished” Symphon...

The Mind at Hand: What Drawing Reveals

Stories of Exploration, Discovery and Design

by Michael J. Strauss

01/16/2013

The Mind at Hand explores how artists, scientists, writers, and others - students and professionals alike - see their world, record it, revise it and come to know it. It is about the rough-drawn sketch, diagram, chart, or other graphic representation, and the focus these provide for creative work that follows from them. Such work could involve solving a problem, composing a musical score, proposing a hypothesis, creating a painting, and many other imaginative and inventive tasks. The book is for visual learners of all kinds, for scientists as well as artists, and for anyone who keeps a journal, notebook, or lab book in order to think and create visually. It is also a book for teachers and educational administrators interested in learning about new active learning strategies involving dr...

Band Aids

A Program Guide for the New Band Director

by Thomas J. Dust and Laura Jane Dust

02/21/2012

<i>Band Aids</i> is an organizational guide for early career band directors and for more experienced directors seeking new organizational and management strategies and approaches for their school and community bands. The authors present a practical approach to organizing, managing, and teaching an instrumental music program. Classroom management, instrumentation, starting beginners, parent organizations, band trips, and assessment are among the relevant topics presented and discussed. This text is an invaluable guide for directors searching for assistance, not with music skills, but with the day-to-day teaching and management of a band program. "Tips" and "Key Points" enable a quick review of material covered.

Networks of Design

Proceedings of the 2008 Annual International Conference of the Design History Society (UK) University College Falmouth, 3-6 September

by Fiona Hackney, Jonathan Glynne, & Viv Minton (eds.)

06/18/2009

Networks of Design maps a new methodological territory in design studies, conceived as a field of interdisciplinary inquiry and practice informed by a range of responses to actor network theory. It brings together a rich body of current work by researchers in the social sciences, technology, material culture, cultural geography, information technology, and systems design, and design theory and history. This collection will be invaluable to students and researchers in many areas of design studies and to design practitioners receptive to new and challenging notions of what constitutes the design process. Over ninety essays are thematically organised to address five aspects of the expanded notions of mediation, agency, and collaboration posited by network theory: Ideas, Things, Technology,...

The Heart of Drawing

Stories and Images from Around the World

by Michael J. Strauss; Mags Phelan Stones; Abrah Griggs

02/20/2023

In this unique new book, The Heart of Drawing, 59 artists from 22 countries exhibit their art and talk about their process of creation to inspire readers and help them find inspiration for their own creative efforts. The book is about what happens during the creation of a drawing, NOT just about the final result. Drawing is described as an act of cognition that can help you develop eye-brain-hand coordination, conceptualize and analyze ideas, think creatively, and express yourself and communicate with others. It’s about Drawing to Learn, which is the main focus of the book. The words and images you see express a journey, and the artists are exploring their internal and external realities with shape, line and value. The book promotes gestural or expressive drawing, not necessarily a perf...