This study explored the process of negotiating music therapy in a community based setting known as The Potter’s House. The Potter’s House was established fourteen years ago as the first non-racial shelter for battered and destitute women and their children in the city of Pretoria. Furthermore, the study considers Community Music Therapy as a possible frame for music therapy practice in South Africa. The study was conducted according to a qualitative research paradigm. Three data collection sources were used to gather information about the way in which music therapy was negotiated at The Potter’s House. Data collection was in the form of interviews (conducted with the manager of The Potter’s House and the music therapy participants) as well as clinical session notes. The aim of the interviews was to explore members’ experiences and views of the music therapy process. The clinical session notes include significant information that relates to my own reflections and experiences of the music therapy process. This study seems to highlight certain factors that appear prominent in the process of negotiating music therapy in this specific shelter for battered women and their children. These factors and how they were negotiated seem to emphasize the value of a Community Music Therapy framework in the shelter context. The study further suggests that Community Music Therapy could be utilized more broadly in the South African context. / Mini Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to determine if a short video presentation, about music therapy in behavioral health, had a positive effect on staff members’ beliefs about music therapy in that setting. A total of 26 staff members, from different departments, participated in the study and completed a pre- and post-presentation questionnaire. Responses were analyzed and compared to investigate whether the video had a positive effect on staff members’ beliefs about music therapy in behavioral health. Participant demographics and pre- and post-video questionnaire responses were also analyzed and compared to explore the differential impact of the video by subgroups of specific demographic categories. Based on the results, there was evidence that there was favorable change in participants’ relevance beliefs about music therapy in behavioral health. In addition, pre- and post-questionnaire differences in means scores were larger for those working in activities than those working in nursing, larger for those who had not observed a music therapist working in behavioral health than for those who had, and larger for those who did not have a musical background when compared with those that did.

The first night effect (FNE) has been described as a phenomenon that affects sleep quality as measured by objective parameters by polysomnography (PSG) tests that show decreased sleep efficiency, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, total sleep time and increased sleep latencies and REM latencies. Music therapy has been an effective tool in treating anxiety in a number of patient populations as well as helping patients improve sleep quality when measured by questionnaires administered pre and post intervention. It is hypothesized that music therapy may help alleviate the FNE by improving sleep quality and the current study investigates this music intervention by observing objective parameters through PSG. A total of ninety-eight subjects completed the study of determining effectiveness of intervention in a recently constructed sleep laboratory at Boston Medical Center. Results have shown that there are no significant improvements in the sleep parameters investigated: sleep latency, sleep efficient, non-REM sleep, REM sleep, REM latency, time spent awake after initial sleep onset, arousal index, and total sleep time in the total population examined. Men and subjects that did not receive night-time respiratory treatments showed longer REM latencies when an intervention was involved. At this time, there is no reason to suggest that music therapy can help improve sleep quality on the first night in sleep laboratories when sleep quality is assessed using objective parameters. Further studies investigating anxiety levels and looking at particular patient populations on the first night pre and post music intervention may help determine the true efficacy of music intervention in helping lessen the FNE.

Thesis (M.Mus)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: For many decades music has been recognised as a medium for therapy. The reasons put forward include the ability of music to inspire people, to motivate, to integrate and to promote relaxation. A strong link exists between human beings and music and this can unite people from different cultures. Music is readily available everywhere. People can attend music concerts or be part of a choir or orchestra. Music is even available in homes at the press of a button. Music therapy is a fairly new concept in which music and psychology are combined. For many years people have used music for healing. It is because music has produced such positive results in problem cases that it is being used in therapy sessions to contribute to the healing process. Although many people have an understanding of what music therapy entails, there are also those with no idea of what it entails. This thesis is an in-depth investigation into music therapy and the possible functional outcomes thereof. The focus is on the music therapist, characteristics that the music therapist should possess, how and why music is used as medium in the therapy process, different methods of therapy and the influence thereof on problems. The position of music therapy in the Western Cape was investigated. To arrive at a reliable conclusion in this regard, people who work with music therapy have been involved. Interviews were held with qualified and non-qualified persons who practice some form of music therapy in the Western Cape. Information from these interviews is interpreted, conveyed and recommendations are made as to the advancement of music therapy in the Western Cape. The purpose of the investigation is to publish information regarding music therapy and the meaning thereof. The larger public must be made aware of the complementary role music therapy can play in the healing process. Eventually music therapy should take its place in health care in the Western Cape, together with other branches of the medical profession such as psychology and career therapy. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vir dekades word musiek al as ’n medium vir terapie erken. Die redes wat hiervoor aangevoer word, is dat musiek beskik oor die vermoë om mense te inspireer, te motiveer, te integreer en om ontspanning te bevorder. Daar bestaan ’n wesenlike verband tussen die mens en musiek en as gevolg hiervan kan musiek mense van verskillende kulture byeenbring. Musiek is oral en vrylik beskikbaar. Mense kan musiekkonserte bywoon, óf deel van ’n koor óf orkes uitmaak. Musiek is selfs deur die druk van ’n knoppie in wonings beskikbaar. Musiekterapie is ’n relatiewe nuwe begrip waartydens musiek en sielkunde gekombineer word. Vir baie jare al word musiek gebruik om te help om mense gesond te maak. Juis omdat musiek sulke positiewe resultate in probleemgevalle getoon het, word dit tydens terapiesessies gebruik om tot die genesingsproses by te dra. Alhoewel baie mense ’n begrip het van wat musiekterapie is, is daar ook diegene wat geen benul het waaroor dit gaan nie. Hierdie tesis is ’n indringende ondersoek na musiekterapie en die moontlike funksionele uitkomste daarvan. Daar word gefokus op die musiekterapeut, eienskappe wat die musiekterapeut behoort te hê, hóé en waarom musiek as medium in die terapieproses gebruik word, verskillende terapiemetodes en hoe dit probleme beïnvloed. Die stand van musiekterapie in die Wes-Kaap is ondersoek. Om tot ’n betroubare gevolgtrekking hieroor te kom, is persone wat gereeld met musiekterapie werk, betrek. Daar is onderhoude met gekwalifiseerde asook niegekwalifiseerde persone wat die een of ander vorm van musiekterapie in die Wes-Kaap beoefen, gevoer. Inligting bekom uit hierdie onderhoude word geïnterpreteer, oorgedra en aanbevelings oor die bevordering van musiekterapie in die Wes-Kaap word gemaak. Die doel van die ondersoek is om inligting aangaande musiekterapie sowel die betekenis daarvan bekend te maak. Die breë publiek moet bewus gemaak word van die aanvullende rol wat musiekterapie in die genesende proses kan speel. Uiteindelik behoort musiekterapie, saam met ander vertakkings van die mediese beroep soos byvoorbeeld sielkunde en beroepsterapie, sy plek in die gesondheidsorg van die Wes-Kaap in te neem.

As a result of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, most children with disabilities in the US are now educated in schools with their typically developing peers. Although many of these children are in elementary schools (VanWeelden & Whipple, 2014) there is little empirical research that informs educational practice in elementary music classrooms (Jellison & Draper, in press). This dissertation comprises an observational study of the behavior of children with disabilities in inclusive music classrooms and their opportunities to practice their Individual Education Program (IEP) goals, and guidelines for conducting research with children with disabilities in inclusive elementary music classes. In the observational study I describe the opportunities for nine students with disabilities (Specific Learning Disabilities and/or Speech or Language Impairments) to engage in behaviors related to objectives defined in their IEPs in four inclusive music classrooms in relation to the music activities in which the children participated (e.g., singing, playing instruments) and instructional formats of the class (e.g., whole class, small groups, pairs). A further goal was to identify students’ participation and peer interactions. Results indicated that music theory and other music knowledge activities provided opportunities for students to engage in behaviors related to their IEP objectives. Opportunities for individual responses (verbal/nonverbal and music) and music performances were rare, but when students responded they were most often accurate. Students were most often on-task, particularly when engaged in music making activities, and they interacted with peers when assigned to work in groups and also when interactions were extemporaneous. I developed guidelines for future research based on my experiences conducting the study, and I discuss the challenges of identifying schools, classrooms, and participants; obtaining formal consent; developing the methodology (research questions, variables, operational definitions, equipment and materials); analyzing and reporting results; and consulting with school personnel before, during, and following the completion of research. / text

No description available.

This qualitative study aims to explore the parents’ or other family members’ experiences in participating in music therapy sessions with their children with special needs. This aim leads to three research questions which were; 1) Can music therapy help to achieve aims set out for individual children with special needs and their parents or other family members 2) What are the functions of music therapy in nurturing communication between the parents or other family members and their children? and 3) How can the music therapist develop ways in which parents or other family members can use music to help their children? Six children who are attending the Special Education Centre, region 9 in Thailand, aged four to twelve years old with their family members who are their primary carers, participated in 24 music therapy sessions. Each session was videoed and the video recordings were discussed every two weeks with the carers. The carers were interviewed three times by the research assistants. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employ to evaluate data collected from interviews. Furthermore, there were two home visits, one after a month when the 24th session was finished and another visit was two months after the 24th session was finished. From the interview analysis, there are 28 themes under five categories namely: 1) The carers’ expectations of the music therapy 2) The carers’ experience of seeing their children in the music therapy sessions 3) The carers’ experiences of seeing themselves in the sessions 4) The carers’ experiences of reviewing the video recordings from the music therapy sessions and 5) The carers’ experiences of using music at home. It can be summarised that music therapy made a positive impact on the children and their carers. The finding highlighted how the music therapy enhanced the social and communication skills of the children. Moreover, involving the carers in the sessions enabled the carers to have positive experiences with their children and these experiences led the carers to see and interact with their children differently. The findings suggest the ways to work with the carers in a therapeutic process and how to encourage the carers to use music at home with their children.

The study arose out of a curiosity and a personal interest in finding different methods of songwriting for various target groups in music therapy. The aim of the study was that, based on a literature review and interview, compile information about the different methods of songwriting for different audiences, how as a music therapist can work with songwriting and what the outcome might be. The study presents a review of relevant literature and previous research in the field of songwriting. From a hermeneutic perspective, the interview responses interpreted and transcribed, and literature have summarized the most important and relevant on the subject. The questions have focused on how different methods might look like and what advantages and disadvantages there are to the methods, both for clinicians and clients. Questions about the tools, techniques, theoretical knowledge and reflection on the different diseases and disabilities, are also included in the study. / Uppsatsen har uppkommit ur en nyfikenhet och ett personligt intresse kring att hitta olika metoder i songwriting för olika målgrupper inom musikterapi. Syftet med studien var att, utifrån en litteraturstudie och intervjustudie, sammanställa information kring olika metoder i songwriting för olika målgrupper, hur man som musikterapeut kan arbeta med songwriting och vad resultatet kan bli. I uppsatsen presenteras en genomgång av relevant litteratur och tidigare forskning inom området songwriting. Utifrån ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv har intervjusvaren tolkats och transkriberats, och litteraturen har sammanfattats till de viktigaste och relevanta angående ämnet. Frågeställningarna har handlat om hur olika metoder kan se ut och vilka fördelar och nackdelar det finns med metoderna, både för klinikerna och klienterna. Frågor kring verktyg, tekniker, teoretiska kunskaper och överväganden kring olika sjukdomar och funktionsnedsättningar, tas också upp i studien.

The proposal of this thesis project is an exploration of the relationship between music and the built space. The space chosen for design is the first two floors of the Lady Byrd Hat factory located at 140 Virginia St. in the Shockoe Slip area of Richmond, VA. This project proposes the design of the building for the purposes of a music center that will benefit the community by providing music therapy, music and vocal classes, a performance space, and a café. It is to be used as an instrument for communication, health, and education. The main users of the space are music educators, music therapists, music ensembles, students, patients, and audience members of performances. I began by studying the history of the building, evaluating the site, and studying the architecture of the building. I conducted a series of conditional studies based on the architecture of the building to analyze the form. I evaluated the structure, symmetry/ balance, geometry, entrances, levels, stairs, ramps, angles, and circulation of the building. Then I studied the building according to light/ dark, public/ private, loud/ quiet, warm/ cool, large space/ small space. Creating a series of concept models helped me to understand the building with its strong dissection of columns, circulation, usable areas, rhythm, and repetition. The development of a program for users' needs, square footage, and special design considerations for each area led to a series of floor plans. I then began arranging the usable areas within the building according to each areas design needs. After a study of musical instruments, I began conceptual drawings of the space. The design of the space evokes imagery of the built forms of instruments and the details they hold.

M.A. (Social Work) / The primary aim of this study is to explore the use of music as an aid in the Social Work profession in South Africa with reference to other disciplines. In order to achieve this aim the following objectives were used: (i) To compare a literature study on the historic development of the use of music as an aid in rendering help; (ii) To investigate the nature and extent of training in the use of music therapy; (iii) To investigate the extent to which music as a tool is utilized by music therapists; and (iv) To suggest ways in which music as a therapeutic tool can be utilized in Social Work.