This campus celebration of achievement affirms UMBC's commitment to the twin goals of research and a distinctive undergraduate experience.

All current undergraduates who have conducted research, scholarship or creative work in the last year may apply to present their results at URCAD.

Mentors, fellow students, friends, family members, high school teachers and students, graduate school recruiters, and the general public attend.

The abstracts below describe research presented by music majors at UMBC at URCAD 2008.

Adventure in Learning the Language of Music

Anna An
Airi Yoshioka, Assistant Professor, Department of Music

This research focused on the development of the skills and techniques that are necessary for a violinist to become an accomplished performer and a knowledgeable teacher. Last summer, I attended the Sang-Lock Summer Music Festival in Korea. With more than 300 students and 80 teachers from around the world, the festival offered eclectic styles and aspects of language in music. Areas of studies included master classes, private lessons, lectures, string ensemble, performances and recitals. Kyung Sun Lee, a professor at the Oberlin Conservatory, discussed several ways to improve my bowing techniques and right arm movements during our lesson. I also learned to apply Russian vibrato technique during my lessons with Trans Kook, a professor at Russia’s Gnesin Conservatory. As a string ensemble, we performed the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade and learned to analyze a score, communicate with others, apply the intention of the composer, and demonstrate proper stage etiquette. On top of these experiences, I was thrilled to exchange ideas with fellow students about our life as professional musicians. This amazing experience with hardworking students and teachers enlightened my life with new ideas and skills and moreover, gave me life-long lessons that will guide
me as a stronger musician.

This work was funded through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Office of Undergraduate Education

Beats from the Streets: Music in its Most Sincere Form

Paul J. Carmack
David Kim-Boyle, Assistant Professor, Department of Music

Beats From the Streets was an effort to try and get those who love music to support those who make it by recording and publishing the music of street musicians and donating all profits to charity. I  traveled into Washington D.C. and New York City to find musicians, some who love music and some who rely on it. I went into the cities and interviewed these artists and found out about their different experiences that have led them to creating music on the streets of their respective cities. I found out about the music that they make, and the rules that local government has made to try and abolish this form of “aggressive solicitation.” After I talked to these artists, they allowed me to record some of their music. I took all of these recordings of inner city musicians and compiled a CD that I then sold  with all funds raised donated to the Coalition for the Homeless in Washington D.C.

This work was funded, in part, by an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Office of Undergraduate Education

Violin Performance Studies

Michael Herder
Airi Yoshioka, Assistant Professor, Department of Music

Last summer I strengthened my skills as a violinist by attending the Killington Music Festival in Killington, Vermont. This experience enabled me to make a positive contribution to the UMBC orchestra and chamber groups, my students, and my future as a violinist. I was in a small chamber group that performed every three weeks which gave me invaluable experience. I learned that in order to make music in any kind of chamber group there must be a communication without words between the players. At any given time during a piece of music, one player must lead and the others must learn to fit themselves in to the harmony. Learning how to function in a musical group helped me to be more knowledgeable in the roles that I fulfill for the UMBC orchestra. Since my experience at Killington I have been both concertmaster and principle second violinist. In both positions I function as a helper and a leader for the other violinists in my section. Also I had a private lesson every week with one of the teachers at Killington. In taking lessons with different teachers I received different opinions, methods of learning and styles of playing which not only helped me as a performer but helped me to be a better teacher as well.

This work was funded, in part, by an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Office of Undergraduate Education

Emulating an Acoustic Instrument Using Advanced Sampling Software

Christopher R. Johnson
Alan A. Wonneberger, Director of Recording Services, Department of Music

The goal of this research was to accurately emulate an acoustic marimba using current sampling software. Though samplers have been used for decades, their limitations made it practically impossible to create a natural sounding replica of an acoustic instrument. Most samplers use the same sample for every note. This causes the instrument to sound robotic compared to an acoustic instrument, which has a different timbre depending on which note you play and how loud you play it.  However, using Reason’s NN-XT Advanced Sampler I was able to record five different samples for every note on the marimba, each played at a specific volume. Once the samples were programmed into the sampler, a velocity-sensitive MIDI keyboard was used to control the software. MIDI, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is a digital protocol that determines the placement, pitch, duration, and velocity (volume) of notes played. Once a library of samples is created, it can be downloaded by anyone. This allows anyone with a basic understanding of music to play any instrument they want. The hope is that a skilled engineer can compose and create a complete movie score, combining samples from any instrument, without ever having to hire a single musician.

A Coordinated Approach to Playing the Drum Set

Ben Potok
Joseph Morin, Professor, Department of Music

“A Coordinated Approach to Playing Drum Set” is a software-based instructional program for the drum set. The software is a compilation of traditional drum-set instruction and original combinations of coordination exercises. The project’s objective is to design a progressive pedagogy to cultivate drum-set players who are versatile and creative. While standardization and tradition are immensely valuable in that they provide foundation for progress, often drum-set instructional materials acknowledge standard practices as an absolute truth inhibiting a student’s ability, creativity, and individuality. Through extensive collection and examination of existing drum-set instructional materials, some fundamental playing techniques as well as universal symbols and vocabulary were identified. Coordination exercises have been created that utilize all possible combinations of particular drums within certain musical time and value limitations. The software is designed for a beginning player in that it presents a recommended instructional course, rooted on prerequisite knowledge and difficulty, through its database like structure. This structure allows the more advanced drum-set player to customize their learning by exploring any section, information, or exercise contained in the software at any time. A notable advantage of computerized instruction is the simultaneous interaction of text, pictures, audio, and video to answer every question and offer multifaceted, comprehensive explanations.

This work was funded, in part, by an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Office of Undergraduate Education

Component-based Electronics and their Relevance in Historical Recording Methods

Trevor M. Simpson
Alan Wonneberger, Director of Recording Services, Department of Music

The purpose of this research was to develop a technical ability and greater understanding of  component electronics involved in the building, repairing, and maintaining of traditional recording equipment. Throughout the history of recorded music, engineers have relied completely on electronic devices for every step of the recording process. Microphones, preamplifiers, compressors, speakers, and nearly every other relevant tool one may use are all comprised of very complex circuits and components that are seemingly foreign to most engineers today. Unfortunately, many of these components, especially those found in some of the best sounding and most expensive vintage pieces, have a tendency to fail and must be replaced every so often. I have engaged in a study of traditional recording electronics by which I have been able to create an authentic series of “vintage” recordings predominately with equipment I have built and/or repaired. I have analysed the response of these recordings versus the response of identical recordings to a contemporary digital medium in order to provide a scientific means to analyse my work. This study has not only offered me the invaluable ability to repair and improve my own equipment for years to come, but has also served as a historical study of the methods and equipment used in recording studios during the “Golden Age” of recording, ca. 1950-1980.

This work was funded, in part, by an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Office of Undergraduate Education