Sexual abuse is a traumatic event, which leaves survivors with mental, physical and emotional needs. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore whether closed group music therapy sessions could enhance self-compassion, as reported and expressed by sexual abuse survivors. The music therapy process that was conducted was designed to facilitate the three core constructs of self-compassion as researched by Kirsten Neff (2003a), namely self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness. The study explored the experiences of six sexual abuse survivors residing at a community centre in Lavender Hill, Cape Town, South Africa. Music therapy sessions took place once a week for a period of six weeks and the main musical components of the sessions included song-writing, group singing, drumming, vocal and instrumental improvisations and relaxation. The findings emerged from the interpretive phenomenological analysis of the individual semi-structured interview transcripts and thick descriptions of excerpts of the audio recordings. From the findings of this study it was concluded that the group music therapy sessions offered sexual abuse survivors opportunities for: self-exploration, self-confidence, interpersonal connections, the experience of being supported, encouragement, enjoyment and vitality, stress relief, emotional exploration and expression, and transformation of perspectives. These findings were represented by the following three main themes; characteristics of their lifeworlds, the affordances of music therapy for the group, and the group’s experience of transformation, which are then discussed in relation to self-compassion. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

Bibliography: leaves 168-172. / The primary focus of this dissertation was work with a group of children who were experiencing problems in reading and to formulate strategies which incorporates an innovative approach using music. Many learning problems encountered today could be avoided if children's earliest backgrounds were rich in songs, poems set to music, nursery rhymes and musical games. It is necessary for a child to experience rhythm in every possible way to enable him to read with a flowing rhythm and a pleasant intonation. A child must be able to feel and experience the rhythm of the spoken word by repeating rhymes, phrases, chanting children's names, for example. This is done by tapping the word, using body movements (clapping, stamping) and transferring this rhythm to percussion instruments while experiencing the speech rhythm. Many approaches have been used with children who are disabled readers and none use music as a tool. The progress of these children has therefore been slow, tedious and not always successful. Music has not been used before as an approach to assist children with reading disabilities. In this dissertation it has been proved that music helps children overcome their reading problems, as it is the only approach which offers total involvement of the child and therefore the best results are achieved. All children involved in the research enjoyed the activities and derived great pleasure from performing them unaware that the process of remediation was taking place.

No description available.

This study examined the effects of verbal suggestion and music listening on mood changes of college students. The 135 volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (Condition 1/somber depiction with music, Condition 2/pleasant depiction with music, or Condition 3/music only). The Profile of Mood States was administered before and after each condition. Significant differences (p<.05) were found between pre and posttest scores within the groups; however, no significant differences were found among the groups for these same measures. A music questionnaire was administered following the posttest which examined the subjects' preference for the music played, the frequency of experiencing images while listening to music, and their opinion concerning whether the depiction complemented the music. Implications of the results are discussed, and suggestions for future research are given.

Music as a therapy still awaits complete recognition from many medical authorities. Many doctors and psychiatrists are quite willing to recognize music as a potent agent in relaxing tensions and stimulating activity, but thus far only in too few instances has music been accorded status equivalent to that of the other accepted therapies. In the treatment of some types of mental illness it is the writer's belief music lends itself as a therapy more readily than any other medium.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to describe current practices in Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy (NRMT) practice as perceived by contemporary practitioners in 2011 compared with the original approach as developed by its founders. I did this by interviewing prominent NR music therapists in the field, and asking them how their way of practicing compared to hobelieved Nordoff and Robbins originally practiced the model. I then transcribed and analyzed their responses to the interview questions, looking for themes of commonality and difference in their responses. / Music Therapy

The purpose of the current study was to test the effects of participation in a treatment grief choir vs. standard care grief group (verbal) on bereaved persons’ perceived grief, coping, energy, social support and health and to examine the experiences of those participating in both groups. In this mixed-methods study, the results from the qualitative phenomenological focus groups were used for explaining and interpreting the findings of the Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Within the RCT, five people completed the treatment grief choir and four completed the standard care grief group (N=9). A repeated-measures ANOVA was employed to detect any statistical significance among the adult grievers. A significant within-subjects effect was found in both groups for the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) start-of-session grief, NRS end-of- session grief, Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist (HGRC), and NRS end-of-session coping measures. These results indicate that both groups showed significant improvement over time in these areas. A between-subjects effect was found for the NRS end-of-session grief and for the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) with the standard care grief group scoring significantly better over time than the treatment grief choir. Finally, one interaction effect was found for the NRS end-of-session health scores at week sixteen, with a significant gain for the standard care grief group. For the qualitative portion of this study, five members of the treatment grief choir and three of the four members from the standard care grief group participated in separate focus group interviews. A seventeen-step analysis of the interview data was employed to discover meaningful descriptions and experiences while maintaining validity and integrity of the process. The following categories emerged from the analysis of the treatment grief choir interview: The Grief Choir Did Help; Songs were Important in Grief; Making Musical Connections Helped; Interactions with Grievers were Valued; The Music Therapists Influenced the Experience; and Gained Insights about Grief. The following categories emerged from the standard care grief group: Standard Care Did Help; Timing and Composition of Group Mattered; Standard Care was a Complex Experience; and The Experience of Being in Research. Recommendations for future grief choirs and standard care grief groups are discussed. / Music Therapy

There has been a limited amount of research on the use of experiential education with music therapy students. Most of the research conducted has focused on the experiences of graduate level students. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand the potential effect of experiential music therapy education on undergraduate and graduate equivalency students' reported empathy and self-esteem. Five undergraduate and five graduate equivalency students were enrolled in a music therapy course in which they were asked to role-play the therapist and the client in mock music therapy sessions. Undergraduate participants completed the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Janis-Field Feelings of Inadequacy Scale (Janis-Field) as pre and posttest measures. Undergraduates also provided responses to elicited journal questions and participated in a semi-structured telephone interview. Graduate participants completed the IRI and the Janis-Field as a posttest measure after the completion of the semester, provided responses to elicited journal questions, and participated in a semi-structured telephone interview. There were no significant changes from pretest to posttest for undergraduate students and no significant relationships between the posttest scores of undergraduate and graduate participants. Qualitative data analysis for undergraduate and graduate students indicated that participants were able to identify changes in their own empathy and self-esteem as a result of the role-playing experiences. Implications for further research are discussed. / Music Therapy

There is limited research on music therapy for transplant recipients, yet board-certified music therapists working in medical settings often encounter individuals from the transplant population. The purpose of this study was to examine the current practices of music therapists working with bone marrow and organ transplant recipients. A total of 68 board-certified music therapists completed an online survey, providing information related to goal areas addressed in music therapy sessions and interventions frequently used with bone marrow and organ transplant patients. The most frequently reported goal areas included: coping skills, mood, and self-expression. The most frequently reported interventions included: singing, songwriting, and improvisation. Survey respondents also shared opinions related to the need for additional resources for music therapists working with transplant recipients, as well as the most rewarding and challenging aspects of working with transplant patients. Study limitations, suggestions for future research, and implications for clinical practice are included.