Degree

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

Department

College of Music and Dramatic Arts

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Clark Hubbard is currently the Assistant Director of the Vanderbilt Marching and Athletic Bands. He is active as an American percussionist, composer, artist, and educator. His compositions have been performed throughout the United States and overseas, including solo, chamber, percussion, and electronic compositions. This document aims to analyze Boulder Canyon, Hoover Dam, discussing how the fixed media influences musical decisions. This document is also a performer’s guide for the piece.

Percussion with fixed media has been composed for since the early to middle 1900s. Inspiration from the techniques and early pieces of fixed media composition can be found in Clark Hubbard’s piece, Boulder Canyon, Hoover Dam. Boulder Canyon, Hoover Dam is a piece for vibraphone and electronic playback with an accompanying video that is optional for performance. Part of the playback is vocal lines from a Hoover Dam documentary that provides a narrative to the piece which guides phrasing decisions for the performer. This paper aims to analyze the phrasing possibilities, list the technical aspects required for performing the piece, and provide a performer’s guide.

Date

3-25-2026

Committee Chair

Brett Dietz

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

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