Program
Per Broman
Title: Beyond Bloodshed: Unveiling Feminist Narratives Through Music in The Last of Us Part II
Abstract:
The pervasive tropes of young women's violent acts of revenge in the aftermath of an assault are prevalent in popular culture, as exemplified by characters such as Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill, Lisbet Salander in the Millennium Trilogy, and Jennifer in the I Spit on Your Grave franchise. These films are alternately described as feminist manifestos—wherein the heroine revolts against the patriarchy—or torture-porn films. They have in common though that they typically offer limited musical elements in the narrative. However, one violent, controversial, and highly cinematic video game, The Last of Us Part II, juxtaposes a violence-dominated narrative set in a post-apocalyptic United States with an intriguing integration of music into the storyline, and with a for a video game unusual inclusion of LGBTQ issues. The game follows two young women, Ellie and Abby, on their revenge quests.
Drawing from the aesthetic theory of Federico García Lorca and feminist film scholar Jacinta Read, this paper analyzes music’s function in the game. Early on, Ellie learns to play the guitar, and the instrument becomes an integral part of her journey. Music serves as a trigger for flashbacks and provides Ellie with a means to connect and interact with other characters. Through music, she can internalize her inner narrative of hatred, while also embarking on a quest to find inner peace. In Lorca’s theory, a dark force, duende, is the key to authentic art, as illustrated by Ellie’s guitar performance at the end with her three remaining fingers, following her last violent encounter.
Kenneth Moore
Title: The Nature of the Large Ensemble Festival
Abstract:
The large ensemble festival has been a fixture in secondary band, orchestra, and choral programs for nearly a century. During the last two decades, educational policies demanding quantifiable school performance and teacher evaluation reform led some states to rename their large ensemble festivals as “music performance assessments” even before considering the true nature of the events. The purpose of this historical study was to determine the character and nature of large ensemble festivals in Michigan, a state that recently considered relabeling its festivals as assessments. The evolution of the state’s festival system is examined in detail from its inception in 1938 to the present. Implications for music education practice and policy will be discussed.
Professor of Music Theory, Per F. Broman holds degrees in violin, musicology, and music theory from Ingesund College of Music, The Royal College of Music in Stockholm, McGill University in Montreal, and a Ph.D. from the University of Gothenburg. He has presented papers at conferences of the American Musicological Society, the American Society for Aesthetics, Canadian University Music Society, College Music Society, International Association for the Study of Popular Music (U.S.), International Musicological Society, Music and the Moving Image, Royal Musical Association, Society for Music Theory, the Nordic Musicological Congress, The 9th European Music Analysis Conference, and the Swedish Musicological Society. Broman is the author of Back to the Future: Towards an Aesthetic Theory of Bengt Hambraeus (University of Gothenburg, 1999), the chapter “New Music of Sweden” for New Music of the Nordic Countries (Pendragon Press, 2002), the monographs Sven-David Sandström (Atlantis, 2012) and Karin Rehnqvist (Gidlunds, 2018) is the co-editor of What Kind of Theory Is Music Theory? (Stockholm University Press, 2008) and Crosscurrents and Counterpoints: Offerings in Honor of Bengt Hambræus at 70 (University of Gothenburg, 1998). He has contributed articles to a number of Swedish periodicals, journals, and newspapers, as well as Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, Perspectives of New Music, New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Journal of Popular Music Studies, College Music Symposium, Woody Allen and Philosophy (Open Court, 2004) and The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy (Blackwell, 2013), along with numerous liner notes for the BIS and Deutsche Grammophon labels and was the founding editor of the internet journal STM-Online. Prior to BGSU, he served on the faculties of the Swedish Conservatory (Jakobstad, Finland), the University College of Music Education (Stockholm), Örebro University, Luleå University of Technology (Sweden), and Butler University in Indianapolis. He also serves as a National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) accreditation visitor. Most recently, he finished a chapter on Ingmar Bergman for the volume Ingmar Bergman: A Enduring Legacy, one article on Woody Allen for BACH: Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute, the second edition of his Sven-David Sandström biography, and a chapter for The Last of Us and Philosophy.
Dr. Kenneth Moore serves as Assistant Professor of Music Education and Director of the MM in Teaching Artistry degree program at Bowling Green State University, where he teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses. Before his appointment at BGSU, Dr. Moore spent thirty-two years as a public school educator, including twenty-five years as director of bands and music department chair at Dexter (MI) High School. In Dexter, he oversaw one of the state’s exemplary music programs, and his marching and concert bands performed at a variety of venues throughout the country. He is a past president of the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association District 12 and was named MSBOA District 12 Teacher of the Year three times.
Dr. Moore holds the DMA in music education from Boston University, as well as an MA in trumpet performance and a BM in music education from Eastern Michigan University. His research agenda includes studies of music education history, pedagogy, and policy. He has presented at state and national conferences, and his research has been published in Contributions to Music Education, the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, the Journal of Band Research, and the Michigan Music Educators Journal. Professional memberships include the National Association for Music Education, the Ohio Music Education Association, and the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (emeritus). Honors include the American School Band Directors Association Award of Excellence, the Eastern Michigan University Distinguished Band Alumni Award, Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and the Dexter Most Influential Teacher Award (eight times). He remains in demand as an adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor.
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Updated: 10/01/2024 08:58AM