Music Therapy Commons^™

The Experience Of Thirdness For Music Therapists Working With Children On The Autism Spectrum, Jamison Chester Fox

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This research explores the phenomenon of thirdness and seeks to understand the experience of thirdness for music therapists working with children on the autism spectrum. This thesis includes a review of literature on thirdness as a general phenomenon, as well as thirdness specifically in music therapy. This was accomplished through a set of phenomenological interviews with three experienced music therapists in the field. A total of 102 meaning units were extracted from the culled transcripts and sorted into 17 categories. The categories were derived by carefully reviewing the related meaning units and were then stated in terms of thirdness. The …

Intergenerational Music Therapy : Bridging The Generational Gap Through Community-Based Music Making., Michael R. Detmer, Petra Kern, Jill Jacobi-Vessels, Kristi M. King

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Closer Exploration Of Therapeutic Relationship Through A Musical Mediuem: An Arts-Based Research Study, Michael Kelliher

Theses & Dissertations

Arts-based research is emerging and becoming prominent in music therapy. The intention of this arts-based research study was to explore, experience, and gain awareness of the therapeutic relationship of a client and therapist engaged in music therapy through client and therapist journals. This study looked at several elements of artistic expression of music therapy, such as the aesthetic components of verbal journaling and musical portraits. The journals were mixed to create songs that illuminated the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist. The relationship between words and music were analyzed aesthetically to explore the congruence and conflict between the harmony and …

Flesh And Blood, Clayton Petras

Graduate School of Art Theses

In my work, I look for ways to visualize and document the degenerative mental disease of Parkinson’s and transform it into portrayals of the disease itself, its effects, and those it afflicts. Being a physical breakdown of the body, both popular culture and my own corporal understanding influence my interpretation and representation. This document outlines those influences and their buildup towards a shared understanding of the interests behind the work, as well as implies what the work does through these contexts.

How do we give identity to a disease that is difficult to diagnose or view on medical technology, currently …

Bendablesound: An Elastic Multisensory Surface Using Touch-Based Interactions To Assist Children With Severe Autism During Music Therapy, Franceli L. Cibrian, Oscar Peña, Deysi Ortega, Monica Tentori

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Neurological Music Therapy uses live music to improve the sensorimotor regulation of children with severe autism. However, they often lack musical training and their impairments limit their interactions with musical instruments. In this paper, we present our co-design work that led to the BendableSound prototype: an elastic multisensory surface encouraging users to practice coordination movements when touching a fabric to play sounds. We present the results of a formative study conducted with 18 teachers showing BendableSound was perceived as “usable” and “attractive”. Then, we present a deployment study with 24 children with severe autism showing BendableSound is “easy to use” …

Music Therapists' Self-Care: Examining The Effectiveness Of Educational Preparation For Clinical Practice, Maureen C. Hearns

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of undergraduate academic and clinical training programs for music therapy in addressing the subject of personal growth, as it relates to the development of critical self-awareness and self-care strategies. The study further attempted to identify which self-care strategies are being used by practicing music therapy clinicians and how a practice of self-care impacts their work with distressed and/or traumatized individuals. An electronic survey sent to all board-certified music therapists (MT-BCs) (N = 6369) generated a demographic profile of music therapy practitioners who identified their clientele as distressed and/or traumatized. The …

Music Therapy’S Impact On Substance Abuse Recovery, Justin Bishop-Williams

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Music therapy has been a viable means of treatment for various medical conditions such as; treating PTSD, mental illness and even used alongside cognitive behavior therapy practices. Since the 70’s licensed therapists have been utilizing music therapy to combat the effect of addiction caused by substance abuse disorders. Addiction impacts the lives of one in ten Americans and only eleven percent seek help in forms of addiction treatment centers or 12-step-programs. With the combination of music therapy, addiction patients can discover feelings and emotions that have been suppressed through years of substance abuse. Forms of music therapy being examined for …

Participation In Amateur Orchestra And Subjective Well-Being In Korea: A Perspective From Community Music Therapy, Hyun-Jung Kang

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods research was to investigate which individual and external factors related to participation in an amateur orchestra influence members’ subjective well-being (SWB) and how those factors contribute to members’ SWB from a community music therapy (CoMT) perspective in South Korea. The study employed a sequential explanatory mixed-method design. Quantitative data were gathered from 126 members of nine amateur orchestras through a survey questionnaire including demographics and musical background, Perceived Values of the Amateur Orchestra Members (PVAOM), the Basic Psychological Needs Scales (BPNS), the Individualism and Collectivism Scale (INS-COL), and the Satisfaction with the Life Scale (SWLS). …

The Impact Of A Degree In Music Education On Music Therapy Professional Practice: A Qualitative Interview Study, Katherine Glathar

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of having a background in music education on music therapy professional practice. I conducted semi-structured interviews with three practicing music therapists who earned degrees in music education prior to becoming board-certified music therapists. Each participant practiced music therapy for at least one year prior to the interview. I transcribed and analyzed the interviews for themes, using an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach to evaluate the data. Themes emerged and were organized by concept: Training to become a music educator, retraining to become a music therapist, and professional practice as a …

Pitch Perception In Preschool-Age Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Megan Lambert

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This research thesis will 1) provide an overview of the psychoacoustics of music perception, particularly as related to the properties of pitch perception in young children and 2) describe the methods and outcomes of an exploratory study to evaluate the efficacy of obtaining pitch perception data from preschool age children with hearing loss. Each child completed a series of three tasks, including coaching and practice, single note perception, and pitch contrasts. All of the children readily understood the single-note pitch perception task. Pitch contrast performance across participants ranged from 50% to 96% correct for the first data collection period and …

Enhancing The Spiritual Well-Being Of Alzheimer's Patients Utilizing Music, Sheri Heeb

Masters Theses

Over 40 million people have some form of dementia. Alzheimer’s Disease “is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.” The non-pharmaceutical approaches in this study do not have the side-effects of many of the therapies currently being used for treating Alzheimer’s Disease. As part of this project, I will reference multiple research studies which include spirituality and Alzheimer’s Disease, the Nun Study of the Sisters of Notre Dame, and music therapy and Alzheimer’s Disease. Results show that music therapy boosts the memory, reduces anxiety and behavioral issues, and restores a sense of self-awareness. Other studies show that …

Effects Of Therapeutic Music On Pain In Spinal Surgery Recovery, Michael Poulsen

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Pain is one of the most common experienced symptoms reported by more than 80% of postoperative patients. Approximately 77-98% of postoperative patients report pain following their procedure with 40- 80% having moderate to severe pain. Pain is shown to elevate stress levels manifesting in increased heart rates, blood pressures, and oxygen demand. Inadequate pain control can develop into surgical complications causing surgical failure, blood clots, pneumonia, and chronic pain. Complimentary and alternative medicine such as music can be used in combination with opioid medication help improve pain control leading to successful surgical outcomes. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project …

The Effectiveness Of Music Therapy To Reduce Agitation Among Persons With Alzheimer’S Disease, Caroline Mazon

Honors Theses

According to the Alzheimer’s Association (2016), Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is diagnosed every 66 seconds resulting in this disease being the 6^th leading cause of death in the United States. Among other signs and symptoms, agitation is one of the most challenging symptoms that patients and caregivers must try to control using nonpharmacological therapies or prescribed pharmacological treatments. Among many professions, music therapy has been used to specifically lower the levels of agitation in AD patients. Live music, “sing a long’s”, using instruments, and listening to a song of the patients’ choice have all been shown to reduce agitation behaviors …

The Use Of Rhyme, Rhythm, And Melody As A Form Of Repetition Priming To Aid In Encoding, Storage, And Retrieval Of Semantic Memories In Alzheimer’S Patients, Faiz Plastikwala

Virginias Collegiate Honors Council Conference

Treating Alzheimer’s disease, especially through non-pharmaceutical means, has become increasingly important over the past few decades. I examined the use of melody, rhyme, and rhythm as encoding mechanisms to aid in the retrieval of long term semantic information by juxtaposing previous experiments in the field. Melody, rhyme, and rhythm provide an organizational structure to facilitate the encoding of information. Specifically, chunking, the grouping of smaller units into larger ‘chunks’, helps facilitate long term encoding in patients, and is the byproduct of the organizational structure of a text. A major drawback of using these devices is the loss in the depth …

Relational Power, Music, And Identity: The Emotional Efficacy Of Congregational Song, Nathan Myrick

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Relational Power, Music, and Identity: The Emotional Efficacy of Congregational Song

The power of congregational song to unify (or divide) people along various lines is well documented. Yet, how this process of uniting or dividing is accomplished has proven necessarily difficult to document. This paper examines the complex and polyvalent factors that contribute to the meaningfulness of congregational music making, seeking to offer a synthetic, conceptual framework with which to engage this often murky milieu.

Employing interdisciplinary research techniques drawn from sociology, ritual studies, and ethnomusicology, I construct a conceptual framework with which to understand the profoundly formative power of …

Rebecca Center For Music Therapy Newsletter: Volume 4 Issue 1, John Carpente Ph.D., Mt-Bc, Lcat, Jill Mulholland Ms, Mt-Bc, Lcat, Suzanne Sorel D.A., M.T.-B.C., L.C.A.T, Michael Kelliher Mt-Bc, Diana N. Abourafeh Mt-Bc, Laura De Gennaro Psy.D., Audra Cerruto Ph.D.

The Rebecca Center for Music Therapy Newsletter

What's Inside: ASD Research Five Years in the Making; Beyond the Session Room Jason's Story; Experiential Learning at the Center; Campus Connections; Community Outreach; Research; Recent and Upcoming Presentations; Book Club

Music As The Guide On The Pathway To Empowerment And Wellbeing. A Narrative On An Arts-Based Holistic Health Solution., Sabine Adler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study explored music as the guide on the pathway to empowerment and wellbeing at a nonprofit organization called Durban Music School. Using narrative inquiry, I have collected stories from different people involved with Durban Music school as well my own observations and reflections. Through finding empowerment through music myself, I was able to add in my personal experiences to compliment the experience of others. Using informal interviews and conversations, direct observations, journaling, and playing guitar as a method of inner reflection, I looked to explore through stories how underprivileged individuals have found empowerment through their musical journey. Out of …

Experience And Enjoy Therapeutic West African Drumming, Danny S. Daniels

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation is designed to introduce the benefits of a therapeutic West African drumming program to educators and mental health professionals. Participants will engage in a basic drumming class where they will experience the academic and socio-emotional benefits of drumming while practicing an African rhythm. How to relate American School Counselor Association (ASCA) standards as well as Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) and Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS) will be explained and demonstrated by the presentation facilitators.

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Music Therapists’ Experiences When Working With Actively Dying Hospice Patients: An Analysis Of Words, Mandalas, And Music, Erin I. Fox

Theses and Graduate Projects

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of three music therapists when working with actively dying hospice patients. The participants spoke of their experiences, drew mandalas, and improvised music. Through the lens of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis the interview transcripts were coded two main themes emerged: clinical experiences and personal experiences. Subthemes under clinical experiences included use of ongoing assessment, clinical reasoning, clinical use of music to meet patient needs, roles as music therapist, facing challenges in the work, and working with patients’ spirituality. Subthemes under personal experiences included awareness of needs for self-care, physical and sensory experiences, emotions and new …

Drumming Up The Future: Musical Creativity And Drum Circles As A Vehicle For Personal And Social Change, And For Improved Wellbeing Amongst Women In A Pre-Release Facility, Nanna Faulkner

Theses : Honours

Some arts programmes have used drum-circle techniques with the aim of facilitating personal and social change. These include those developed by Arthur Hull in the USA (Hull & Marie, 2014) and Drumbeat projects in Australia (Martin, Wood, Tasker & Coletsis, 2014). There is, however, limited research in the field and none that focuses explicitly on females in pre-release detention facilities. In exploring a range of creative drumcircle activities, informed by theories and practices from music therapy, community music settings and arts programmes in prisons, the present study examines the impact of participation in a ten-week drumming project upon women’s senses …