I know many people who can work while music is playing or just enjoy having music on in the background when they are at home, in the car or working. When I use to teach school, the teachers would turn on their radios while they worked on lesson plans. Because I was the music teacher, you would think I would do the same thing. Actually, I sat in silence in my classroom and only turned on music if I wanted to listen to a song briefly that I wanted to use for the next week. I could think better if I had silence because my ears needed a break from…
Quality of life has become more and more of a focus in care of individuals with Dementia. Many articles or studies have shown that music therapy can help quality of life for many people, but how exactly does it help individuals with varying levels of Dementia? In the study “Effect of Group Music Therapy on Quality of Life, Affect, and Participation in People with Varying Levels of Dementia”, researchers attempted to find out why music therapy is effective for Dementia. This study included sixteen individuals living in nursing homes long term. All individuals had varied levels of family support and progression of their Dementia was varied. Participants were given a…
Continue readingMost of us would agree that music and emotion go together. What I know from personal experience is that for one person a song may have a strong emotional attachment, but for another person, the same song may not mean anything to them. The emotional attachment may be related to past events in a person’s life and therefore it “speaks” to that person completely different from the next person. Researchers Quintin, Bhatara, Poissant, Fombonne and Levitin (2011) studied the emotional perception of music in twenty-six high-functioning adolescents with ASD versus 26 typically developing (TD) adolescents. Their findings showed that the adolescents with ASD scored similarly to their peers when the…
Continue readingAs a music therapist, my job is to make sure that my client/patient can participate in music making, as this is often one of the main goals of my sessions. Neuroscience research is showing us just how active the brain is when an individual is participating in the music making process. Those that attend a concert and see music presented are not as involved as those participating. Music educator Matthew D. Thibeault stated in his article entitled “Music Education for All through Participatory Ensembles” which makes a valid point for music educators to create ensembles for everyone because participation maximizes enjoyment and focus. The philosophy behind this concept comes from…
Continue readingHave you ever wondered if music therapy can help your child with behavioral difficulties? Some diagnoses (such as autism, ADHD, developmental disabilities, bipolar disorder, etc.) may come with emotional or behavioral problems that can be hard for family to deal with or manage. To date, not many large based studies address how effective music therapy can be for this population. However, Porter et al have launched a large, random control trial study “Music in mind, a randomized controlled trial of music therapy for young people with behavioural and emotional problems: study protocol.” This study highlights an ongoing study protocol developed at the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust. This study will…
Continue readingMost consider the survey as one of the best ways to determine what trends are developing and how professionals deal with change. Knowing that the public, professionals and families focus much attention on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), researchers asked what clinical practices and training needs exist for music therapists working with this specific population. Most recently, media releases say that 1 in 88 individuals (different statistics for males versus females) receive a diagnosis of ASD. Kern, Rivera, Chandler and Humpal (2013) took the opportunity to ask 328 professional music therapists from the American Music Therapy Association questions regarding their involvement in working with individuals diagnosed with this disorder. Researchers needed…
Continue readingPerhaps you have heard about how music therapy can be successful with children/adolescents with behavioral and emotional problems, but do we know how effective the treatment can be? Many adolescents suffer from anxiety, depression, or other mental disorders that cause social, emotional, and behavioral problems. If not dealt with, these problems and behaviors will continue into adulthood. Music therapy has become a more recognized treatment for these individuals (especially because of their natural enjoyment of music), but studies lack in how effective the intervention can be. In “Music Therapy for Children and Adolescents with Behavioural and Emotional Problems: A Randomized Controlled Trial”, Porter, et al. attempted to find out just…
Continue readingIndividuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have many challenges. Most of us think about their awkwardness in social settings. Those with severe ASD may not be able to talk or only communicate through an Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) device. Some use Ipads, which have special applications that assist with communication. What most of us do not think about are movement and ASD. Researchers are now beginning to notice that gait and other movements by individuals with ASD need investigation. Hardy and LaGasse examined the role of rhythm in regards to movement and those with autism. They know that, due to recent neuroscience research using medical technology that there are…
Continue readingYou may have heard about music therapy for individuals or groups, but have you ever wondered if music therapy could work for families? Michael Silverman’s article “Effects of Family-Based Educational Music Therapy on Acute Psychiatric Patients and their Family Member: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study,” explores music therapy in a family based setting for psychiatric patients. As the length of inpatient psychiatric stays are decreasing, the care and support provided by families for their loved ones are increasing. Education groups and therapy groups have been successful for families struggling with a mental health diagnosis of a loved one. These types of education groups, or psychoeducation, groups can help decrease stressors involving…
Continue readingI had a lady come up to me today after my choir concert and share that she had a young daughter who has autism. She asked me if I had ever heard of a certain school in the area that specializes in students with developmental disabilities. I told her about my choir program for the older students. (I conducted a pilot program creating a choir with three classrooms, which serve older students.) She smiled and said her daughter loved music and wondered how she could get music therapy. I shared some information with her on how to contact the company I work for and see if her daughter could receive…
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