Music Therapy Commons^™

Exploring Spiritual Experiences Of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapists, Hyun Jin Hong

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to explore spiritual dimensions of Creative Music Therapy, also known as Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy (NRMT). NRMT uses improvisational music therapy with children and adults with mental, emotional, and physical disabilities to encourage deeper and more extensive realization of therapeutic goals. This study examined music therapists’ spiritual experiences by illuminating their personal experiences in the NRMT setting. Research questions and sub-questions included: How do NRMTs define spirituality? How do they experience spirituality in music therapy? Why do they regard the experience as spiritual? How are those experiences reflected in music? How do they view …

Understanding The Benefits Of An Asian Music Therapy Student Peer Group, Yi-Ying Lin

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

As Asian international music therapy students, we shared many experiences and challenges when adjusting to the United States culture. In order to improve each other’s learning experiences and amplify our coping strategies, six of my Asian peers at Montclair State University and I spontaneously formed a group in 2011. The group seemed to have a positive effect on its members. To understand the benefits of the group from multiple facets and identify its role when addressing members’ needs in academic, clinical, and personal domains, I chose to use narrative inquiry and arts-based research in order to allow the participants to …

Assessing Trauma, Abuse And Loss Via Guided Imagery And Music, Amy Clements-Cortés

Music Faculty Publications

Holocaust survivors often face many psychological and emotional issues such as fear, and intrusive thoughts and images as a result of the traumatic experiences they endured. Guided Imagery and Music is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy which has proven to be particularly effective for survivors of trauma in addressing such emotional and psychological issues and beginning the healing process. This paper presents the case of Rivka, a child survivor of the Holocaust who experienced numerous losses in her life. As Rivka was approaching her death she chose music therapy to address her current concerns as well as those from her …

Luba’S Theme, Amy Clements-Cortés

Music Faculty Publications

The following case study is of Luba, a 4 year old girl diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease and her music therapy process. Foundational information on Tay-Sachs disease is provided alongside a discussion of anticipatory grieving, and the death of a child.

Adjudicated Adolescents, Susan Gardstrom

Department of Music Faculty Publications

This chapter highlights music therapy practice with adjudicated adolescents, also referred to as juvenile offenders or delinquents.

In 2008 alone (the most recent year for which statistics are available), juvenile courts in the U.S. took action on more than 1.6 million petitions of delinquency. Some of these cases were dismissed; some were waived to adult, or criminal, court; still others resulted in adjudication (a determination of guilt) with subsequent dispositions of community service, restitution, fines, probation, and/or mandatory placement in treatment programs of varying levels of security (National Center for Juvenile Justice, 2009).

The Impact Of Group Music Therapy On Negative Affect Of People With Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders And Mental Illnesses, Susan Gardstrom, Jacklyn Bartkowski, Joy Willenbrink, Wiebke S. Diestelkamp

Department of Music Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of group music therapy on levels of self-reported negative affect (NA) among men and women on a residential unit of an integrated dual diagnosis treatment program.

More specifically, we sought to determine if and to what degree engagement in composition, receptive (listening), re-creation (performing), and improvisation experiences would result in a shift—namely, a decrease—in the intensity of self-reported NA.

Participants were adults in residential treatment who had been diagnosed with co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental illnesses (MIs), predominantly mood and anxiety disorders. Twenty group-music-therapy sessions were held on …

Women With Addictions: Music Therapy Clinical Postures And Interventions, Susan Gardstrom, Maria Carlini, Jessica Josefczyk, Amy Love

Department of Music Faculty Publications

Like men, women have been using alcohol and drugs since ancient times; yet we are just beginning to uncover important information about women's unique trajectory to and through addiction. Straussner and Brown (2002) write, “There is little or no denial left today: Women can be and are addicts at alarming rates” (p. 34). Close to 15% of the members of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) report working with clients who have addictions (AMTA, 2011). It is likely that some of these members work with women who struggle with addictions, and it seems feasible that some would work predominantly or …

A Historical Review Of Music Therapy And The Department Of Veterans Affairs, Jenna Spencer

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the history and development of music therapy within the veteran population, specifically in regards to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This research will be conducted qualitatively utilizing narrative inquiry and historical review. Using numerous sources of literature, the researcher will conduct a thorough historical review in order to fully portray the development of music therapy practice within the veteran population. The researcher will explore various sources of relevant literature in order to discover when and how music therapy was first used to treat the veteran population and how music therapy programs …

The Call For Bravery: The Use Of Improvised Story Songs With A Preschooler With Developmental Delays, Emily Mcclure

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how improvised story songs reflect the lived experience of a preschool-age child with developmental delays, exploring what these musical experiences indicate about the child's development and therapeutic process. The researcher developed this area of study based on the participant's unique clinical experience with improvised story songs during his 10 months in music therapy. Archive video recordings of past sessions with the participant were thoroughly reviewed, and three to four improvised story songs were selected as the primary source of data for this study. These songs, as well as the therapeutic …

The Common Issues In Hospice Music Therapy : A Survey Of Hospice Music Therapists, Wone Juhn

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Hospice patients experience physical, cognitive, psychological, social and spiritual challenges. Literature has suggested the needs of hospice patients, and the goals, methods, techniques and case examples in hospice music therapy. However, the statistical information about the general hospice music therapy practice is not sufficient. Thus, it is necessary to collect data about the common issues in hospice music therapy involving hospice patients, their family caregivers and hospice music therapists. The purpose of this study is to gather experiential information about the common issues in hospice music therapy practices. The quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from a survey of a …

Memories From Vii World Congress Of Music Therapy, Vitoria Gasteiz, 1993, Heidi Ahonen, Diane Austin, Ruth Bright, Leslie Bunt, Ginger Clarkson, Janice Dvorkin, Jane Eisler, Suzanne B. Hanser, Sarah Hoskyns, Joanne Loewy, Joseph Moreno, Helen Odell-Miller, Serafina Poch, Jackie Robarts, Clive Robbins, Patricia L. Sabbatella, Marilyn Sandness, Alan Turry, Gabriela Wagner, Auriel Warwick, Barbara L. Wheeler

Music Faculty Publications

Some of the participants share their memories and photos from the VII World Congress of Music Therapy, held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain in 1993.

Parallel Process In Music Therapy Supervision, Gabriela S. Ortiz

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand parallel process in individual music therapy sessions with a child with Williams Syndrome and the subsequent supervisory relationship. This study consisted of an exploration of parallel process employing the qualitative analysis of first-person research and reflexive phenomenology. Data was collected through video- and audio-recordings from a total of three sessions (two clinical and 1 supervision). The method included analyses of personal journal entries, interpretive coding, and musical and verbal transcriptions. Musical and interpersonal themes were then identified within the therapeutic and supervisory relationships using retrospection and holistic listening. The findings from …

Interpretations Of Student Engagement In The Context Of The Orff Schulwerk Music Classroom At The Dubard School For Language Disorders, Anna Rebecca Bondurant Halliday

Dissertations

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the lived experiences of four students with language disorders within the context of their Orff Schulwerk music class at the DuBard School for Language Disorders. In addition, the observational insights of their classroom teachers and the practitioner researcher were compared with the responses of the students in order to determine any discrepancies between the child’s awareness of his or her musical engagement and that of the observer. Using data collected from interviews, stimulated recall (Dempsey, 2010), and student generated artwork (Freeman & Mathison, 2009), I explored the lived experiences of …

The Experiences Of Music Therapists With Mental Illness Working With Clients With Similar Diagnoses, Adam Makofske

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This phenomenological research study examined music therapists’ experiences of working with clients when both are diagnosed with a mental illness. The following research questions were addressed:

What is the experience like for music therapists with psychiatric illnesses to treat clients who have the same or similar diagnoses? What are the specific challenges regarding the therapeutic dynamics in this unique situation?

How is the countertransference defined, experienced and handled by the music therapist, including the specific role of the music and its impact on the therapy process?

In person, phenomenological interviews were conducted with three participants, each self-identified as having been …

The Efficacy Of Melodic Based Communication Therapy For Eliciting Speech In Nonverbal Children With Autism, Givona A. Sandiford

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to compare the efficacy of Melodic Based Communication Therapy (MBCT) to traditional speech and language therapy for eliciting speech in nonverbal children with autism. Efficacy was assessed by number of: verbalizations, correct words, words reported by parent, and imitative attempts. Additionally it examines the effect of exposure to MBCT on social language abilities as measured by score on the Pragmatic Language Skills Inventory (PLSI); the effect of age on the response to treatment, and the predictors of overall effectiveness of treatment.

Participants were 12 nonverbal children with autism ages 5 through 7 randomly assigned …

An Exploration Of Perceived Stress Among Music Therapy Interns, Ayelet Walker

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the prevalence, possible sources, and effects of perceived stress on music therapy interns. An online survey was conducted with a sample of music therapy interns from all seven regions of the U.S. Of the 71 participants who replied to the survey, 61 participants (2 males and 59 females) completed the entire survey and were included in the data analysis. Results showed this sample had moderately low prevalence of perceived stress (M=15.54, SD=6.38). The five sources of stress with the highest frequency were "Other sources of stress NOT related to …

I Am Surrounded By Love: An Inquiry Into The Use Of Songs With A Woman With Traumatic Brain Injury, 11 Years Post-Injury, Pamela J. Carlton

Theses & Dissertations

The use of songs in music therapy with persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) has many facets and applications in rehabilitation. Analyses of lyrics, song construct, and song choice have been examined with persons with TBI in coma states and early post-coma recovery, but more research is needed that focuses on what occurs when songs in therapy are introduced at a later point in TBI recovery. This narrative inquiry examined the therapeutic relevance of melody, rhythm, and song structure in songs for a woman with TBI from a 3-year period of weekly music therapy sessions. The participants in this study …

Music Therapy To Sever The Silence Of A Childhood Holocaust Survivor, Amy Clements-Cortés

Music Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Undergraduate Music Therapy Students’ Experiences As Clients In Short-Term Group Music Therapy, Nancy A. Jackson, Susan Gardstrom

Department of Music Faculty Publications

This report highlights a collaborative, phenomenological study undertaken by two faculty researchers from different undergraduate music therapy training programs in the Midwest. A total of nine junior and senior music therapy students from both programs (five from one, four from the other) were involved in short-term group music therapy, participating in three two-hour sessions during the course of an academic semester. Sessions were facilitated by the researchers, both of whom were board-certified music therapists.

To ensure ethical treatment, each researcher led sessions with the students from the other university, with whom they had no dual relationships. Student participants were involved …

Music Therapy Within The Context Of Psychotherapeutic Models, Mary Scovel, Susan Gardstrom

Department of Music Faculty Publications

Music therapy clinical practice occurs at various levels. Wheeler (1983) has classified the treatment of adults with mental disorders into three types: music therapy as an activity therapy; insight music therapy with re-educative goals; and insight music therapy with reconstructive goals.

Activity-based therapy is aimed at helping the client reach observable, measurable goals through various forms of music experiences. In contrast, the two remaining levels focus on facilitation of change through personal insight gained via musical experiences and verbalization about those experiences. Insight-based music therapy processes are ordinarily more intense and prolonged, in that deep emotions are evoked, and in …