Music Therapy Commons^™

The Beat Behind The Bark: Investigating The Effects Of Music Tempo On Canine Physiological And Psychological States, Marley Lanier

Poster Presentations

Music is a universal component of human culture that has been demonstrated influencing emotional, cognitive, and physiological responses, specifically heart rate and hormonal responses (Mehr et al., 2019; Trappe, 2012). Recently, this research has expended to explore how music may affect non-human animals, particularly dogs, due to their roles as therapy animals, service animals, and human companions (Lindig et al., 2020; Gee et al., 2021). Being able to understand how music influences canine stress and relaxation hold important applications in environments such as shelters, veterinary clinics, and at home. One important feature of music is tempo, or beats per minute …

Life Experiences To Lyrics: What Mental Health Looks Like In Music, Ashley Salinas, Ashley De La Fuente

Posters - 2026

● Music conveys human emotion and mental states, often reflecting societal struggles such as depression and anxiety. Lyrics often shape how listeners experience these emotions, influencing mood, identity formation, and emotional processing in young adults (Gustavson, 2021; Chen, 2023). ● Depression, characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and withdrawal is frequently expressed in music through explicit descriptions or metaphorical language (Shriram, 2015). Whereas, anxiety involves excessive worry, restlessness, and hypervigilance, is less studied yet similarly present in music (Kim, 2023). ● Previous studies have highlighted that pop lyrics often emphasize relational uncertainty, country songs depict fear of loss, and …

Mindfulness Through Biofeedback And Meditation Syllabus, Eric B. Miller

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Music As A Therapeutic Medium In Occupational Therapy: A Scoping Review, Kevin Leon, Steven M. Gerardi, Angela Blackwell

Summer 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Music has been recognized as having therapeutic properties for people with a range of conditions and is the focus of the music therapy profession. Although occupational therapy (OT) has used music as therapeutic medium, the limited literature on the use of music in OT has not been systematically reviewed, making it difficult for OT practitioners to frame the use of music in their practices. The objective of this review was to identify how OT practitioners have reported they have used music as a therapeutic medium in OT practice. This review used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses …

The Relationship Between Misophonia Sensitivity And Musicality, Mae Ling Catayong, Sarah Uganiza, William Smithers, Aileen Corral, Sivan Barashy, Solena Mednicoff, Destiny Gonzales

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Misophonia is a condition characterized by negative emotional reactions to certain everyday sounds. Musicality involves Active Musical Engagement (AE), Self-reported Perceptual Abilities (PA), Musical Training (MT), Self-reported Singing Abilities (SA), Sophisticated Emotional Engagement with Music (EM), and General musical sophistication (GM). Numerous active musicians have self-reported having misophonia, while anecdotal reports have shown that music can help treat misophonia symptoms.

Misophonia Sensitivity Is Related To Enhanced Responsiveness To Misophonia, Asmr And Musical Frisson, Alexis Rice, Kiara O'Keefe, Kacey Chang, Sivan Barashy, Solena Mednicoff, Destiny Gonzales

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Misophonia: a condition in which specific everyday sounds (e.g., chewing, breathing) trigger an atypical, negative emotional response.

ASMR: a sensory phenomenon triggered by stimuli that induce a state of relaxation, positive feelings, and tinging sensations that spread from the head to the rest of the body.

Musical frisson: typically characterized by positive affect and strong physiological reactions, such as shivering, goosebumps, and teary-eyes in response to highly pleasurable music.

You Never Walk Alone: How Bts Supports Army Mental Health And Well-Being, Melissa Le

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

BTS is a seven-membered South Korean boyband with a fandom named "ARMY." Music is generally associated with increased mental health, but not all types of music genres have been studied yet. With the current rise of Korean popular music (K-pop), it is important to understand what makes this genre popular and why fans claim it has improved their mental health. As BTS is currently the most popular K-pop group globally, they provide a unique look at how their music can help fans with depression and anxiety.

The Effect Of Listening To Relaxing Music Versus Mood Sequence Formulatm Music On Anxiety, Stress, And Resilience In Healthcare Workers And Hospital Staff: A Pilot Study, Anna P. Ortiz

All Zyzzogeton Presentations

The study aims include testing:

• Effect of music listening interventions to decrease anxiety and stress in healthcare workers compared to attention control.
• Effect of music listening interventions to improve resilience in healthcare workers compared to attention control.
• Compare the efficacy of music listening interventions with relaxing music (60-80 beats per minute) to music infused with the Mood Sequence FormulaTM (Stress Break) on stress, anxiety, and resilience in healthcare workers.
• Use of online intranet platform for delivery of study interventions and participant engagement

Opportunities And Challenges Of Qualitative Research As A Young Researcher, Alyssa Burton

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

After joining a sociological research project—one well outside the bounds of my current major in music therapy—I have been introduced to the opportunities and challenges of qualitative research. To encourage other students in their research pursuits, this presentation will discuss qualitative research in general, my experience implementing it, and its implications for both the current project and my future. Every student, no matter their discipline, deserves the opportunity to participate in research.

Diversity In Music Therapy: A Treatment Model For Lgbtq+ Affirming Care, Elaine O. Slusser

Undergraduate Arts and Research Showcase

The aim of this paper was to synthesize available literature and research on music therapy services with LGBTQ+ individuals to propose a treatment model for LGBTQ+ affirming care. According to data collected by the Williams Institute in 2018, 4.5% of Americans identified as LGBTQ+, and the report reaffirmed the professional responsibility of music therapy professionals and students to provide ethically sound and identity-affirming services to this population (The Williams Institute UCLA School of Law, 2018). Further, the data supported the claim that providing quality services to this population was not a specialty concern and carried professional and educational considerations. As …

Music Heals: Therapeutic Music To Reduce Pain And Anxiety In Adult Icu Patients, Kathleen Sowada

Nursing Posters

To decrease pain and anxiety in adult intensive care unit patients through the use of therapeutic music as compared to no music intervention.

Understanding The Needs Of Transgender Young Adults Dually Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Depression, Elizabeth Whalen

All Zyzzogeton Presentations

This study investigates the mental health treatment experiences of one transgender young adult and one genderqueer young adult who are dually diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and depression. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with these young adults and two of their parents. Interview questions centered around participants’ mental health treatment needs and experiences. The researcher conducted a phenomenological analysis of the data that yielded individual meaning units and global meaning units. The analysis found that individuals in this population experience low self-esteem, social difficulties, and a lack of appropriate mental health services.

Exploration Of The Use Of Sensory Diets In Occupational Therapy, Allison Hunt, Morganne Peterson, Emily White

Student Research Posters

The purpose of this study was to fill the gap in literature and further examine the use of sensory diets in the field of occupational therapy. This study investigated the use of sensory diets among California occupational therapy practitioners. A mixed-methods design was used to collect data through a SurveyMonkey survey. The survey was sent out to members of the Occupational Therapy Association of California (OTAC) and received 98 respondents within one month. Participants worked among various clinical settings and implemented sensory diets with various client populations. Practitioners reported using terms such as “sensory strategies,” “sensory tools,” and “sensory supports” …

Music And The Brain: An Analysis Of How Music Therapy Is Used As A Treatment For Brain Disorders, Darren Proctor, Brian S. Mason

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Epistemological Foundations Of Objectivist And Interpretivist Research, James Hiller

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

At the heart of music therapy research, as in any field, is a search for knowledge. For centuries, researchers in a remarkable range of disciplines have conducted research and published findings in a vast array of professional journals and books. It therefore seems reasonable to suppose that we ought to know by now how to go about conducting research, and more importantly what it means to have gained knowledge. Yet problems have persisted along the way and have at various times proven quite challenging and even inconvenient for researchers and their claims to knowledge (Kuhn, 2012). Of particular significance are …

Ed Roth, Margaret Von Steinen

International Faculty Researchers

Can listening to and making music be effectively used in the treatment of people diagnosed with neurologic and psychiatric disorders? This is the primary question Professor Ed Roth, director of WMU’s music therapy program, is attempting to answer in collaboration with colleagues from around the world to improve treatment for people experiencing post-traumatic stress and other acute anxiety disorders. He is a co-founder and director of WMU’s Laboratory for Brain Research and Interdisciplinary Neurosciences (BRAIN) (article) and a Fellow in the Academy of Neurologic Music Therapists, who specializes in the application of music in the treatment of neurologic disorders and …

Implications Of Embodied Cognition And Schema Theory For Discerning Potential Meanings Of Improvised Rhythm, James Hiller

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

Rhythm is an essential and therefore indispensable aspect of all music. Arguably, rhythmic elements are the most accessible of all the musical elements for clients in music therapy to produce and manipulate expressively (Hiller, 2011). Yet, theoretical understanding of rhythm and its use in musical expression is a neglected area of both music therapy (Bunt, 1994; Daveson & Skewes, 2002) and musicological inquiry (Gabrielsson, 1993; Kramer, 1988; Mead, 1999). However, the area of psychological investigation known as “embodied cognition” or “schema theory,” which has been constructively applied to composed tonal music, may prove fruitful in deepening our understanding of potential …