Author Date

2024-12-07

Degree Name

Department

Comparative Arts and Letters

College

Humanities

Defense Date

2024-11-26

Publication Date

2024-12-16

First Faculty Advisor

Dr. Garrett Cardon

First Faculty Reader

Dr. Terisa Gabrielsen

Second Faculty Reader

Dr. Joseph Parry

Honors Coordinator

Michael Call

Keywords

autism, community, fine arts, acceptance, music, social impact

Abstract

This thesis explores the intersection of music and romanticism, drawing upon the emotional expressionism of Romantic era composers, inspired by Romantic literature, such as Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt as a vehicle for communication. The ultimate goal was to determine a way to bridge the neurodivergent and neurotypical gaps in connection, enabling a stronger community that values every member of its locale and allows for a sense of belonging. The format for this research is through a performance, comprised of a piano recital of Romantic Era music by Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt and improvised original music with a speech. In addition to the performance, we collected pre-performance and post-performance survey data on autism perceptions. We then performed analyses that compared these surveys’ responses against one another to evaluate changes in attitudes toward autism awareness and acceptance. I also engaged in autoethnographic research aimed at capturing my thoughts, feelings, and experiences before, during, and after the performance. Overall, the qualitative and quantitative measures provide a rich view of attitudes toward autism in a local university community.