<p> Humans as far back as ancient history have been leveraging the physiological and psychological benefits of drumming to enhance health, access higher states of consciousness, and cultivate shared optimal experiences. It is understandable that the applied practice of drumming is now starting to permeate into mental fitness training research as a healthy alternative toward cross training the brain. Extensive surveys conducted in the United States show that 60% of individuals who are in middle age and older complain about their memory. This translates to approximately 80 million Baby Boomers reaching the age of memory decline. Furthermore, according to the UCLA research, the main factors necessary for a healthy brain lifestyle and to combat memory decline are physical activity, social engagement, mental challenges, and unfamiliar stimuli. Neurodrumming has incorporated these findings into a therapeutic intervention that targets brain health, emotional health, stress management, and social engagement, all of which help to prevent cognitive decline, and promotes mental performance. This study offers a meta-theoretical exploration to determine the comprehensiveness of Neurodrumming as a therapeutic mental fitness intervention for healthy aging, by applying Integral Theory as an epistemological framework.</p><p>

This study investigated the associations between sleep patterns and singing voice quality in 231 adult singers of various skill levels across the United States. The four-part survey using a general questionnaire on demographics, musical background, vocal health, and three established survey instruments: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Singing Voice Handicap Index-10 (SVHI-10), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) found that while scores were worse than normative values for the PSQI and the SVHI-10, a Pearson correlation between the two showed a moderate association. A linear regression also yielded that 8.9% of the variance in SVHI-10 scores could be predicted from PSQI scores. While further research is needed in this area, this study suggests that the amount of sleep needed for an optimal singing voice may be different from the amount needed to feel well-rested for some singers. Moreover, singers may overestimate the influence of sleep on their singing voices.

In this study, I examined the awareness, perceptions of required knowledge, and perceived competency of Texas secondary choral music educators concerning the new musician health objectives included in the revised Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards (TEKS). A secondary purpose of this study was to identify the activities and variables that promote the development of these characteristics and prepare educators to address the standards in their instruction. Using a researcher-designed web-based survey instrument, I gathered data from participants who were actively teaching choir in secondary public schools in the state of Texas (N = 183). As part of the survey, participants reported the highest degree they had attained and field of study, the completion of choral methods and vocal pedagogy courses during their training, participation in professional development, and years of teaching experience. Findings revealed that a majority of participants (53.01%) were not aware of the health-related standards prior to taking the survey. A majority also did not consider each objective as required curricular components (hydration: 69.95%, vocal health: 39.89%, body mechanics: 61.75%, hearing protection: 68.85%, hygienic practice: 69.96%). Participants did rate themselves highly for perceived competency, a measure including adherence to competent practices and views of personal ability. There were no statistically significant main effects observed for any variable on awareness and perceptions of knowledge. I did observe significant main effects of degree level and major, professional development participation, and completion of a choral methods course for measures of perceived competency.