Date of Submission

Spring 2024

Academic Program

Music

Project Advisor 1

Matthew Sargent

Project Advisor 2

Sarah Hennies

Abstract/Artist's Statement

It is said that the body cannot physiologically differentiate between anxiety and excitement. In both emotions, the same chemicals and hormones are being released in the brain and throughout the body. My project seeks to explore similar “in betweens” where the body and mind cannot tell the difference between emotions. the Rush is about things on the edge of our understanding and comprehension. Bittersweet feelings can quickly go either way, with a morsel of emotion tipping the scales into despair or elation. Desire can be satisfyingly fulfilled, or brutally crushed. There are many quiet moments which to some may sound peaceful, and to others they may sound lonely. This project also aims to question one’s control over their own senses, and the conclusions one draws based on their experiences. Do you really like how that sounds? Do you trust your own senses to tell you the truth? My work in the Rush is intentionally not exciting, putting the material and the title purposefully at odds with one another. Even though the music may be meditative, there is still a sense of excitement and anxiety hiding beneath the surface. There are resolutions that do not come, sounds that do not fit, and emotions that do not make sense. Memory is an important part of this project. Nostalgia is described as a longing for the past, often with melancholy or sentimental connections to memories. This project seeks to emulate a form of nostalgia for something one may have never experienced before. Is it possible to feel nostalgic for something that you never knew? Can memory and emotion be imbued in sound? Many would say that emotions are what music stirs up the most. My project aims to present a palette of emotions, each different for a different listener, and for a different time. the Rush is a pool to get lost in, and a work of crushing exhilaration.

Open Access Agreement

On-Campus only

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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