Music Therapy Commons^™

The Perceptions Of Music Therapy Interns And Internship Supervisors: American Music Therapy Association Professional Competencies, Jordan Rebecca Novak

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptual differences of the AMTA Professional Competencies between music therapy pre-interns and internship supervisors in the Great Lakes Region. The participants (N = 33) were 19 pre-interns and 14 internship supervisors at AMTA Approved internship sites and academic programs. This 32 question survey study utilized a Likert-type 5-point scale that required the participant to rate their perceived need for assistance from little to no need for assistance to very high need for assistance. Results showed that pre-interns and supervisors differ significantly on the subjects of “Leading and accompanying on guitar and piano” …

Women’S Perceptions Of The Usefulness Of Group Music Therapy In Addictions Recovery, Susan Gardstrom, Abigail Klemm, Kathleen M. Murphy

Department of Music Faculty Publications

This study represents our attempt to uncover aspects of group music therapy that women with addictions perceive as useful toward recovery – factors that have yet to be clearly identified in existing literature. Women in residential treatment for addictions to heroin and other substances were surveyed following group music therapy sessions involving vocal and instrumental re-creation, listening, and improvisation. Qualitative content analysis of data revealed four major findings. We learned that treatment is, in fact, seen as useful by these particular women and that Yalom’s theory provides a meaningful framework for identifying, understanding, and fostering mechanisms within the group music …

Music Therapy And Grieving: Defining And Creating Music Therapy Activities For The Patient And Family, Natassia L. Carr

Music Therapy Theses

This project addresses the use of music therapy and a variety of activities created for grieving. Examples of music therapy and grieving are described. These include music therapy intervention that extend to provide support for bereaved caregivers and loved ones. In bereavement, music therapy can use music to identify, acknowledge and express people's grief. People can also learn how to use music as a tool for continued coping throughout the grieving process. Musical techniques and the musical patterns that form within a musical-therapeutic relationship motivate participants to communicate. This project focuses on the importance of music in a person's life …

Resistances In Group Music Therapy With Women And Men With Substance Use Disorders, Susan Gardstrom, James Hiller

Department of Music Faculty Publications

In this paper, we explore client resistances in group music therapy with women and men in residential treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs). We describe how we have encountered resident resistances on women's and men's units within a gender-specific treatment facility and offer suggestions for pre-empting and addressing such resistances, offering both nonmusical and musical strategies and techniques. We emphasize a person-centered approach and an experience orientation, in which we view our primary responsibility as providing opportunities for the men and women to engage meaningfully with music, self, therapists, and other residents in order to identify problems and explore alternatives …

Examining Relationships Between Basic Emotion Perception And Musical Training In The Prosodic, Facial, And Lexical Channels Of Communication And In Music, Jamie Twaite

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research has suggested that intensive musical training may result in transfer effects from musical to non-musical domains. There is considerable research on perceptual and cognitive transfer effects associated with music, but, comparatively, fewer studies examined relationships between musical training and emotion processing. Preliminary findings, though equivocal, suggested that musical training is associated with enhanced perception of emotional prosody, consistent with a growing body of research demonstrating relationships between music and speech. In addition, few studies directly examined the relationship between musical training and the perception of emotions expressed in music, and no studies directly evaluated this relationship in the facial …

Perceptions Of Music Therapy Among Hospice Health Care Clinicians : Implications For Effective Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Crystal Antoine

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

One reported strategy towards effective interdisciplinary collaboration for optimal patient care is through understanding the purpose and roles of the other disciplines on the health care team. In comparison to disciplines such as nursing, music therapy is a more recent discipline that has been added to hospice interdisciplinary teams. The purpose of this study was to discover how hospice clinicians perceive the role of music therapy in end of life care. A multiple-select choice survey was conducted asking 15 hospice clinicians their feedback on the following music therapy topics: reasons for referrals, benefits of music therapy, music therapy interventions, and …

The Role Of Performance Anxiety Within The Music Therapist, Emma Jane Walker

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the manifestation of anxiety, the role it plays in the life and practice of the music therapist, as well as exploring the techniques and exercises utilized by the therapist for this or her own care. This explorative research study used a survey approach to gather qualitative data based on both practicing music therapists and music therapy students’ perceptions and experiences related to performance anxiety within their training and clinical work. A total of 100 surveys were completed online by music therapy students, interns, novice clinicians, as well as seasoned music therapists and …

Adding Music Therapy To The Care Plan, Amy Clements-Cortés

Music Faculty Publications

I have chosen to write a short editorial on a topic not often included at the forefront of palliative care; music therapy. At the launch of an important journal that encourages articles addressing quality of life, while offering an educational forum for healthcare professionals to maintain relevance, it seems fitting to raise a topic that does not receive adequate attention in many palliative care settings.

Music And Language Development: Traits Of Nursery Rhymes And Their Impact On Children's Language Development, Ashley Lauren Gonzalez

Music

From birth--possibly even before birth--the amount and array of external stimuli profoundly affect a child’s cognitive and linguistic development. In addition to verbal communication from parent to child, singing proves to be an integral aid to a child’s development of speech and language, allegedly due to repetitions of words and rhythms. Nursery rhymes are, from infancy, among the most commonly presented forms of musical stimulus for children. The repetitive nature of the nursery rhymes undoubtedly supports language and speech development, but various characteristics of nursery rhymes, specifically pitch interval, meter, phrase length, contour, and harmony, also contribute substantially to the …

How To Make The Jailhouse Rock: An Evaluation Of Effective Music Therapy Methods Among Juvenile Offenders, Katelyn Rose Tomasello

Music

No abstract provided.

The Function Of Improvised Song Creation For Individuals With Asd In Formation Of Identity: A Grounded Theory Investigation, Jesse Asch

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the function of improvised song creation for two individuals with autism spectrum disorder in the formation of self-identity using grounded theory analysis. Data were collected through video recordings of archival clinical sessions. The method included analyses of musical, lyrical, and interpersonal transcriptions of sessions. The transcription process included a combination of holistic listening and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy indexing techniques. A grounded theory coding process was employed to identify concepts and categories related to the broader context of identity formation from patterns in the data and to develop theoretical conclusions from these concepts. …

Exploring The Use Of The Bass Guitar As A Clinical Instrument Within Music-Centered Practice, Matthew J. Brady

Theses & Dissertations

There is limited research on the use of the bass guitar in music therapy. This study explored the use of the bass guitar as a clinical instrument from a music-centered perspective in clinical work with individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and emotional challenges. Data were collected from filming individual music therapy sessions with three participants. Each participant had four sessions of music therapy. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Five themes which reflect the interventions and social processes within music-centered work with the bass were identified: following the client’s lead, grounding, client and therapist as rhythm section, client and therapist …

A Pilot Project Of Art And Eating Disorders: A Self-Advocacy Campaign Through Video Narratives, Sarah Pray

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This pilot project of Art and Eating Disorders was approved by The Emily Program Foundation (TEPF) (Emily Program Foundation, n.d.), a 501(c) (3) nonprofit working to eliminate eating disorders through advocacy, social outreach, and collaboration with community partners. TEPF recruited five artists. Artists were interviewed by Sarah Pray and artwork digitally recorded at various locations, filmed and edited by videographer, Eve Daniels. Artists brought artwork and other creative work related to their recovery. The resulting videos were uploaded to the TEPF website (www.theemilyprogramfoundation.org) weekly. The goal of the pilot project was to measure the project's ability to document …

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.

Establishing Foundations For The Development Of A Music-Centered Music Therapy Assessment For Adults With Thought Disorders, Kaitlin Elizabeth Miller

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Mental illness in the United States affects approximately 9.6 million adults, or 4.1% of the population (NIMH, 2014). Thought disorders are most often associated with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, but can be present in other forms of mental illness, as well. Traditionally, the term thought disorder is defined as a disorder of cognitive organization in form and content, as indicated by disordered speech, delusions, disturbed sense of self, and abnormal psychomotor behavior (APA, 2013). The current methods of assessment primarily rely on the patients’ verbal language, however the literature indicates that there are limits to confining understanding to the verbal domain. …

Dance And Well-Being In Older Adult Communities: Exploring Efficacy As A Mediator, Beth M. Mcgowan

Honors Thesis

As the population of older adults expands, it becomes increasingly important to develop effective interventions to ensure high levels of well-being. Previous research in a variety of populations has shown that dance produces broad benefits including improving physical mobility, social relationships, autonomy, and self-image. Given this, the present study attempted to clarify the mechanisms through which dance might lead to these improvements. Specifically, this research examined the role of self-efficacy, or beliefs that one can accomplish certain tasks, have in explaining the psychological benefits of dance. I hypothesized that when dance is a social activity it instills a sense of …

An Exploration Of Music Therapists' Perspectives On Preventing And Treating Postpartum Depression, Chengcheng Du

Theses & Dissertations

Music therapy has been proposed by many researchers and healthcare professionals (Beck, 2002; Simavli et al., 2014; Tseng et al., 2010) as an effective solution to treat Postpartum Depression (PPD). In this study, the causes of PPD, treatment and prevention of PPD, and the use and results of music therapy with pregnant women and/or mothers with PPD were examined to understand the effectiveness of music therapy and potential treatments for mothers with PPD. This qualitative study employed individual and semi-structured interviews of therapists working with women with PPD. All interviews were recorded and transcribed, then the data were summarized into …

The Effect Music Has In Speech Therapy, Emily K. Nester

Honors Theses

The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the use of music in speech therapy. A survey was sent via email to Mississippi Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) certified speech-language pathologists to acquire knowledge on the use of music in their therapy sessions. The author used the source, SurveyMonkey, to collect and analyze the data. The data was used to determine the prevalence of music in speech therapy. In addition, when music was used, the data portrayed how music was incorporated into therapy and the particular gender, genre, and/or disorder preferred.

Preschoolers’ Use Of Verbal And Musical Strategies For Solving A Spatial Reasoning Task, Alyssa Marie Iulianetti

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Spatial reasoning is the ability to visualize and interact with one’s three-dimensional environment. A spatial problem that is particularly challenging for young children is the tube task, developed by Hood in 1995. Children are presented with an apparatus that consists of a large frame with three intertwining tubes attached to the top and bottom. Children are asked to predict where a ball will emerge when it is dropped down one of the tubes. Young children typically make what is known as the gravity bias error, in which they believe a ball will drop straight down even though its path is …

Music Intervention In The Acute And Critical Care Settings: Commentary On “The Effect Of Music During Bronchoscopy: A Meta-Analysis”, Linda L. Chlan, Annie Heiderscheit

Faculty Authored Articles

The article by Tam and colleagues published in this edition of Heart & Lung, succinctly reports on the meta-analysis of research findings testing music as an adjunctive intervention during bronchoscopy. The article provides a coherent summary of the pooled evidence of music’s beneficial effect on physiological indicators of relaxation and anxiety as evidenced by reductions in heart rate and blood pressure. We offer here a commentary on the article and music intervention, including key considerations for the implementation of music in practice settings.

Experiences Of Personal Therapy As A Client: Perspectives Of Asian Music Therapists During Their Training In The Us, Hyejin So

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This phenomenological research explored previous personal therapy (PT) experiences of East Asian music therapists during their training in the US. The study focused on examining the meaning of being therapy clients while they were music therapy students, and discovering the influence of PT on their personal, clinical, and musical development during and after the training. In addition, two different cultural influences on the therapeutic process were examined. Eight music therapists from Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan participated in this study. The length of their PT experiences ranged from six to 24 months. The participants’ therapists were Asians who immigrated to …

Soothing Relaxation Journeys: Designing Evidence Based Music And Imagery Opportunities, Amy Clements-Cortés

Music Faculty Publications

This paper provides information on the creation of an original collection of music and imagery journeys based on the literature in oncology and palliative care. Background evidence is shared about music and relaxation, music relaxation in medical settings, and music and relaxation in oncology/hospice treatment. The development of the resource is illuminated with respect to principles that guided the design. The Journeys collection is a tool that can be used independently by persons experiencing a variety of issues including: anxiety, pain, stress, low self-esteem, and low mood, etcetera; as well as with groups when implemented by a healthcare professional. While …

Turning Music Into Money: The Private Practice Quick Guide, Rasheda Jones Root

Music Therapy Theses

If you are reading this hook, ll1en you probably fit the description of a music therapist who graduated with a music therapy degree of some sort who wants to start the private practice of your dreams. Or, you fit the description of a music therapist who already has a private practice, hut wants to breathe new life into the one you already have. "Turning Mu$ic into Money- The Private Practice Quick Guide" is intended to guide you through the entire process of opening a private practice in music therapy. There will also be some tips about how to sustain and …

Potential Problems In Objectivist Research, Arthur P. Sullivan, John A. Sullivan

Department of Behavioral Science Publications and Research

The authors discuss potential problems in music therapy research design and methods.

Music Therapy As Procedural Support For Young Children Undergoing Immunizations: A Randomized Controlled Study, Olivia S. Yinger

Music Faculty Publications

Background: Children undergoing routine immunizations frequently experience severe distress, which may be improved through music therapy as procedural support.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine effects of live, cognitive-behavioral music therapy during immunizations on (a) the behaviors of children, their parents, and their nurses; and (b) parental perceptions.

Methods: Participants were children between the ages of 4 and 6 years (N = 58) who underwent immunizations, their parents (N = 62), and the nurses who administered the procedure (N = 19). Parent/child dyads were randomly assigned to receive music therapy (n = 29) …

Family-Based Music Therapy: Family Therapists' Perspectives, Beth Nemesh

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

ABSTRACT The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the use of musical interventions borrowed from music therapy in a family therapy context. Furthermore, the study aimed to move beyond current application of family-music therapy that focuses on a child, a member with special needs, or families with additional diagnoses to non-clinical families seeking therapy, focusing on the family as an entity. This research was based on the premise that engaging in musical activities is a natural, common endeavor that does not require special musical skills. This does not replace the immense body of knowledge needed for conventional …

An Evaluation Of A Developmental Individualized Relationship (Dir®) And Creative Arts Therapies Program For Children With Autism, Faith Thayer

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study evaluated a Developmental Individual Differences Relationship-based (DIR®) creative arts therapy (CAT) program for children with ASD. The study was intended to assess whether the program met its stated goals to stimulate individualized social-emotional growth for children with ASD. The study was motivated by a central research question: Do DIR®-based creative arts therapies promote the social-emotional growth of children with ASD? A summative, longitudinal program evaluation research design was used to examine the program’s fidelity and outcomes. The evaluation included assessments for pre- and post-test quantitative standardized measures for data collection and analysis. The study also collected data from …

Discourse Analysis, Brent C. Talbot

Sunderman Conservatory of Music Faculty Publications

This chapter (a) presents discourse analysis as both epistemology and methodology; (b) suggests a sociolinguistic toolkit that could be used as one type of approach to conducting discourse analysis; (c) reviews and points to literature in music education and music therapy that have used such epistemological and methodological tools; and (d) suggests that, by engaging with discourse analysis, we can begin to ask questions about participants and their interactions within environments where music therapists operate and analyze prevailing discourses within structures and systems of music therapy. [excerpt]

Music Therapy In Detroit's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit : A Simulated Grant Proposal, Elizabeth Barone

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Infant mortality is the number one killer of children in the city of Detroit (Bouffard, 2014) and prematurity is the largest component, representing more than fifty percent of the current infant deaths in Detroit (Bouffard, 2014; Johnson, 2015, www.henryford.com, 2015) . Over the last two decades there has been an overwhelming amount of research in support of music therapy meeting the needs of parents and infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Abrams, Dassler, Lee, Loewy, Silverman & Telsey, 2007; Arnon, Shapsa, Forman, Regev, Bauer, Litmanovitz, & Dolfin, 2006; Baker & Mackinlay, 2006; Cevasco, 2008; Creighton, 2011; Edwards, 2011; Loewy, …

Integrating Creative Arts Into Music Therapy Practice, Megan E. Novak

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study was to gather information regarding the use of creative arts in music therapy practice. The survey used to collect the data was a 10 question multiple choice survey with an option for participants to provide any additional information they found necessary. This survey collected responses from 457 actively working music therapists in the United States. The data collected in this study was analyzed both quantitatively for statistical purposes as well as qualitatively to explore common themes and trends among participants. The results of this study showed the following: 1. The largest group of currently working …