Trombone Compositions Written by Modern Day Female Composers, Inspired by Amy Riebs Mills
(2025)
author(s): K L Blackburn
published in: Codarts
This research paper belongs to the Performance Practice area of study. It is to give more insight into a not so well known female composer, Amy Riebs Mills. It’s also to understand why there is not so much brass music written by women. As well as finding new ways to compose and create unique pieces to add into the trombone repertoire whilst working with a female composer. Using research methods such as literature, interviews, reenactments, experiments, analysis of scores and recordings. I wanted to take time to explore an area that I'm passionate about and give another example to the future generation of female brass players, as nothing should change because of our gender.
I looked to find approaches that suited my playing when it came to the parameters of articulation, dynamics and glissando; as well as exploring the attributes it takes to compose a challenging but enjoyable piece influenced by the works of Amy Riebs Mills. Examples include: Red Dragonfly, Golden, Catharsis, One More Mountain and Journey One: Hints of the Middle East. Additionally, I worked alongside a talented female composer, creating a personal piece of music that explores interesting parts of the trombone.
I reached an artistic result of two new pieces for the trombone. Approaches to the parameters were explored, achieved and an analysis of Mills’ works were organised and utilized. I used this creatively in pieces that show not only my intended outcome, but also a part of myself. I hope that this research now provides information in an area that was not so commonly known and can also show that women can be powerful.
Instruments of Emotion: Exploring the Use of Musical Parameters in Film Scoring
(2024)
author(s): Malcolm Eric Lagger Caldwell
published in: Codarts
Music has always been a crucial element in films. In fact, a scene can have absolutely different meanings depending on the music. In this research project I tried to investigate to what extent these differences rely on the use of musical parameters such as instrumentation/timbre, melody, harmony, rhythm and tempo among others. I focused on 4 different emotions: Tension, Sadness, Rejoice and Nostalgia. The goal was to find out how these parameters can be used in order to maximise the depiction of the specific emotion being portrayed in each scene. The main source of information was the analysis of cues from various movies portraying different emotions in combination with interviews with film composers, some of them being the authors of the analysed films. All this led to the composition of new cues putting into practice
what I learned.
As a result, there are findings that suggest that to maximise the depiction of these different emotions the most important musical parameters to manipulate are tempo, harmony and instrumentation. As a research outcome, I composed music for cues for films such as Blood Diamond (2006), Luna de Avellaneda (2004) and Big Fish (2003).
Searching for Korean traditional music – Exploring rhythms and improvisational possibilities
(2024)
author(s): Michael Lee Sørenmo
published in: Research Catalogue
This exposition present my study about Korean traditional music in combination with improvisation and composition. It focuses specially on Korean rhythm with both the Korean drum janggu, and the drum kit.
I am going to present my work by giving an insight on my practice methods, discoveries and compositional work. And show how I gradually developed this project during my masters study.
This exposition also explores a theme related to identity, and finding back to ones roots through learning traditional music.
Tracing Rhythm
(last edited: 2025)
author(s): Geir Harald Samuelsen
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
Rhythm is everywhere. It is breathing and beating hearts; it is the sound of a drum and the repetitive carved lines in stone done by a prehistoric human being. It is the flickering screen and a million digital processes too small to see. It is engraved in the depth of our minds and bodies. It is remembering.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, rhythm (Greek rhythmos, derived from rhein, “to flow”) is an ordered alternation of contrasting elements, and according to Roland Barthes both painting and writing started with the same gesture, one which was neither figurative nor semantic, but simply rhythmic.
In this exposition we are approaching rhythm through contemporary artistic and archaeological gestures, starting with some engraved and painted lines drawn by our stone age ancestors in France and South Africa.
The participants are all from the artisitc research project: Matter, Gesture and Soul, which is based at the Art Academy in Bergen.