Creative Practice for Classical String Players with Live Looping
Publication Date
Spring 4-29-2022
As part of my Master of Music degree at Belmont University, I presented a lecture recital titled Creative Practice for Classical String Players with Live Looping.
This project explored the integration of live looping into classical string education, addressing creativity in practice, improvisation, musicianship, and cross-genre versatility.
You can watch the full recital and access the full thesis and lecture recital program with the links below.
Abstract
In recent years, string pedagogy discussions have highlighted the greater need for creative practice as classical string players. Since the second half of the nineteenth century, string methods have shifted towards a limited scope of improvisatory techniques, parallelling the decline of improvisation in Western classical music performance practices. This thesis explores live looping as a practice tool to facilitate learning concepts and help string players develop musicianship skills including improvisation, participate in non-classical genres, and explore their creative voices. Examining the results of string educators that incorporate live looping into their own teaching reveals the tool’s effectiveness in bridging curricula standards with opportunities for avenues of creativity and endless experimentation. Ultimately, live looping can help string players learn a concept more deeply, employing scaffolding techniques to practice abstract models and thus relying less on any specific example such as learning from sheet music. This encourages a broader musical foundation enabling classical string players to feel more equipped in areas beyond their comfort zones and participate in and enjoy a wider range of musically fulfilling experiences.
Major Mentor
Bruce Dudley
Second Mentor
Tracy Silverman
Department
Music, School of
College
Music and Performing Arts, College of
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Music (MM)
Degree Level
Master's
Degree Grantor
Belmont University
Recommended Citation
Yang, Caleb, "Creative Practice for Classical String Players with Live Looping" (2022). Student Theses. 7.
https://repository.belmont.edu/music_theses/7