UROP Project
The Gremlin’s Bedlam
Music Composition; Tuba; Concerto; Orchestration
Research Mentor: Dr. Clifton Callender, he/him
Department, College, Affiliation: Composition, Music
Contact Email: jg20w@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Composition, Music
Contact Email: jg20w@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Music, Music Theory, Music Composition, Music Education, Music Performance, or related fields. Students with strong interests in contemporary music, orchestration, acoustics, or interdisciplinary musical research are also encouraged to apply.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5–7 hours per week, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Music, Music Theory, Music Composition, Music Education, Music Performance, or related fields. Students with strong interests in contemporary music, orchestration, acoustics, or interdisciplinary musical research are also encouraged to apply.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5–7 hours per week, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Thursday, September 3
Start Time: 12:00
End Time: 2:00
Zoom Link: https://bio.site/tubagruber
Project Description
The Gremlin’s Bedlam is an ongoing research and creative project centered on the development of a new concerto for solo tuba and orchestra. The project investigates how a contemporary composer can expand the expressive and virtuosic possibilities of the tuba while maintaining effective relationships among the soloist, orchestra, musical form, and acoustic properties of the instrument.Research assistants will contribute to the investigative foundation of the composition by examining historical and contemporary tuba repertoire, orchestration practices, extended techniques, instrumental acoustics, and approaches to concerto writing. Particular attention will be given to how composers address balance, register, articulation, timbre, endurance, resonance, and the projection of a low-register solo instrument against an orchestra.
The research will directly inform compositional decisions in The Gremlin’s Bedlam. Students will have the opportunity to observe how scholarly and analytical research moves from repertoire study into practical artistic decisions within the development of a substantial new musical work.
Research Tasks: Research assistants may:
Conduct literature and repertoire reviews related to the tuba, orchestration, concerto writing, and instrumental acoustics.
Identify and study significant historical and contemporary works featuring solo tuba.
Analyze scores and recordings to investigate orchestral balance, register, timbre, texture, and treatment of the solo instrument.
Research conventional and extended tuba techniques and their notation.
Organize research findings, repertoire examples, and bibliographic sources.
Compare approaches used by different composers to integrate low brass soloists with large ensembles.
Assist with documenting the compositional and research process.
Participate in discussions connecting research findings with developing passages of The Gremlin’s Bedlam.
Contribute to the preparation of research findings for presentation at the FSU Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required:
Curiosity and willingness to engage with unfamiliar music and research.
Reliability and ability to complete independent research assignments.
Ability to communicate findings clearly.
Recommended:
Ability to read music.
Familiarity with music theory or score reading.
Experience performing a brass instrument or studying composition.
Familiarity with orchestral repertoire.
Basic experience using academic databases, citation systems, or music notation software.
Prior experience with tuba performance is not required.
Mentoring Philosophy
My mentoring philosophy centers on giving students meaningful ownership of their research while providing the structure and guidance necessary for them to succeed. I want research assistants to understand not only what they are researching, but why their findings matter to the larger project.Students will begin by identifying their individual interests, existing strengths, and areas they would like to develop. Research responsibilities can then be shaped around those interests while contributing to the broader investigation surrounding The Gremlin’s Bedlam. I will meet regularly with research assistants to discuss findings, answer questions, establish achievable goals, and connect their research to the evolving composition.
Because creative research often involves experimentation, I want students to feel comfortable proposing ideas, questioning assumptions, and discovering that an initial approach may not produce the expected result. Those moments can become valuable parts of the research process.
My goal is for each assistant to finish the project with greater independence as a researcher, stronger analytical and communication skills, and a tangible understanding of how research can directly influence the creation of a new artistic work.