Music Therapy Commons^™

Hip-Hop, Medellín And Social Change, Veronica Henao Posada

Master's Theses

This study explores the ways in which the Hip-hop movement is producing social change in Medellín, Colombia. Looking specifically at a Hip-hop school called Cuatro Elementos Skuela, which exists autonomously and with very little state support in the Medellín neighborhood of Aranjuez, I argue that young people are contributing to the reconstruction of the city’s social, cultural and economic fabric. I start by explaining the historical context of Medellín, describing the different sets of conflicts that unleashed high levels of violence and caused the fragmentation of the social, cultural and economic fabric. Moreover, I review the role of the …

Music And Conflict Resolution: Can A Music And Story Centered Workshop Enhance Empathy?, Parfait Adegboyé Bassalé

Dissertations and Theses

The Story and Song Centered Pedagogy (SSCP) is a workshop that uses songs, stories and reflective questioning to increase empathy. This preliminary study tested the prediction that being exposed to the SSCP would increase empathy using, the Emotional Concern (EC) and Perspective Taking (PT) subscales of the renowned Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) (Davis, 1990). Subjects self-reported their answers to the IRI before and after undergoing the SSCP intervention. Comparing their pre and post intervention results, no statistically significant changes were noticed for the EC and PT scales (p-value = 0.7093 for EC; p-value = 0.6328 for PT). These results stand …

All I Am: Defining Music As An Emotional Catalyst Through A Sociological Study Of Emotions, Gender And Culture, Adrienne M. Trier-Bieniek

Dissertations

This dissertation, "'All I Am': Defining Music as an Emotional Catalyst through a Sociological Study of Emotions, Gender and Culture", is based in the sociology of emotions, gender and culture and guided by symbolic interactionist and feminist standpoint theory. A primary focus is on understanding the emotional and empowering relationships women build with music that is written and performed by women, especially if they are using the music for emotional support or as a means to heal themselves. This study examines the cultural, emotional and gendered role music plays in day-to-day social life using data collected during forty-two semi-structured interviews …

De-Mystifying The Magic: Meaningful Moments In Music Therapy When Working With Children That Have Severe Special Needs, Kayla C. Daly

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The purpose of my study is to explore the “magic” that occurs in these music therapy sessions, and to discover what this word means for those who use it. For the purpose of this study we will define “magic” as having the occurrence of meaningful outcomes or moments in music therapy sessions. This study will attempt to reveal methods and techniques that are being used by music therapists to further facilitate the therapeutic process for children with severe special needs in their lives and everyday experiences. This study included naturalistic inquiry and phenomenological inquiry.

Asperger's Disorder: A Musical Treatment For Child Anxiety, Jeremy Marriott

Theses : Honours

School-aged females with Asperger's Disorder (AD) are significantly affected by debilitating anxiety. At present, no empirically validated treatments exist to treat this anxiety. To investigate this affect and treatment gap, a mixed-methods revelatory single-case design, built on evidence-based treatment elements was designed and tested. Solo pianist, David Helfgott rated, performed and provided musical performances by Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Claude Debussy which were listened to once each morning before school by a 10-year-old female with AD. Anxiety was recorded via a self-report Daily Journal and parent-report Spence Child Anxiety Scale for 20 consecutive school days. Results indicated support for the …

Woman To Woman: A Music Therapist's Experience Of Working With A Physically Challenged And Non-Verbal Woman, Carolyn Arnason

Music Faculty Publications

The phrase "woman to woman" implies that relationships between women have particular qualities and levels of understanding that value the female perspective (Gilbert & Scher 1999). This case study describes my experience as a female music therapist and pianist working for four years with Sarah (pseudonym), a physically challenged, intelligent woman who is non-verbal. Salient aspects of the improvisational music therapy sessions were use ofself as music therapist, building a collaborative relationship, working with subtle and non-verbal responses, interpretive flexibility and musical transparency. There were also dimensions of the therapeutic process that enlarged the musical relationship such as silence, "being …

Richard Wallaschek's Nineteenth-Century Contributions To The Psychology Of Music, Amy B. Graziano, Julene K. Johnson

Music Faculty Articles and Research

RICHARD WALLASCHEK (1860-1917) is most widely known for his contributions to comparative musicology; however, he also made significant contributions to the field of music psychology. From 1890 to 1895, Wallaschek pursued interdisciplinary studies at the British Museum in London. During this time Wallaschek proposed theories about the perception and production of music. According to Wallaschek, the perception of music occurs through two types of mental representation: Tonvorstellung (tone representation), which referred to the perception of individual musical elements, and Musikvorstellung (music representation), which referred to the perception of the higher-order structure of music. Wallaschek emphasized Gestalt-like concepts in his discussion …

The Music Channel: Integrating The Harp Into The Communication Process Of Children With Autism, Lori A. Kissinger

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study was undertaken to determine if the harp could be used as a communication channel for children with autism. The two research questions guiding this study were: (1) Will a child with autism utilize the harp to try to communicate a message? And (2) if the harp is utilized by a child with autism as a communication channel, can the receiver decode the intended message? Two qualitative case studies using constant comparison analysis were conducted over a six-day observation period. Five predominant responses emerged: (1) initial reaction to the instrument, (2) bonding with the instrument, (3) socialization through …

The Effect Of Music On Visuospatial Memory, James L. Mccracken

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Music was utilized in an attempt to enhance visuospatial memory. Twenty-eight individuals, who attended a United Methodist Church in southern West Virginia, were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions. The experimental group was exposed to new age and classical compositions, counterbalanced for order effects. The new age and classical selections were of similar tempo and complexity. The control group received two relaxation periods, of a comparable length to the music presented to the experimental group. The 7/24 Spatial Recall Test was used to measure visuospatial memory. The measure was administered to each participant immediately after exposure to the music …

The Use Of Music Therapy To Influence The Self-Confidence And Hostility Of Adolescents Who Are Sexually Abused, Joy Clendenon-Wallen

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether music therapy would be an effective therapeutic medium for reducing hostility and increasing the self-confidence of sexually abused adolescents. The study utilized an experimental and control group which is unique in the sexual abuse literature. Most studies are descriptive or quasi-experimental in nature. Some of the subjects increased their self-confidence and decreased their hostility although no statistical significance was achieved for either group. This study describes the treatment problems of sexually abused adolescents and offers examples of non-confrontational and goal directed treatment strategies which can be achieved through music therapy. Music …

Effects Of Music As A Conditioned Stimulus And Progressive Muscle Relaxation In Reducing Anxiety, Marie Elaine Clarkson

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether music could become a conditioned stimulus for lowered muscle tension and/or reduced anxiety.

There were three groups: (1) the PMR group receiving PMR alone, (2) the MUS group receiving music alone, and (3) the PMRM group receiving PMR followed by music. After four training sessions, a posttest was conducted in which all of the groups were given five minutes to relax. The PMR group had silence, the MUS group had music and the PMRM group had music which had previously been heard after relaxation training. Tension and anxiety reduction were …

Effects Of Music Therapy And Personal Interaction On The Preoperative Patient, Phyllis Jean Nix

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was conducted to discover the effects of (1) an interpersonal relationship and (2) an interpersonal relationship and music therapy on preoperative patients in a selected hospital.

The descriptive survey was chosen as the method of study. A checklist and a tape recording of selected music were used as a tool of research. Two groups of preoperative patients were given nursing care by the researcher. Patients in Group One received care with an aim toward developing an interpersonal relationship, while patients in Group Two received the same as Group One with the addition of music therapy.

Findings revealed a …

Possible Factors Influencing Music Preference, Isabella M. Pinto

Psychology ETDs

The purpose of this study is to determine factors influencing musical preference. The most important factor related to preference for classical music is thought by some to be the cultural background of the listener. According to Lazersfeld, "there is probably no question so sensitive to socialize differences as listening to serious music." This is consistent with the opinion of musicians and music critics who state that discriminating musical taste is a result of frequent listening to good music.