The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the efficacy of a music therapy protocol on mood states and levels of group cohesiveness in adult oncology patients. Eleven oncology patients in two groups (ages 30 to 84 years) took part in the study over a ten-week period of time (ten participants completed the study). During that period, participants took part in eight music therapy sessions consisting of two types of interventions: 1) four "music making" sessions (where the mechanism for change included the process of making music) and 2) four "music responding" sessions (where the mechanism included the process of responding to music). The two types of music therapy sessions and their effectiveness on improving mood states and group cohesiveness were examined. The Profile of Mood States- Short Form (POMS-SF) was used to assess changes in participants' mood states. A content analysis, attendance records, and a questionnaire were used to assess levels of group cohesiveness. Results showed significant improvement in mood state scores (from pre session levels to post sessions levels) after involvement in all music therapy sessions. Similar significant findings were found within each of the "music making" and "music responding" conditions but no differences were found when comparisons were made between those conditions. No statistically significant effects were found with respect to group cohesiveness measures. Study implications and future research directions are discussed.

Receiving vaccinations is a part of growing up in the United States; however, as necessary as vaccinations are, many children find the process to be frightening and painful. A review of literature indicates that non-pharmacological interventions, such as distraction, are generally effective in reducing pain and anxiety in children receiving injections. Music has been examined as a potential distraction during pediatric medical procedures, but research findings have been mixed, due, in part, to the way in which music was used: the children were primarily instructed to merely "listen to the music." It has been noted that individuals tend to maintain their attention on music more successfully when they are asked to listen for specific elements. The present study sought to determine if a focus of attention activity (pointing at pictures) involving music would affect levels of distress and perceptions of pain in pediatric injection patients. Sixty-four 4- to 6 1/2-year old children receiving routine immunizations were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: musical story, spoken story, or standard care control. Children in the two treatment conditions listened to a recorded story on headphones and pointed at corresponding pictures before, during, and after their injections. Observational data on distress and pain were collected, in addition to the child's self-rating of pain. Participants in the musical story condition tended to be less distressed and report less pain than participants in the spoken story and control conditions, although these differences were not statistically significant. Subsequent analysis indicated that children who received more injections tended to benefit more from the music intervention, in terms of their perceived pain. Implications of the findings are discussed, along with recommendations for future research in the area.

Parkinson's disease, a disorder involving the excitatory-inhibitory functions of the basal ganglia, develops to a stage where the muscles used for respiration, phonation and articulation in speech appear affected by a decreased range of motion. Parkinson speech is characterized by reduced intensity, monoloudness, weak overall effort and reduced intraoral pressures. Reports also indicate that reduced vocal intensity is a deterrent to oral communication in patients with Parkinson's disease. The study sought to examine the effects of singing "stimulative" and "sedative" songs to ascertain if different types of music affect articulatory precision in persons with Parkinson's disease. Articulatory precision was divided into six categories: rate, rhythm, initial consonants, final consonants, continuity, and intelligibility. Eighteen individuals with Parkinson's disease whose ages ranged from 52 to 84 years, who demonstrated limited range of movement of oral and facial muscles and possessed normal hearing, participated in this study. Participants were asked to sing two short, familiar songs a cappella. One song was of a sedative nature (slow and soft). The other was of a stimulative nature (fast and loud). One paragraph of The Rainbow Passage was read before and after the sedative song for each participant and again before and after the stimulative song. The data in one category was significant and most of the speech samples were affected by the music conditions. Statistically significant scores were found when comparing the post-test scores for initial consonants after the slow and fast songs. Finding a significant difference in scores under these parameters shows the effects music has on speech and the possibilities for future studies. The two categories of articulatory precision that remained the same from pre-test to post-test, intelligibility and final consonants, did so after different treatments and mean post-test scores for rate was not affected by the treatments.

This is a mixed-methods pre-experimental clinical effectiveness trial that examines the effectiveness of a self-administered one-directional mood vectoring playlist in the management of symptoms of anxiety. This study used the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory, as well as a self-report Likert-type scale where participants rated their anxiety symptom severity, to explore the impact of the playlist intervention. Qualitative interviews sought to identify themes common among participants who were daily high responders and those who were daily low responders to the intervention in order to determine for whom this intervention would be most or least effective.Management of anxiety symptoms is particularly important at the moment, as mental health concerns and levels of anxiety are rising amid coronavirus lockdowns and stay at home orders. This intervention has a strong basis in music therapy research, neurological research, and psychotherapy treatments that are effectively used in the management of anxiety symptoms. Findings indicated a significant relationship between the intervention and a reduction in both state and trait anxiety scores over the full two-week course of treatment (p < 0.001). There was also a significant relationship found from pre-listening to post-listening on a daily basis (p = 0.003). This study has a small sample size and results should be interpreted with caution, but this is an indication that further studies on this intervention are warranted.

In the field of twentieth-century musicology, studies have emphasized the music of Bela Bartok from a strictly hannonic standpoint. While these studies have provided insight into harmonic manipulation and tonal language there has been little emphasis placed on the role of rhythm and how it relates to the development of Bartok’s music. This study provides an analysis and discussion of rhythmic manipulation, structure and contour of rhythmic motives in String Quartets Nos. I and 4. This analysis was influenced by the methods and philosophies created and discussed by Edward Cone, Emo Lendvai, and John Roeder, among others. I adapted Lendvai's harmonic diagrams to illustrate the rhythmic conflict in Bartok's music. In addition to expanding established analytical models and concepts, I have created original analytical concepts such as rhythmic environments, rhythmic· oppression, and confrontation to identify and discuss important musical events. This is a novel rhythmic rather than harmonic study which provides an original method of analysis that is inspired by the rhythmic life of Bartok's String Quartets and may be used to interpret other music of the twentieth century.

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing

This study explores a unique Canadian weekend camp for children and adolescents who are grieving the death of someone significant in their lives. The camp provides recreational activities such as campfires, horseback riding, and wall-climbing as well as therapeutic activities to help with grief such as music therapy. As part of a larger project on Canadian music therapy programming for youth (called “Meeting Youth In Music”), the present study’s purpose is to identify how music therapy interventions are applied and experienced in a particular program with adolescents experiencing bereavement. A case study research design was used and data collected from multiple sources. Primary data were generated by interviewing five stakeholders: the program director, the music therapist, a volunteer, and one adolescent and her mother (who were interviewed together). Thematic analysis was conducted on the interview transcripts, resulting in the identification of numerous themes about the application of music therapy practices. Identified themes characterize music therapy practices as fostering community connections, encouraging emotional expression, and supporting therapeutic practices for diverse populations. Findings of the current study suggest that music therapy interventions can provide benefit for bereaved adolescents. Future research can investigate the specific mechanisms of music which provide such therapeutic benefits.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Typescript, etc. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

The autistic child typically displays few appropriate behaviors and a host of inappropriate behaviors. The attention span of these children is extremely short and does not permit the child to fixate to any one activity for a significant period of time. Further, Ferster, et al. (1961) have established that autistic children respond to very few reinforcing stimuli. However, some research has indicated that most autistic children respond positively to music and rhythmic sounds. This study assessed the effects of an operant conditioning program using contingent music as a reinforcing stimulus for appropriate block proximity. The subject was an 11-year-old male, one of twins, who was diagnosed autistic. The study utilized a four-phase ABAB design, where A phases were baseline periods, B phases were conditioning periods. In the baseline condition, the subject was observed for six sessions without earphones and six sessions with earphones but no music. In the treatment phase, music was presented contingent upon instances of block proximity. Instances of appropriate block activity significantly increased when the child was wearing the earphones and receiving music contingent upon block activity. Appropriate behavior decreased during a reversal probe. Additionally, self-stimulatory behaviors dropped to near zero during the conditioning phase of the study.