Music Therapy Commons^™

Music Therapy Effects On Social-Communicative Response Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Raymond Payton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are challenged with communicative skills, which can negatively influence their emotional development. As children with ASD in the local school were not demonstrating functional communication skills as measured by the Assessment of Social Skills for Children with Autism (ASSCM), music therapy was introduced as remediation. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which music therapy increased the ASSCM scores. This single subject design study was guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory, which holds that individuals are impacted by various environmental systems around them. The research question addressed the extent to …

The Effects Of Listening To Motivational Music On Performance Of Knee Extension And Flexion In Healthy Adults, Alexander Lesser

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether listening to motivational music prior to performing leg extensions and flexions effected peak torque performance. Participants included 23 adults between the ages 18 and 48 years. Participants engaged in three sets of leg extensions and flexions utilizing a Cybex Humac NORM system following a warm-up period consisting of listening to either researcher-selected music, self-selected music, and in silence. Two one-way ANOVAs comparing participants’ data showed significant results in leg flexions performed following warm-up while listening to self-selected music. Significant results were not achieved for leg extensions yet a similar trend was …

A Kentucky Pioneer In Music Therapy: An Oral History On The Life And Career Of Lorinda Jones, Emma Powers

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Lorinda Jones, MT-BC, is the longest practicing music therapist in Kentucky. She began her work as a music therapist in 1995 and built a private practice, which expanded over the course of the next 20 years to include services in 16 counties. Ms. Jones’ perspective on the growth of music therapy, both within the state and nationwide, as well as her extensive knowledge of Appalachian folk music, makes her an invaluable resource to Kentucky music therapists. The purpose of this study was to present a historical account of the life and career of Lorinda Jones, to gain her perspective on …

The Effectiveness Of Music Therapy Interventions With Persons Of Concern: An Integrative Review, Grace Lauzon

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and stateless persons, collectively known as “persons of concern,” often have unmet mental health and wellness needs as a result of trauma. With a diverse variety of interventions and approaches, the use of music therapy has the potential to meet the needs of persons of concern. In the present study, the researcher conducted an integrative review to examine the use of music therapy with persons of concern. After conducting a hand-search of music therapy journals and an advanced keyword search through internet databases, the researcher found 17 studies that met inclusion criteria. There …

Factors Influencing Music Therapy Career Choice In The United States: A Study Of Student Values And Expectancies, Margaret R. Scheppmann

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The understanding of why students decide to become music therapists is valuable information for music therapy educators and policy makers and published information is lacking. The use of expectancy-value theory provides a framework to understand student choices. Researchers can better understand why students purse a career in music therapy by examining students’ abilities, beliefs, expectancies, and values related to the choice. The purpose of this study was to examine why current undergraduate and equivalency students want to be music therapists. Music therapy students (N = 129) throughout the United States provided insight into their decision to become music therapists …

A Study Of Unemployment And Underemployment In Clinical Music Therapy, Christopher A. Kelley

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Music therapy has been an established health profession for over 60 years serving a diverse population in different settings. Researchers studied the effects of burnout, career longevity, job satisfaction, and workforce analysis of clinical music therapy; however, no studies exist on the prevalence of unemployment and underemployment in clinical music therapy. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of unemployment and underemployment in clinical music therapy.

Participants who completed an anonymous online survey (n = 1,240) were board-certified music therapists who provided information on their current employment status. Results showed that the prevalence of unemployment among …

The Roles Of Absorption In Music Therapy, Michael John Russo

Theses & Dissertations

Absorption refers to the phenomenon of total attentional engagement. The purpose of the current study was to gain a preliminary understanding of the roles that absorption may have in different music therapy approaches. The research questions were: a) How might music therapists know when their clients are in states of absorption?, b) How might absorption influence the ability of music therapy clients to progress towards therapeutic goals?, and c) What is the potential relationship between absorption and music? Three music therapists with self-identified expertise and experience in conceptualizing absorption in music therapy were interviewed about their observations and opinions of …

The Effects Of Mindfulness Practice With Music Listening On Working Memory, Emily Irene Messick

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate mindfulness strategies and their influence on working memory. The potential role of music in facilitating mindfulness practice is explored. Various listening exercises were investigated along with their influence on working memory (i.e. attention control). Thirty-four individuals were randomly assigned to participate in one of four listening groups: 1) mindfulness with music, 2) mindfulness without music, 3) music only, and 4) silence. Thirty-four participants engaged in a computerized digit-span task before and after the listening exercise to assess pre- and post-test working memory performance. Thirty participants were included in data-analysis due to …

Research-Based Music Composition For Anxiety Reduction, Carly Crusius

Honors Theses

The following undergraduate honors thesis utilizes the Therapeutic Function of Music (TFM) Plan worksheet conceived by Dr. Deanna Hanson-Abromeit as a template to guide research and analysis for how the musical elements should be structured to support the goal of anxiety reduction for college-aged students. Anxiety is a mental health concern that is prevalent among college students due to the variety of social, environmental, and academic stressors that affect their day-to-day lives. The TFM was established to provide transparency and a common language within the field of music therapy and beyond when discussion the elements of music. Research was conducted …

The Use Of Neurologic Music Therapy And Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation As Treatment For Parkinson’S Disease, Shaima Shebrain

Honors Theses

Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a progressive, neurodegenerative disease, is common in people who are 50 years of age or older. It is characterized by the loss of function of the substantia nigra in producing dopamine, a neurotransmitter that allows for smooth and coordinated movement. Due to the lack of dopamine, an individual with PD experiences involuntary and stiff movements such as tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia, postural instability, and abnormal gait patterns along with other motor symptoms. Over the years, the motor symptoms that are associated with PD progressively worsen; thus, limiting the individual’s independency and ability to perform daily tasks. Those with …

Psychophysiology In Relation To Music And Behavior, Chloe Heintz

Honors Theses

This thesis was based off of my experience as a research assistant in a study conducted by principle investigator Edward Roth and student investigator Alycia Sterenberg entitled “The determinants of affect, emotional arousal, and autobiographical memories on music-evoked nostalgia.” Roth and Sterenberg investigated the relationship between nostalgic music, autobiographical memories, and the physiological response of electrodermal activity (EDA). This was done by recruiting 30 college students between the ages of 18-28 to listen to music based off of five songs they listed as being nostalgic to them. They would then rate how familiar, nostalgic, and enjoyable each song was, in …

Nostalgia And Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories: Salience And Content In Musicians Vs. Non-Musicians, Taylorlyn Mehnert

Honors Theses

This paper examines a subsection of data from a larger study conducted by Alycia Sterenberg titled, “The determinants of affect, emotional arousal, and autobiographical memories on music-evoked nostalgia”. The question being examined was: when examining musicians and non-musicians, what difference is there in the intensity of nostalgic memories between the two groups; what elements of a memory are either group more likely to be nostalgic about when listening to music they have labeled as nostalgic for themselves? The data was acquired from questionnaires participants filled out after listening to music generated to be similar to that which they had labeled …

Music Evoked Nostalgia And Mood States, Bailey Schulte

Honors Theses

This study was in collaboration with the study titled “The determinants of affect, emotional arousal, and autobiographical memories” by principle investigator, Edward Roth, and student investigator Alycia Sterenberg. It addresses two questions examining the impact that music evoked nostalgia has on mood states and if this difference varies between musicians and non-musicians. The study included 19 participants ranging in age from 18-28 and used a multilevel model design. Participants completed a Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) pre and post listening to nostalgia evoking music. Results revealed a decrease in negative affect pre to post-test, also showing a difference between …

Music Rehabilitation Programs In California State Prisons, Sarah Hanson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

With 2.3 million people in the United States prison system, reducing recidivism rates in prison is crucial. One of the most prevalent ways California has been able to reduce recidivism and encourage less punitive measure on prisoners is through music rehabilitation programs. This research explores the current prison population, history of music rehabilitation in prisons, positive and negative psychological effects music can have on inmates, an active music rehabilitation program (Dance Kaiso), and how inmates have been utilizing these programs. By exploring the current prison population and how music rehabilitation began in the United States and California, there’s a clearer …

The Effect Of Patterned Sensory Enhancement On Balance And Ambulation In Persons Diagnosed With Parkinson’S Disease, Brittany Barko

Masters Theses

One rehabilitation protocol effective in delaying the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is Lee Silverman Voice Training BIG (LSVT BIG), comprising pre-gait exercises and gait training. This study seeks to determine if combining Patterned Sensory Enhancement (PSE), a music therapy intervention, with LSVT BIG will improve quality of movement. During physical therapy sessions with three participants, a music therapist adapted the PSE stimuli to support each patient’s motor needs, which were then recorded on CD and sent with patients to exercise with at home. Results showed improved balance and ambulation comparing pre- and post- measures of the BERG balance scale …

A Brain-Friendly Approach To Music Literacy, Taylor Davis

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The purpose of this study was to explore how the brain processes information, stores it in long-term memory and then applies that knowledge to teaching music in a classroom/rehearsal setting. We observed how the working memory, the system responsible for processing information from short-term and long-term memory can function with greater efficiency. We observed how the number of items available for processing in the working memory may be increased through a process identified as “chunking.” Chunking is when short patterns, or bits of information, are combined to form longer sequences. When applying these brain-friendly learning concepts to music, the instructor …

The Effects Of Incorporating Music Into Daily Life On Cognitive Decline, Devlin Deveney

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

Dementia currently affects over 35 million people worldwide – a number that is expected to triple by the year 2050 according to the report, “Dementia: a public health priority” by World Health Organization and Alzheimer’s Disease International. Despite the high population of people with dementia, there are currently no cures for the diseases within this category. The aim of this article is to explore the cognitive effects of incorporating music into daily life prior to the onset of dementia and determining whether or not these effects have an impact on age-related cognitive decline. It is hoped that this paper will …

Music Therapy: Effects On Children Diagnosed With Asd, Jennifer Lynn Mahr

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to focus on the use of music therapy as a treatment to serve people of special needs, including individuals with ASD. The research seeks to inform parents/students of children with ASD that music therapy could be the avenue in which their children/students are treated in certain areas. The information in this research can assist parents with the knowledge and understanding they need relating to music therapy in order for their child to overcome weaknesses associated with ASD. Similarly, music teachers can gain further insight into the world of music therapy to encourage students who struggle in …

Rebecca Center For Music Therapy Newsletter: Volume 5 Issue 1, John Carpente Ph.D., Mt-Bc, Lcat, Suzanne Sorel D.A., M.T.-B.C., L.C.A.T, Jill Mulholland Ms, Mt-Bc, Lcat, Diana N. Abourafeh Mt-Bc, Michael Kelliher Mt-Bc, Mike Munoz Mt-Bc, Rickey Moroney Ms, Stephanie Cestaro, Audra Cerruto Ph.D.

The Rebecca Center for Music Therapy Newsletter

Dr. John Carpente, Director of the Rebecca Center and associate professor of the music department at Molloy College has the pleasure of traveling across the globe to share his knowledge and expertise on an assessment tool that he pioneered entitled, Individual Music- Centered Assessment Profile for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (IMCAP-ND). He has been invited to offer his trainings both domestically and internationally at various universities. Trainings have been offered across the

Music & Neuroscience As A Digital Therapeutic For Walking, Brian Harris

Crossroads of Music and Technology

With the advancement of both neuroscience and clinical research demonstrating the ability of music to enhance functional outcomes, there is an ever-growing need to identify opportunities to deliver and solutions to facilitate these improved outcomes to patients. This need is amplified in the face of a growing and aging population that faces rising healthcare costs and a fractured healthcare delivery system. Digital therapeutics will play an important role in bringing these interventions to the people who need and deserve to have them.