Dissertations on tuba studio teaching methods, etc ?

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SRanney
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Post by SRanney »

Doc wrote:I've always wondered where all the dissertations go. I'm not going back to school or anything, but I'd be interested in reading the various tuba, etc. dissertations that must certainly be out there.
Hmm. Most theses and dissertations are published by the library where the student went to school. If the student chooses, they could attempt to publish them at a place like http://dissertation.com/.

Were I you, I would start at my local library, preferably one that is attached to some research institution. They may have hard-bound copies of abstract publications, volumes that publish only the abstracts of hundreds journals. If either a) you can't find what you're looking for in them or b) they don't have them, the internet is also a good place to find what you're looking for.

Most libraries have access to some kind of research database; enter search terms and sift through the results. If what you're looking for is a thesis or dissertation and likely not held by your local library, request an Interlibrary Loan. Many times, there is only one copy of a thesis or dissertation at the home library (or even in existence!); if this is the case, your request may either be denied or the lending library may require a nomial (sometimes not-so-nominal) fee to lend the material. Theses and dissertations rarely get viewed once they're put into the stacks at libraries. Generally, only people who are examining a similar question asked and answered by the thesis or dissertation in question would need to view the material.

I dont know what kind of peer-reviewed literature is available in the arts, but I'm sure that if you asked your local reference librarian how to access published theses and disserations, they would gladly help you! Reference librarians LOVE to be given a challenge; it's what they get paid to do!

To make a long story short (too late, I know), start at your local library.

SR
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Gorilla Tuba
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Post by Gorilla Tuba »

Also,

If you find out whats out there, you can often contact the author directly and ask for a copy. Often they have it saved electronically still. For my research, I regularly contact the authors for papers I will reference and request a copy. Usually they are happy to help someone out. Nobody finishes a dissertation alone.

Tuba specific... look up Steve Call's dissertation. he compared teaching techniques of Arnold Jacobs, Harvey Phillips and others. I think it was five influential teachers studied. Sadly, I haven't read it... only an abstract.
A. Douglas Whitten
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Assoc. Professor of Tuba & Euphonium
Pittsburg State University
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