This study examined the effects of music on improving quality of sleep. Participants were randomly assigned to either a music assisted relaxation or a relaxation alone condition. Individuals in both groups were taught varying relaxation methods and were provided with a relaxation script which incorporated each of the methods. Those in the music assisted relaxation condition were allowed to select their top two pieces from a list of relaxing music. The selections were placed on a CD being played in the background while a relaxation script was read. Those in the relaxation alone condition received a CD with the same relaxation script heard by those in the music assisted relaxation condition. Global sleep scores (as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) were taken on the first and last days of the experiment. Examining individual and group scores showed no statistically significant difference between music assisted relaxation and relaxation alone. Discussion focuses on the implications for future research in the area of music's effect on sleep quality.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the formation of music preference in an effort to identify specific ages when preferred music is likely to be discovered. One hundred one individuals participated in an online survey, answering questions about their listening habits, music preferences, and the social elements that contributed most to those preferences. Participants were asked to identify their current, second, and third favorite music at the time of the study and whether their preferences had changed over time. According to findings, males were likely to discover their current favorite music at the age of 12.46 years, and females were likely to discover their current favorite music at the age of 13.23 years. Parents, friends, and the radio were shown to be the most common influences towards preference discovery. Of those surveyed, 69.3 % of participants acknowledged that their preferences had changed over time. However, the current methodology lacked the specificity to determine the scope of that change, leaving room for future study. The results hold implications for not only the field of music therapy, but also for any other fields utilizing preferred music to achieve a specific result.

Singing is often used in music therapy sessions. It can provide physiological, psychological, and interpersonal benefits, and music therapists use it to address clinical goals including improved blood oxygenation, emotional expression, and increased interpersonal engagement between clients and their family members. Singing uniquely combines musicality, the body as the instrument, and meaningful words. Furthermore, the voice is a personal instrument, which makes musical engagement accessible to many people. Though singing can provide various benefits, many people experience singing negatively, especially when singing with an exposed voice, i.e., when others can hear their singing voice. Whidden (2015) found that one can easily develop a non-singer identity, i.e., the belief that one is not capable of singing, by hearing a negative comment about one’s singing in childhood. Studies also have found that people can feel vulnerable and embarrassed when singing. It is important to understand how people experience singing, especially with an exposed voice, and how past experiences with singing shape one’s singer identity so that clients can benefit from singing without experiencing unnecessary discomfort. The research questions that guided this study were: What are the experiences of non-musician adults when singing with an exposed voice? How do past experiences with singing shape one’s identity as a singer? A phenomenological design was used with interviews of nine participants who were non-musicians in non-clinical live music experience sessions. The participants joined the researcher in singing a song of their choice and a predetermined well-known song. Five themes emerged including 1) the onset of insecurity; 2) singing together; 3) right here, right now; 4) that’s my song! and 5) I’ve got the music in me. These were each accompanied by song lyrics that capture the meaning. The results show how one’s singer identity and experience of singing in the present moment can be impacted by past experiences and that preferred songs are often emotionally evocative. These findings provide insights for use in music therapy practice, including a simple assessment question to evaluate a client’s singer identity.

EEG biofeedback training, known as neurofeedback, has been explored as a nonpharmacologic prophylaxis for migraines. Based on the conceptual model of disregulation of central arousal function, the Othmers proposed a protocol in migraine prophylaxis by raising the sensory motor rhythm (SMR, 12- 15 Hz), accompanied by an inhibition of theta ( 4- 7 Hz) frequency. Relaxation with music, on the other hand, is another type of nonpharmacologic prophylaxis for migraines and is used to reduce perceived psychological and/or physiological stress and pain. Studies showed that an effective relaxation with music program is one that integrates certain relaxing musical characteristics and personal factors. Six female participants (29 to 57 years of age) previously diagnosed with migraines participated in this single-subject design study. This study employed two independent variables- the SMR/theta training and music therapy, and the dependent variables were the SMR and theta recording registration. Each participant first participated in the EEG Base-rate recording session, and was then randomly assigned to the following treatment conditions: SMR/Theta training only, music therapy only, and SMR/Theta training and music therapy." Counterbalancing of the treatment conditions was applied across participants, two sessions weekly for a total of 13 sessions, 30 minutes each session. In SMR/Theta training only, participants were instructed to raise their SMR while inhibiting theta. In music therapy only, participants were instructed to select their relaxation CD music to be played during the sessions. The SMR and theta data were graphed for each participant and implications were discussed. Graph analysis indicated that two participants were responsive to SMR/Theta training and music therapy and SMR/Theta training only respectively. Overall, all participants acquired relaxation skills and seemed better at adapting themselves to a stressful environment.

The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in four measures of participation for a small sample of children with severe and multiple disabilities when using adapted rhythm instruments. The four measures of participation were: 1) on- task behavior, 2) motivational behavior - smile, 3) motivational behavior - pleasure sounds and 4) performance. Six children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old participated in: eight music therapy sessions over a 14-week period. The sessions consisted of two phases: 1) Baseline Phase (utilizing rhythm instruments), and 2) treatment Phase (utilizing individually adapted rhythm instruments). A Chi-squared test was used to compare on-task behavior between phases. Friedman Two-Way Test of Analysis of Variance tests were used to compare Baseline to Treatment Phases for both motivational behaviors and performance. Results showed one incidence of statistical significance in on-task behaviors. No significance was found for the other three measures. Although no significance was found, the data indicates a pattern between phases. Significant statements taken from the teacher and researcher documents were divided into categories and then condensed into themes by each Phase. Statements showed a reported increase in positive non-typical behaviors, positive emotions, independence, and positive experiences during the Treatment Phases. The teacher reported a decrease in anxious behaviors and off-task behaviors during Treatment. The qualitative data supported and provided context for the patterns found within the quantitative data.

In this modified single-subject design study, the researcher sought to find whether eight parents who were taught to use lullaby evidenced a change in attachment and parenting stress regarding their infant’s hospitalization and into transition to home. Using repeated measures over a period of approximately two months, each parent was asked to use infant directed lullaby with their infants and keep track of its use with a calendar. The Maternal Attachment Inventory and the Parenting Stress Index provided measurement of self-reported attachment and stress. An adapted intervention rating profile was used to determine the parent’s perceived acceptance of infant directed lullaby. Understanding possible connections between attachment and parenting stress with music, and as a music therapy intervention, is important for both researchers and clinicians in the field of music therapy. Teaching parents to use a simple and cost effective tool may provide families with more access to interventions similar to infant directed lullaby as well as provide support for families and their infants. Despite this study’s inconclusive findings, a new door for research in this settings has been opened regarding parent training and its effectiveness, which is important in that a therapist is not always able to be present to provide treatment particularly in the NICU setting and after they have been discharged home.

This thesis examined a phenomenological inquiry into the lived experiences of music therapists in a metropolitan city in the United States. During the study, five music therapists were interviewed about their self-care practices and experiences with burnout. Data included a recorded Zoom transcription of the 30–45-minute open-ended interview. The data was analyzed through Moustakas’ (1994) cluster of themes approach. Four themes emerged from the data analyses of the interviews: living/working in a metropolitan city, self-care practices, advice for entry level music therapists, and knowledge of and experience with burnout symptoms. Respondents associated living and working in a metropolitan city with challenges such as complex transportation, high costs of living, lack of recognition of the music therapy profession, and limited networking opportunities. However, they also shared positive aspects such as cultural diversity and having an active lifestyle. The respondents displayed high levels of engagement with their self-care habits across the following five domains: emotional, physical, mental, social and spiritual. Their advice to entry level music therapists emphasized developing work boundaries, finding networking opportunities, and dedicating time for self-care habits. Implications for music therapy clinicians, educators, students, and further research are also given.

Analytical Music Therapy (AMT) is an advanced model of music therapy practice in the United States. Inter Music Therapy (IMT) is one of four required training stages to becoming an analytical music therapist. IMT is an experiential process where two AMT trainees take turns being therapist and client to one another, while under the direct supervision of the AMT trainer. Music is an integral component throughout IMT. All clinical material addressed and processed in IMT is lived experience, rather than role-play. To date, there is limited research documenting the experience of IMT for the AMT trainee. This study describes the IMT experience for AMT trainees, reveals the most significant experiences of IMT, and identifies how IMT shapes the clinical skills of music therapists who experience it. Findings from this study may add value to the training of music therapists in general. This study implemented the qualitative interpretivist research approach of Transcendental Phenomenology to explore the lived experience of IMT from the perspective of persons who have participated in it. Six participants were interviewed, interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the data were analyzed in two phases. Phase one resulted in a synthesis for each participant. Syntheses are rich descriptions of each participant’s IMT experience. The final step in phase one resulted in a global distilled global essence describing what it is like to experience IMT. Phase two was a cross participant analysis resulting in six global themes, and some of these themes were further developed through sub-themes. The self-experience of IMT provided multiple learning opportunities for AMT trainees. IMT shaped AMT trainees’ clinical skills in the following ways: increased capacity for empathy, enhanced therapeutic presence, recognition of how personal material influenced the therapy session, further developed self-awareness, and expanded musical creativity. The supervisory process enhanced AMT trainees’ appreciation for supervision, and the value of trust in the therapy process. Log writing was instrumental to integrating learning. The following recommendations are suggested to strengthen music therapy training and supervision in general: opportunities for music making while in the role of self to increase self-awareness in training and supervision, with an emphasis on creativity; opportunities for live or recorded observation of clinical work in supervision (in academic settings and professional supervision); and training opportunities for music therapy supervisors along with improved clarity in the competency of music therapy supervisors. / Music Therapy

The aim of this qualitative study was to conduct a naturalistic examination of the process of a music therapy group with preverbal individuals on the autistic spectrum. The study involved a music therapy treatment process, based on music-centered music therapy and music psychotherapy, that occurred in 16 sessions over a period of approximately four months. The study investigated the nature of the clinical process, the elements that characterized the intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics of the group, and the way participants engaged with and utilized the music in their intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions. The research design was one originally developed by Smeijsters and Storm (1996) in which the researcher functions in an ongoing consultative role to the therapists as the therapy process proceeds. The study investigated and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of Smeijsters and Storm’s (1996) model. The analyses of the 16 sessions revealed that all the studied clients were able to operate, in terms of intra-relationship, according to Greenspan and Wieder’s (2006) first developmental stage: they demonstrated interest, curiosity, and initiative. In terms of inter-relationship, they were able to operate according to Greenspan and Wieder’s (2006) developmental second stage: they engaged and established relationship with others. It was concluded that music had a relevant role in the process of assessing, treating, and evaluating the individuals in the group. / Music Therapy

The pain relieving efficacy of music listening combined with vibrotactile cutaneous stimulation was determined. Music with mechanical vibration (30min. session; average amplitude of 26μm; frequency range of 60-600Hz.) was applied to subjects with rheumatoid arthritis using the Music Vibration Table (MVT). Scores from pain relief visual analogue scales (VAS) and McGill Pain Questionnaires (MPQ) were compared to groups with music alone and placebo. ANOVA and post hoc analysis indicated that VAS scores from music with vibration were significantly greater than music alone or placebo. MPQ scores also indicated larger percentages of change in pain perception for the music with vibration condition. However, subjects receiving music alone showed a large percentage of change on the affective dimension of the MPQ. This investigation supports the application of music with a controlled, measurable music vibration for the relief of pain. The results of this study warrant further evaluation and development of treatment protocols using music and music vibration.