csi undergraduate conference on research, scholarship ... - CSI Today

Research Poster PresentationsP O S T E R 9 3Jazz Vocal ImprovisationLinda SoriaFaculty Mentor: Dr. William BauerDepartment of MusicSince last September I have been actively engagedin the study of jazz singing. I am exploring theintricacies of jazz vocal technique through thestudy of such popular jazz standards as “BlackCoffee,” “St. Louis Blues,” and “What are You Doingthe Rest of Your Life?” In my practice, I approachthese songs from the various perspectives ofbandleader, arranger, storyteller, actress, improviser,and performer. I examine each song in detail,paying attention to every note and lyric. Phrasing—the way a performer links musical ideas to otherideas to create ongoing flow and movement—playsan important role in this investigation, as it helpsme to form and to bring forth my own personalvision of the song. I explore ways to producetension between the band and the singer bysuspending the sense of predictable time in thevocal line, using a technique known as “backphrasing”—lagging behind the beat—that BillieHoliday brought to a high level of development. Inthe process of working on this technique, I learnedthat the relationship between accompanist andsinger is essential to the success of any song that Iam interpreting. In order to establish a musicalrelationship between singer and accompanist, bothmust listen to and trust each other. Improvisationenables them each to follow their creative impulsesas they adhere to the song’s harmonic plan. When Iimprovise vocally using syllables (also known asscatting), listening to the accompaniment allowsme develop new ideas on the spot, helping me tobecome more engaged in the song’s delivery. Theapproach I have taken in this investigation hasgiven me more confidence in myself, not only as aperformer, but as a creative artist. I hope thatapproaching songs in this manner makes mydelivery of a song effective and compelling for thelistener. It certainly makes the process of buildingan interpretation into a creative journey.P O S T E R 9 5Performance Management ofTransportation Systems: Lessonsfrom Australia and New YorkKenneth BrowneFaculty Mentor: Dr. Jonathan PetersDepartment of BusinessIn this project we will compare and contrast theperformance standards and operational practices ofmass public transportation systems in Australia andthe United States of America. The focus will beemphasized on the regions of Canberra, Australiaand Staten Island, New York. Both regions aresimilar in demographics and population; and bothutilize bus service as the primary means of publictransportation.The systems studied in detail will be New York CityTransit (NYCT) and the Australian Capital TerritoryInternal Omnibus Network (ACTION). The projectwill compare international and domestic operatingstandards and performance measures for thesystems deployed in Canberra and in Staten Island,New York. The topics involved in research anddiscovery will be: How are the transportationsystems utilized and what are the user bases? Whatperformance metrics are used by both companies?What are the different styles of performancemanagement of the transportation systems? Whatis the comparative cost structure between the twocompanies? What type of revenue collection systemis instituted? Our goal is to understand what canACTION and NYCT can gain from examiningalternative operation methods, and also howinternational standards of performance can beshared between systems.69