Music and the Soul: Character Formation to Transcendence

This creative thesis explored music’s effects on the human soul. I used the lenses of Plato’s “Republic,” Alan Bloom’s “The Closing of the American Mind,” and Rodger Scruton’s “Understanding Music,” to explore music’s power to shape humans. The second part of my project was a lecture-recital, in which I shared my research and performed solo Bach, Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy,” and Massenet’s “Meditation from Thais.” Each piece served to illustrate an aspect of my research. The goal of this thesis was to blend the practical with the theoretical, demonstrating academically and experientially the power music has to shape the human soul.