<p> Average daily listening hours and annual sales figures give testament to the important position that music holds in the personal and social lives of individuals in contemporary cultures (Arnett, 1991; North, Hargreaves, &amp; O&rsquo;Neill, 2000; Schwartz &amp; Fouts, 2003; Ter Bogt, Raaijmakers, Vollebergh, van Well, &amp; Sikkema, 2003). Youth, especially, dedicate considerable amounts of time and money to music listening (Roberts, Henriksen, &amp; Foehr, 2009). However, it has been suggested that certain music preferences and music subcultures are associated with problem behaviors and/or internalizing distress in youth, particularly females (Miranda &amp; Claes, 2008, 2009; Selfhout, Delsing, Ter Bogt, &amp; Meeus, 2008). Specifically, the <i> emo</i> music subculture has typically been associated with themes of depression, self-injury, and suicide (Porretta, 2007; Sands, 2006; Shafron &amp; Karno, 2013). As a result, this study sought to contribute to the need for research in this area by exploring the role of music in the psychological functioning of adolescents and emerging adult females. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to gain a greater understanding of the experiences and conceptualizations of music in relationship to emotional processes, identity development, and self-concept among young adult females who listen to music that has been commonly labeled as <i>emo.</i> Qualitative interviews were conducted with 8 women ranging in age from who reported listening to music considered to be <i>emo.</i> Results indicated several themes related to mood, self, and others. With regard to mood, 4 subthemes arose: emotion related coping, music as an emotional trigger, catharsis, and empowerment- hope. In terms of themes related to the self, participants reported being able to feel a personal connection to the music, and most shared that <i>emo</i> music helped them feel accepted and understood. Finally, with regard to themes related to others, results indicated that the participants tended to experience some form of negative attention due to their involvement in this subculture, though they also reported having been able to form social bonds because of their music preferences. Potential contributions include adding to the literature on music preference and its relationship to young adult mood and identity development. In addition, the study provides information relevant to individuals involved in the <i>emo</i> subculture that has potential implications for intervention with this population.</p>

<p> This dissertation endeavors to explore and describe the lived experience of music therapists&rsquo; relationships with their clients as it develops in individual music therapy sessions. Music therapy literature, reviewed with particular attention to its treatment of the psychodynamic conceptualization of clinical relationship, suggests a shaky marriage between music therapy and psychoanalytic thought, and the experience of the music therapist in this landscape has not been studied. As its data, this study relies on semi-structured interviews with 7 music therapist volunteers who provide individual music therapy, focusing on their experience of emotion, interpersonal connection with their patients, and utility of psychodynamic concepts in that work. Idiographic and nomothetic analysis revealed 4 common themes in music therapists&rsquo; experience of clinical relationship, which belie an underlying sense of confusion and anxiety about important aspects of the work. The discussion of findings examines these themes in the context of the powerful impact music can have on the psyche, and makes recommendations regarding the inclusion of psychodynamic concepts in music therapy training. Keywords: music therapy, relationship, psychoanalysis, transference, countertransference, projective identification, boundaries</p>

<p> The purpose of the current study was to test the effects of participation in a <i>treatment grief choir</i> vs. <i> standard care grief group</i> (verbal) on bereaved persons&rsquo; 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 <i>treatment grief choir</i> and four completed the <i>standard care grief group</i> (<i> N=9</i>). 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 <i>standard care grief group</i> scoring significantly better over time than the <i>treatment grief choir</i>. Finally, one interaction effect was found for the NRS end-of-session health scores at week sixteen, with a significant gain for the <i>standard care grief group</i>. </p><p> For the qualitative portion of this study, five members of the <i> treatment grief choir</i> and three of the four members from the <i> standard care grief group</i> 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 <i> treatment grief choir</i> 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 <i> standard care grief group</i>: 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.</p>

Creativity and its expression in music are central to the essence of what it means to be human (Hodder, 1998; Blacking, 1995), but are characterised by an elusiveness and multifaceted complexity that seem to both defy definition (Torrance, 1988; Netti, 2000) and hinder investigation (Hargreaves, 1986). Their function depends on powerful cognitive mechanisms which enable the individual to hold, shape, refine and reflect on ideas, for the most part unconsciously (e.g. Fauconnier & Turner, 2001; Boden, 1998; Pressing, 1988). This study has sought to appropriate such processes in order to access the individual's most fundamental capacity to be musically creative, employing the essentially intuitive, unmediated and universally accessible medium of vocal improvisation. Thus, 40 musically 'trained' and 'untrained' participants vocally improvised a melody based on a given chord scheme referent. These were transcribed, rerecorded instrumentally and randomly ordered on a CD from which seven expert and three non-expert judges could aurally evaluate their creative value (Amabile, 1982). The total scores of the expert and non-expert evaluation groups were separated and subjected to statistical analysis, in relation to the experience of formal instrumental (FIMT, Seddon & O'Neil, e.g. 2001) and singing (FST) tuition, highest and lowest ranking, repeated improvisational attempts, gender and age. The highest and lowest ranked improvisations were identified and subjected to musical analysis from their transcriptions. In relation to the musical content of the improvisations, the results demonstrated that the vast majority of musically untrained and trained participants were able generate essentially coherent melodies, many possessing quite detailed melodic, rhythmic and structural elements. There was also clear evidence of a propensitya climax and place it at, or just after, 'two-thirds' of the way through a melodie. In relation to the evaluations, both expert and non-expert evaluator groups produced some significant results although the often marked differences between them indicated that differing perceptual capacities and conceptual understandings were in operation. Thus the non-expert evaluations possessed a different kind of validity to those of the experts, based on more global and emotional criteria than the experts' more cognitive and specific focus. Both experts and non-experts agreed that age, and thus experience in a culture, was a significant factor in the ability to be musically creative. The effect of training was addressed by correlating the mean total ratings of the improvisations of participants with and without FIMT and FST, for which the expert and non-expert evaluation results showed different patterns. Thus while the non-expert results indicated a significant interaction between instrumental and singing training, those of the experts suggested that neither form of training had an effect on the production of creativity, as all four measures were remarkably similar.

<p> Given the lower verbal output in many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a number of interventions in English are available for them. However, currently there are no interventions specifically researched with children with ASD who come from different language backgrounds other than English. The present study examined the effect of an intonation-based treatment called auditory-motor mapping training (AMMT) to facilitate verbal output in two children with a diagnosis of ASD from Korean-speaking households. Both participated in a total of nine AMMT sessions in addition to four assessments over a 4-week period. A baseline assessment was conducted prior to the first treatment, and probe assessments were conducted after treatment session 3, 6, and 9. Each child's verbal production including consonants and vowels were measured. The results showed some improvements in the production of consonants and vowels over the treatment period; however, the differences were not significant. Although no statistically significant results were observed in this pilot study, more conclusive results may be observed in future studies adhering to the suggested recommendations.</p>

<p> This paper will help musicians understand the positive effects of incorporating deep breathing and alternate nostril breathing meditation techniques into their daily practice sessions by corroborating how these techniques enhance both mental focus and physical calm. I will give examples of how I use these techniques in warm-ups, practice sessions, and in the performance of <i>Sonatine pour Trombone et Piano</i> by Jacques Cast&eacute;r&egrave;de. Additionally, I will provide a brief introductory background to meditation as well as scientific evidence to validate its many benefits for musicians. The ultimate goal of this paper is to equip musicians with specific meditative breathing techniques that when used during daily practice sessions, enhance focus in a way that can be applied to performance situations leading to more intentional performances.</p><p>

The purpose of the study was to investigate freshman music students' identification with expected tasks in music theory class including aural, written, and performance requirements. The second research problem compared students' descriptions with actions in class to determine the presence of role taking (the conscious adherence to a set of behaviors) or role playing (the unconscious assumption of a set of behaviors).

<p> Technological shifts in recent decades have allowed individuals working in electronic instrument design access to resources and information regardless of their affiliations with academia or other institutions. Women have historically had limited involvement in electronic instrument design due to a number of social factors; a few elements are crucial to supporting the endeavors of women and girls interested in contemporary electronic instrument design, including deinstitutionalized access to resources and information, supportive mentorship and the availability of role models, and the acknowledgement and deconstruction of social factors that hinder the progress of women in the field of music technology. The intent of this research is to explore the social forces that serve to limit the involvement and achievement of women in the field of electronic instrument design by examining the practices of individual women involved in this discipline alongside sociological and psychological research on the implications of social constructions of gender, technology, creativity, and intelligence. My hope is that this research will serve to further discourse and open a dialogue on the necessity of dismantling and examining social constructions of gender and technology.</p>

<p>What is musical improvisation and what can we say of its effect upon musicians, listeners, and the world? This paper explores the relations between Jungian psychology, chaos theory, and pure musical improvisation, positing that the unconscious dynamics of the psyche, as well as the process and content of musical improvisation, are both examples of chaotic dynamical systems. The paper goes on to present the potential implications of such. By drawing upon psychological insights into symbology, the implications of the advancement of chaos theory, and the experiences and thoughts of various musical improvisors, this paper seeks to elucidate and further the study and practice of musical improvisation in the world. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to present a content analysis of seven music therapy journals in the English language in order to provide an objective documentation of the longitudinal growth of the field. The current study examined seven English language music therapy journals including the <i> Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy: Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy, Music Therapy Perspectives, The Australian Journal of Music Therapy, The Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, The British Journal of Music Therapy,</i> and <i>The New Zealand Society for Music Therapy Journal. </i> A total of 1,922 articles were coded according to author information (name, credentials, institution, geographic location), mode of inquiry, population studied, and subsequent article citation. Results indicated a broad range of research topics with a rapid rise in music and medicine research beginning in the 1980s. Research authors in music therapy comprise a diverse group of authors both from the United States and abroad. This study highlighted transitions in institutional productivity moving from clinical settings to academic settings. Over the course of 50 years, there have been continuous changes in various aspects of the music therapy literature that document the continuing growth of the profession.</p>