http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/topic/39/music Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sat, 16 May 2026 01:31:59 -0400 Sat, 16 May 2026 01:31:59 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1920/propaganda-patriotism-and-perseverance-how-music-became-an-instrument-for-the-us-war-effort-during-the-second-world-war By Anastasiia Gordeeva - This article analyzes the role of musical works in the United States during World War II. It chronologically examines how the social and therapeutic functions of music evolved due to the developments of the war. This article uses the lyrics of wartime songs as a window through which to examine changes in public opinion during the course of the war. It thus demonstrates how music influences and is influenced by exogenous changes in society, notably during times of crisis. To this end, a selection of American songs from different periods of the Second World War are analysed and their lyrics are... Mon, 01 Nov 2021 11:13 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1920/propaganda-patriotism-and-perseverance-how-music-became-an-instrument-for-the-us-war-effort-during-the-second-world-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1901/the-jazz-ambassadors-intersections-of-american-foreign-power-and-black-artistry-in-duke-ellingtons-far-east-suite By Rebecca E. Coyne - Scholarly discussions of Ellington’s Far East Suite, a composition inspired by his travels to India and the Middle East, have tended to interpret its impressionistic depictions of the “exotic” either as evidence of a superior cultural sensitivity or as the straightforward continuation of a white Orientalist musical tradition. I propose a third view based on the overlapping and racialized power dynamics of jazz ambassadorship itself: Ellington uses conventional jazz tropes rather than absorbing foreign musical influences in the Far East Suite in order to assert the independent... Tue, 25 May 2021 09:12 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1901/the-jazz-ambassadors-intersections-of-american-foreign-power-and-black-artistry-in-duke-ellingtons-far-east-suite http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1851/bach-and-the-style-galant-progressive-elements-in-the-italian-concerto By Maggie Lu - While the music of Johann Sebastian Bach is often characterized by elaborate Baroque counterpoint and a relatively conservative set of aesthetic principles, elements of the emergent galant fashion are exemplified in certain mid-to-late career compositions. The galant style, which increasingly took hold of European music during the central decades of the eighteenth century, represents a simplicity and clarity divergent from the rigorous compositional approach that Bach has become remembered for. One of the most substantial instances of this stylistic progressivity occurs throughout his Italian... Tue, 15 Dec 2020 11:07 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1851/bach-and-the-style-galant-progressive-elements-in-the-italian-concerto http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1717/benefits-of-interactive-music-therapy-on-children-with-autism By Michael Zhitnitsky - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a wide range of severity, encompassing mild to severe levels of social, communicative, cognitive, and behavioral functioning. This social functioning disorder affects every 1 in 68 children born in the U.S., with prevalence rates doubling since 2000. ASD is associated with left hemisphere responsibilities, such as decreased joint attention, inability to comprehend social cues, insufficient linguistic knowledge, and a difficulty forming meaningful relationships. Children with ASD are faced with many problems, including a lack... Tue, 02 Jan 2018 09:11 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1717/benefits-of-interactive-music-therapy-on-children-with-autism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1704/jazz-is-my-story-a-historical-analysis-of-jazz-and-20th-century-african-american-literature By Anjali J. Misra - The period of time from the Bebop era to the present—mid-1940s onwards—has been an era of great cultural evolution in the United States, and in few groups more so than the African American community. A factor particularly significant in this journey, and one with which jazz music has been closely tied over the past century, is African American literature. This genre, more colloquially called black literature, has only been a formal notion since the Harlem Renaissance (from roughly 1919 to 1939), during which prominent black leaders sought to elevate black culture and status by producing... Wed, 15 Nov 2017 10:26 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1704/jazz-is-my-story-a-historical-analysis-of-jazz-and-20th-century-african-american-literature http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1625/literary-repetition-and-revision-as-healing-harryette-mullen-and-suzan-lori-parkss-collective-solution-to-historical-trauma By Zeena Y. Fuleihan - Music functions as a source of healing in Toni Morrison’s Jazz, both to the bird who is inexplicably sad and for the broken relationship between Violet and Joe, the novel’s two main adult characters. The bird cheers up and regains its appetite once it hears music, and Violet and Joe begin to repair their love after a younger character brings a record player into their home. Borrowing from the musical forms of jazz, and more specifically jazz played by black musicians, Morrison structures her book as a series of solos from various characters, moving forward and backward in time to expand... Tue, 11 Apr 2017 09:09 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1625/literary-repetition-and-revision-as-healing-harryette-mullen-and-suzan-lori-parkss-collective-solution-to-historical-trauma http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1402/the-impact-of-music-on-emotion-comparing-rap-and-meditative-yoga-music By Matthew Kwong - Music has accompanied major social events throughout the history of mankind. Major gatherings such as weddings, graduations, or birthdays are usually recognized by a familiar tune. There is evidence that music plays a large role in emotional processes within the brain. An individual’s emotional state of mind can directly impact daily cognition and behavior. Studies have shown that music has the ability to regulate a wide range of both positive and negative emotions. This study was conducted to determine the degree of music’s influence on aggression using two extremes of genre: relaxing... Tue, 03 May 2016 09:24 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1402/the-impact-of-music-on-emotion-comparing-rap-and-meditative-yoga-music http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1215/press-play-for-politics-the-weapon-of-a-eurovision-song By Tinatin Japaridze - Christopher Neil, Grammy-nominated producer and my co-writer on the Icelandic entry in 2009, “Is It True?,” notes that the ESC is a piece of televised entertainment and should be regarded as such. “It was never supposed to, nor should it, reflect political or social realities. A song contest is not meant to be a barometer of tensions between nations or economies.” Tracing back to its inception in 1956, “much of Europe was still miserable, exhausted and broke from World War II, but the ESC was not meant to reflect that world.” On the contrary, the goal of its... Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:54 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1215/press-play-for-politics-the-weapon-of-a-eurovision-song http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1191/the-origins-of-cuban-music-and-its-cultural-and-spiritual-importance-within-the-cuban-diaspora-community By Sonia Gil - This paper explores how the Cuban Diaspora has formed connections and forged a new identity around music, meanwhile reinforcing the resiliency, adaptability, creativity and autonomy of the Cuban people in the midst of crisis and uncertainty. Arts and culture are not just forms of entertainment, but messengers and affirmations of culture and spirituality. These are all manifestations of a collective identity, which becomes personal. Popular music acts as a conduit that people filter their own experiences through. Throughout Cuban history, patterns of travel and emigration have molded the identity... Fri, 02 Oct 2015 11:24 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1191/the-origins-of-cuban-music-and-its-cultural-and-spiritual-importance-within-the-cuban-diaspora-community http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1585/thats-what-makes-you-suc-cess-ful-an-analysis-of-the-required-conditions-for-an-internationally-successful-music-industry By Lia Green - This paper attempts to identify the necessary pre-conditions that a country must have in order for its music industry to be strong enough to permeate American charts. Original research was conducted through the examination of past years' Billboard Hot 100 charts in order to identify the countries that have been successful in permeating the American music industry. From there, three case studies – the U.K., South Korea, and China – were identified. Scholarly literature that addressed what could potentially cause "success" on a theoretical level was then examined and used to form a hypothesis... Sun, 31 May 2015 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1585/thats-what-makes-you-suc-cess-ful-an-analysis-of-the-required-conditions-for-an-internationally-successful-music-industry http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1134/the-impact-of-technology-on-music-stars-cultural-influence By Dean Shapero - This research paper addressed how technology has changed cultural relationships consumers have with music. The music industry’s business model has undergone substantial change over the last decade, and understanding artists’ cultural influence is critical in reevaluating their position in society. After a literature review tracking influence through the decades since the vinyl era, the author conducted a survey to determine how college students interact with music artists on Twitter and how they consume music. The results demonstrated high social connectivity of users to artists through... Sat, 30 May 2015 11:59 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1134/the-impact-of-technology-on-music-stars-cultural-influence http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1017/artificial-composers-tools-of-the-modern-musician-or-affront-to-human-creativity By Jonathan P. Farrell - On August 13, 2014, Youtube user CGPGrey posted Humans Need Not Apply, an informative video detailing the trajectory of automated technology and its implications on the job market and human employment. After describing the superhuman superiority of automation in low-skill, white collar, and professional job markets, Grey (2014) addresses artistic specialists: “But perhaps you are unfazed because you’re a special creative snowflake. Well, guess what: you’re not that special” (11:15). He then proceeds to debunk the myth that creativity is exclusively human, and does so to... Sun, 22 Mar 2015 05:21 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1017/artificial-composers-tools-of-the-modern-musician-or-affront-to-human-creativity http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/952/edmonton-hiphop-kulture-techniques-of-self-and-cultural-sustainability By Diana Pearson - The word culture is rich with complex meanings and despite its use in common speech little is known about it and even less about the practices that contribute to ‘its’ continued existence, what might be called cultural sustainability. Edmonton Hiphop Kulture:Techniques of Self and Cultural Sustainability1 documents the role of techniques of self, defined as the daily practices an individual uses to transform his or her body, soul, thought and conduct of being (Foucault, 1988, p. 18), in the development and maintenance of Hiphop Kulture in Edmonton, Alberta. Using a Critical Constructivist... Tue, 30 Sep 2014 04:37 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/952/edmonton-hiphop-kulture-techniques-of-self-and-cultural-sustainability http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/974/a-content-analysis-of-twitter-use-factors-that-might-increase-music-sales-during-an-award-show By Kyrstin Wallach - Can Twitter be used in marketing an artist’s music during award shows? To answer this question, the author examined four artists at the 2013 MTV VMAs—Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake, Drake, and Kanye West--who experienced a peak of references on Twitter during the show. Based on a content analysis of the tweets and secondary research, the study found that tweets converged toward the same topics, supporting Social Influence Network Theory. This study also found that the director’s filming directions during the award show might also influence the trends on social media during the... Thu, 29 May 2014 06:36 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/974/a-content-analysis-of-twitter-use-factors-that-might-increase-music-sales-during-an-award-show http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/792/the-influence-of-rap-and-hip-hop-music-an-analysis-on-audience-perceptions-of-misogynistic-lyrics By Gretchen Cundiff - Using a qualitative content analysis and online survey, this research examined how college students perceive and respond to the portrayal of women when exposed to misogynistic lyrics. Based on cultivation theory, this study analyzed the lyrical content of popular rap and hip-hop songs (n=20) on Billboard’s “Hot 100” chart between 2000 and 2010. Song lyrics were classified into one or more of the following coding categories: demeaning language, rape/sexual assault, sexual conquest and physical violence. Themes of power over, objectification of and violence against women were identified... Mon, 18 Nov 2013 03:42 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/792/the-influence-of-rap-and-hip-hop-music-an-analysis-on-audience-perceptions-of-misogynistic-lyrics http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1657/the-impact-of-listening-to-music-on-cognitive-performance By Arielle S. Dolegui - Many students listen to music to alleviate the emotional effects of stress and anxiety when engaged in complex cognitive processing, such as studying for a test, completing homework assignments, or while reading and writing. This practice is so common that it would be beneficial for college students to understand the role that music plays on cognitive performance. Research demonstrating the effects of music on performance is well documented, but have shown ambiguous evidence on this matter. In studies conducted to learn about the effects of musical distraction on cognitive task performance, the... Fri, 20 Sep 2013 01:35 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1657/the-impact-of-listening-to-music-on-cognitive-performance http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/713/protest-and-rock-n-roll-during-the-vietnam-war By Alexander E. Hopkins - Moreover, a 1966 anti-war music poster advertised the popular rock groups Jefferson Airplane and Mystery Trend. The event, a benefit dance held at the University of California at Berkeley on March 25, 1966, features a large war scene drawing at the center. The war scene, colored in red, white and black, features combatants wearing helmets and holding machine guns, while avoiding explosions triggered by bombers flying overhead. At the top of the scene, the words “Vietnam” can be seen in the same font that the military uses. Below “Vietnam,” the word “Peace” can... Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:03 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/713/protest-and-rock-n-roll-during-the-vietnam-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1686/hip-hop-is-for-everybody-examining-the-roots-and-growth-of-hip-hop By Lucien J. Flores - Starting from humble roots, hip-hop has grown from the creative outlet of underrepresented black teenagers living in the South Bronx in the late 1970s to a highly successful commercialized business that in 2000 grossed over $1.8 billion in sales in the United States. (Kun, 581) Hip-hop is not only successful in the United States, but also, its influence has permeated the entire planet, becoming a global creative and economic force. Historically the genre has been considered representative of the voice of the black community, but some critics argue that the commercialization and globalization of... Fri, 04 May 2012 12:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1686/hip-hop-is-for-everybody-examining-the-roots-and-growth-of-hip-hop http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/612/what-riot-punk-rock-politics-fascism-and-rock-against-racism By Alessandro G. Moliterno - The punk-rock movement or youth subculture of late seventies Britain was and is, even today, the cause of much controversy. It has often been accepted that the political orientation of the movement and its outcomes are decidedly located on the left wing, including, in particular, a strong anti-racist agenda. This has perhaps been emphasized in the public consciousness, particularly in light of recent retrospectives such as the 2007 film Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten, or the 2005 documentary Punk: Attitude. Both characterize punk as a movement with distinctly anti-authoritarian and cosmopolitan... Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:05 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/612/what-riot-punk-rock-politics-fascism-and-rock-against-racism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/547/duke-ellingtons-jazz-narrative-of-the-african-american-black-brown-and-beige By Sawyer A. Theriault - Contrasting with the vague note-bending of the trumpet solo, the trombone plays a series of decisive notes, suggestive of a more strongly defined identity. The ostinato (repeated) solo-phrase of the trombone, for example, continually rises in pitch (between 5:16 and 5:25), creating a countermelody to the rest of the ensemble (Priestley and Cohen, 194). This antiphonal deviation between the trombone melody and the ensemble places the two sections in aural opposition. That opposition, or defiance, of the trombone’s voice contradicts the subdued voice of the trumpet, and provides an authoritative... Wed, 29 Jun 2011 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/547/duke-ellingtons-jazz-narrative-of-the-african-american-black-brown-and-beige http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/526/adornos-bach-schoenberg-connection-frivolity-and-expectation By Tristan Gans - Adorno’s case is built on the composers’ treatment of melodic subjects, which he views as ‘pure’ in an intellectual and philosophical sense. He contrasts this to the work of the classical and romantic composers, specifically Beethoven, whose work he views as overcommitted to the formal façade unintentionally constructed by Bach: essentially he claims that Beethoven et al rejected Bach’s challenging, philosophically constructive methodology in favor of “a category existing prior to the subject-matter and oriented on external consensus” (153), a category... Wed, 11 May 2011 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/526/adornos-bach-schoenberg-connection-frivolity-and-expectation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/265/the-sounds-of-resistance-the-role-of-music-in-south-africas-anti-apartheid-movement By Michela E. Vershbow - The history of South Africa under white British rule is marked by the existence of one of the most brutal systems of racial segregation that the world has ever known. A system by the name of Apartheid, literally meaning “separateness” in the Afrikaans language, made Africans of color aliens in their homeland. The laws of Apartheid forced millions to live in impoverished townships where they were denied the most basic human rights. Apartheid, under which the white minority held power over the entire population, was met with strong internal and external resistance, prompting global boycotts... Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/265/the-sounds-of-resistance-the-role-of-music-in-south-africas-anti-apartheid-movement http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/240/anti-rhetoric-in-alanis-morissettes-mary-jane By Tori E. Godfree - Rhetoric is commonly regarded as the art of persuasion. To take it a step further, Gerard A. Hauser states that rhetoric is “An instrumental use of language. One person engages another person in an exchange of symbols to accomplish some goal. Rhetoric is communication that attempts to coordinate social action. Its goal is to influence human choices on specific matters that require immediate attention”. Following the logic of Hauser’s description of rhetoric as meant to persuade another person to action, any artifact that persuades another person not to action, but to inaction... Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/240/anti-rhetoric-in-alanis-morissettes-mary-jane http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/222/richard-lester-the-beatles-and-the-rock-musical-revised By Zachary T. Finch - A popular film genre in Britain and the United States during the late 1950s and early 1960s was the rock and roll musical. As Susan Hayward points out, this type of film came about as Hollywood and record companies sought to cash in on the musical phenomenon known as rock and roll (248). Many of rock and roll’s legendary and not-so-legendary acts appeared in films created mainly for the record-buying youth. Prior to 1964 there were essentially two types of rock musicals. The first were films that focused on a single personality such as Elvis Presley, or in Britain, Cliff Richard. The other... Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:06 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/222/richard-lester-the-beatles-and-the-rock-musical-revised http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/186/innovation-or-desperation-david-bowies-little-wonder By Katherine M. Baltrush - Despite releasing twenty-two albums in the nearly thirty years between his debut in 1967 and the commercially rejected No. 1 Outside, the general opinion of David Bowie in 1996 was that, though a living legend, he had not recorded anything worthwhile since his 1980 album Scary Monster. Bowie’s most recent output had been panned as a heady concept album. The industry and its consumers thought that David Bowie left his best work behind when he closed the door on his alter egos, such as Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, which made him an icon in the 70s. It seemed certain that whatever followed... Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:56 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/186/innovation-or-desperation-david-bowies-little-wonder http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/110/swagger-and-soul-analyzing-the-music-from-oceans-11 By Justin D. Wright - It would be entirely inappropriate for this movie to beat the nostalgic side of Las Vegas into the audience’s head, but even more inappropriate for the film to ignore it. David Holmes is successful in his portrayal of a modern Las Vegas in that he melds the two worlds in his own compositions by mixing the sounds of a classic acoustic jazz combo with studio produced drum and bass grooves, but by also using external sources with the same variety, using clips from Elvis and Perry Como all the way to the current hip-hop group Handsome Boy Modeling School. Soderbergh’s numerous montages... Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:29 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/110/swagger-and-soul-analyzing-the-music-from-oceans-11