Music Therapy Commons^™

The Role Of Music In Personal Therapy In Advanced Music Therapy Training: A Self-Inquiry, Jan Mark Casco

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of music through the similarities and differences of an Analytical Music Therapy (AMT) and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy (NRMT) trainee. The study employed a first-person research design and thematic analysis to assess three AMT and three NRMT personal therapy sessions. Music as well as the verbal interactions during the music therapy sessions were transcribed and analyzed. Five themes were constructed from the data, three similar themes and two different themes: (1) music as a place of meeting and the foundation of the therapeutic relationship, (2) using the voice to strengthen the …

Therapist And Individual Experiences And Perceptions Of Music Therapy For Adolescents Who Stutter: A Qualitative Exploration, Jessica O'Donoghue, Hilary Moss, Amy Clements-Cortés, Carol Freeley

Music Faculty Publications

Introduction

Affective reactions frequently reported by adolescents who stutter include embarrassment, frustration, and feelings of anxiety about further stuttering. It is possible that music therapy may enhance stuttering treatment outcomes; however, little is known about how individuals who stutter, and therapists working with this group, view such therapy. The purpose of this study was to explore individuals who stutter and therapist experiences with, and perceptions of, music and music therapy for stuttering. This work is part of a larger mixed-methods project to explore the effectiveness and potential benefit of music therapy with adolescents who stutter.

Method

Semi-structured interviews were conducted …

The Impact Of Singing Engagement On Food Intake Of Individuals With Alzheimer’S Disease And Related Dementias: A Multi-Site, Repeated Measures Study, James Hiller

Department of Music Faculty Publications

Malnutrition among older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) is a serious and long-recognized health concern. Identifying nonpharmacological means for enhancing the volume of nutrition intake is an urgent need. Researchers have explored the use of music and music therapy as nonpharmacological avenues in this regard, but most music-based studies related to food intake focus on receptive interventions wherein participants are exposed to recorded music during meal times. The purpose of the present research is to investigate whether residents with ADRD would significantly increase their volume of food intake during the midday meal immediately following 30 minutes of …

Singing With Strangers: A Feasibility Study Examining The Effect Of Interpersonal Familiarity On Social Bonding During Group Singing, Molly Grettenberger

Masters Theses

Social isolation and loneliness have become major health concerns in today’s world, and the healthcare field needs effective approaches to ameliorating the effects of social isolation and loneliness and increasing opportunities for social bonding. Group singing may be one such approach. This feasibility study focused specifically on interpersonal familiarity during shortterm, small-group singing and its effect on the subjective experience of social bonding. A between-groups design and group interviews were used to examine the subjective experience of social bonding resulting from singing. Two groups of four, including one familiar group and one group of strangers, engaged in a brief group …

Impact Of Music Therapy On Hospice Patients, Amie M. Tipton

Theses and Graduate Projects

Music therapy is an adjunct healing modality designed to alleviate symptoms of existential pain and suffering hospice patients may experience as they transition into the final stage of life. The complexity of existential pain and suffering in hospice patients is a challenge for a hospice care team to treat and manage and emotionally testing on the patient’s support system. The purpose of this scholarly project is to evaluate a music therapy program at a local community hospice center as an aid to relieve patients’ existential pain and suffering they incur from their terminal illness and to increase hospice care providers’ …

Lyric Analysis And Songwriting With Adolescent’S Processing Complex Trauma, Peyton Mayzel

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This study examines how lyric analysis and songwriting can aid adolescents processing complex developmental traumas. The use of music, lyric analysis, and songwriting can provide a space for adolescents to express themselves and process their struggles they have encountered in their lives. Music, lyric analysis, and songwriting can also be used as a way for adolescents to build their self-identity and help them to make important life decisions. These concepts are all related to the attachment, self-regulation, and competency (ARC) model created by Blaustein & Kinniburgh in 2005. This model is used in treatment with children and adolescents who have …

Argo Ergo Sum - I Perform, Therefore I Am: An Art-Based Community Engagement Project, Emily Eckel

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This community engagement project set out to explore how the musicianship identity impacts a musician’s overall sense of self through participation in a mental health focused community orchestra. Currently, in the field of music therapy there is little emphasis on using orchestral music in active music making or connections between music and musicianship identity. This researcher combined the theories of community music therapy and resource-oriented music therapy to develop approaches to this investigation. Phase one consisted of researcher journaling and visual art making prior to and following orchestra rehearsals and one concert. Phase two consisted of a group mandala with …

Lived Experience Of Music Therapists As Musician-Therapists, Kotoe Suzuki

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The dissertation research explored the lived experiences of music therapists who are performing musicians. A conceptual foundation of music therapists as musicians, a “musician-therapist” who is deeply versed in the unique properties of music can be identified in the literature (Ansdell & Verney, 2008; Nordoff & Robbins, 1973). The objectives of this study were to explore three topics: 1) deeper understandings of music therapists’ musical improvisation both in clinical and nonclinical settings, 2) the connection between music therapists’ personal and professional musical growth, and 3) identity formation. A qualitative method was chosen for this research including reflexive/embodied/interpretative phenomenology, and arts-based …

How Dance And Music Stimulate Therapeutic Change In A Personal Movement Ritual, Cassidy Bingham

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis investigates the therapeutic effects of the researcher’s own arts practice or personal movement ritual, which is based in her tacit knowledge and intuition. The researcher is also the participant of this study. Her personal movement ritual, which was formalized as the method, was conducted before the literature review in order to prioritize tacit knowledge before introducing the influence of other scholars. In the literature review, Ellen Dissanayake’s and other scholars’ rationale for the emotional and cognitive changes that take place during rituals through music and dance are explained. These rationales, or the five constructs of entrainment, “ …

The Effect Of Melody And Rhythm In Music-Based Therapy For Nonfluent Aphasics: A Literature Review, M. Abraham Kimball

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The aim of this review is to examine studies which explored whether melody or rhythm played a more integral role in the facilitation of music-based speech and language rehabilitation for the population of individuals with nonfluent aphasia. This paper is intended to serve as a succinct synthesis of the myriad articles covering the efficacy of the treatment program called Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) and the impact of its primary musical mechanisms. Secondarily, it may assist in a deeper examination into speech and language-based music cognition and neurologic music therapy research. The speech and language disorder of aphasia; the relationships between …

Mental Associations And Music Therapy: Including The History Of Associationism And The Neurology Of Associations, Dianna Rose

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Associations are formed in our minds based upon three elements: sensory experience, emotions, and memories. These associations, unique to each individual, dictate thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and actions. Some are necessary and supportive, while others can be maladaptive. Established associations can be changed, and new associations can be formed, to align with a client’s goals. The literature presents a strong history of associationism, as well as a body of research that demonstrates the neurological processes of how mental associations are formed. There are also studies showing how music activates the brain. However, there is a lack of research which draws direct …

Music And Six-Minute Walk-Distance- One Step At A Time: Commentary On “Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation Increases 6-Minute Walk Distance In Individuals With Copd: A Repeated Measures Study, Annie Heiderscheit, Sikandar Khan, Babar Khan, Linda Chlan

Faculty Authored Articles

The article by Hernandez and colleagues published in this edition of Heart & Lung, reports on original research exploring the use of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) to increase the 6-minute distance walk with individuals diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The authors provide clear rationale regarding the use of music to stimulate movement, increase exercise tolerance, and to distract participants from the perception of dyspnea. Through this report, we offer further insights specifically focused on the RAS process, including vital considerations when implementing a music-based intervention in clinical practice settings.

The Art Of Forgiveness: How The Arts Helped Facilitate Forgiveness, Darlene Kuehn

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This research explored how the arts can help facilitate the process of forgiveness using a diverse methods research design. The first part of the research was a qualitative phenomenological inquiry examining the experiences of eight people who identified as having worked through a substantial process of forgiving in which the arts was an informative part of their process. The second part involved arts-based research to further investigate how art helped facilitate the participants forgiveness process. The primary investigation of the inquiry was: How did involving art effect the participants’ process of forgiving, and, did art facilitate or enrich the forgiveness …

Inclusive Ensembles: Differentiating For The Singer On The Autism Spectrum, Natalie Wilkins, Natalie A. Wilkins

Honors College Theses

Exceptional children belong in music classrooms. Music ensemble directors need to overcome complex challenges to meet the goal of inclusion, because ensembles often include a mixture of ages, grades, social and intellectual development stages, musical skills, and a wide variety of diverse learning needs. This study focuses on how a choral ensemble director may create an inclusive environment for students on the Autism Spectrum.

This study reviewed the current research on inclusive rehearsal environments. Analysis revealed varied methods for differentiation that allows students with special needs to thrive in a music classroom and also revealed that music can be a …

Navigating The Experience Of Burnout Of Immigrant Music Therapists In The United States, Naeun Lee

Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the experiences of burnout of immigrant music therapists who currently live and work in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine how immigrant music therapists’ cultural adjustment may influence their experience with burnout and to guide participants articulate their burnout experiences through the use of musical improvisation as a method. Qualitative phenomenological inquiry and Arts-Based Research as a method were used in this study. Musical improvisation and open-ended interviews were conducted with three female participants possessing various years of clinical experience. Music as well as interviews were transcribed and analyzed for themes. Three …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Therapeutic Relationship In Tele-Music Therapy In The Us, Kiyomi Kamiya Glover

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand the therapist–client therapeutic relationship in music therapy practice that utilizes an Internet video conference system (tele-music therapy). The subordinate questions were as follows: • How can music therapists establish a therapeutic relationship in tele-music therapy? • How can music therapists be present in the tele-music therapy sessions? • What are the strengths and challenges of tele-music therapy? This study was conducted using a qualitative, phenomenological open-ended interview method. The sample consisted of three experienced music therapists who have practiced telemusic therapy for at least seven years. Two of them were analytical music …

The Role Of Personal Therapy For Chinese-Speaking Music Therapy Students: A Survey, Xinrui Liu

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand the perceptions of Chinese-speaking music therapy students on cultural transition and personal therapy and to determine what impact these have on their learning process. An online questionnaire surveyed 13 Chinese-speaking music therapy students. Nine completed responses were analyzed by using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The questions focused on their demographic information, their attitudes toward personal therapy, and their attitudes toward the cultural transition process. The study found that 78% of participants sought any type of therapy and 55% of participants believe that personal therapy is extremely important for music therapy students. …

Adapting Instruments, Not Students: A Study Of Adaptive Musical Instruments, Cheyanne Maria Chapin

Honors Program Theses

The purposes of this study were to (1) create a categorized listing of adaptive instruments divided into categories that can help music therapists decide which clients can utilize them and for what purposes and (2) evaluate the anticipated enjoyment and sound rating of a select number of adaptive electronic instruments. For Part 1 of this study, children with special needs, with the help of their parents, were invited to take part in a questionnaire related to the impression of four select adaptive instruments (Light Block, Skoog, JamBoxx, SpecDrums). Participants were asked to watch videos of the four instruments and rate …

A Proposed Music Therapy Protocol For Trauma-Informed, Culturally Aware Practice With Migrants At The Us-Mexico Border, Mackenzie K. Conner

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper reviews current literature surrounding therapeutic work done with the migrant population and considers it through the lens of future music therapy interventions to be done at the United States (US)-Mexico border. The migration process across the US-Mexico border is often filled with danger and treachery, leading to trauma responses, such as depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder. These traumatic experiences are augmented even further if there is a detention period or separation of families. In work reported by psychotherapists, counselors, and expressive arts therapists, there is often a focus of building empowerment, resilience, and coping skills. Yet …

Antidepressants Versus Music Therapy: Which Treatment Is Better For Treating Depression In Parkinson's Disease?, Emaan Dawood

Virginias Collegiate Honors Council Conference

Music and medicine are merging to treat depression in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Antidepressants, the current standard, demonstrate mixed effects in clinical trials, warranting other treatment options. Here, I compare music therapy to antidepressants in the treatment of depression in PD via literature review. Studies of depressed PD patients undergoing music therapy and/or antidepressants were reviewed with attention to variables including depression (on a patient-reported outcome) that were measured pre- and post- therapy. In the music studies, improvements were seen in depression. Methodological inconsistencies across these studies, a paucity of studies, and small sample sizes, however, necessitate more research to reach …