<p> Alternative education students face many interacting challenges that put them at significant risk of dropping out of school (Carver &amp; Lewis, 2010), as well as deleterious health and psychological outcomes, and intergenerational cycles of sociopolitical disadvantage (Laird, Kienzel, Debell &amp; Chapman, 2007). Despite the persistent national epidemic of school dropout, few studies have investigated treatments for alternative education students, often characterized as &ldquo;difficult to reach&rdquo; given the chronic substance abuse, low motivation, and poor attendance typical of this population (Rumberger &amp; Lim, 2008). </p><p> This study investigated the effectiveness of a novel music therapy intervention, Recorded Music Expressive Arts (RMEA), with alternative education students. The purpose of RMEA in this context was to engage students in a potentially motivating, culturally relevant treatment that satisfies identified provisions to ameliorate dropout (Kim &amp; Taylor, 2008). RMEA employs narrative therapy concepts as a framework for treatment, and integrates songwriting, music production, and recording into psychotherapy. Through the song-creation process, participants were encouraged to &ldquo;tell their story&rdquo; to re-author problem-saturated personal narratives and discover more self-affirming ways of being (White &amp; Epston, 1990). </p><p> Participants were 10 adolescent boys, age 14&ndash;18, attending an alternative education school in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ten 60-minute individual RMEA sessions were delivered twice weekly over 7&ndash;19 weeks. Pre/post data was analyzed using Vargha-Delaney&rsquo;s <i>A</i>. Large effect sizes were found for a) coping (problem focused engagement, cognitive restructuring, problem solving, and emotional expression); b) substance misuse (decreased marijuana use) and co-occurring psychological disturbances (decreased school and behavior problems); c) increased contemplation and action readiness to respond to intervention; d) behavior (decreased internalizing, behavior, learning problems, and suspension rates); and e) attendance (increased attendance for RMEA sessions and days on which RMEA was delivered). Overall, the results indicate that RMEA is a viable and effective treatment for alternative education high school students. Analysis of participant interviews and song content further support results, as well as RMEAs proposed therapeutic mechanisms of action, including narrative therapy concepts. Findings highlight the need for replication studies with larger sample sizes, inclusion of adolescent girls, and other alternative education school settings.</p><p>

<p> Students with special needs are required by law to have an individualized education plan based on their unique educational needs. Special education teachers understand these needs and provide students with instructional strategies that allow them to succeed. Music has often been used to provide students with disabilities alternative ways to learn new content; however, the use of music integration therapy in the special education setting as well as its impact on the engagement behaviors on students with special needs is not widely documented in current educational research. A collective case study was used to explore how special education teachers use music integration therapy as an instructional tool for students with special needs. Four special education teachers in a large school district in a western state who have used music therapy in their interactions with students with special needs participated in the study. Each had different motivations for their use of music therapy in the classroom. The data gathered from interviews and observations revealed that each educator viewed progress for students on an individualized basis. The implications of the results of the study and their relationship to the literature are discussed. In addition, recommendations for future research are presented.</p><p>

In order to further investigate the efficacy of interactive musical toys developed by students in the course DM2799 at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, we conducted a user study. The intended users of the toys are primary school children with special needs. The trials were held at the Rullen Dibber special needs school in Solna, Sweden. The study was conducted in order to be able to further develop the instruments and to better understand the needs and wants of the intended users. In order to do this, we studied the emergence of positive behaviors linked to musical expression. The study concluded that although the instruments did not result in any significant change in togetherness and nonverbal communication in the children during playing with the instruments, they were observed to be an effective tool in music therapy. / För att närmare undersöka inverkan av interaktiva musikaliska leksaker utvecklade av studenter i kursen DM2799 på KTH så har vi utfört en utförlig användarstudie. Den avsedda användaren av leksakerna är primärt barn i skolålder med funktionsvariationer. Försöken utfördes på Rullen Dibber särskola i Solna. Studien utfördes för att vidareutveckla instrumenten och att bättre förstå behoven hos den avsedda användaren. För att göra detta undersökte vi framväxten av positiva beteende kopplade till musikaliskt uttryck. Studien visar att trots att instrumenten inte påvisar någon ökad gemenskap bland barnen är de effektiva verktyg för musikterapi.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T15:13:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese sandra r do nascimento 2010.pdf: 1960385 bytes, checksum: 629df75e81c5f9855916dcaef39bac33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-23 / The project, developed at the line of research Culture and Educacional Process, analise the difficulty of learning (DA) on a full time school with the objective to understand its expression and action proposition. The methodology based on a whole search action, at perspective existence phenomenon using lots of techniques, data collection and actions music therapy interdisciplinary multidirectional to support on listening, balancing experiences, actions and comprehension. The results point to theree axial categories: life space interinfluent, intersubjective perception and acts interflectives, showing that DA must be seem to the point of differential and amplification, configurate music therapy as time- space of trans-formation to dimensions for think, feel and act. The referential theory and subsidiary of Merleau-Ponty, on her proposal analytical hyper dialectic the proposition of the dialog with other theory. Same as a real complex, a DA and multifactor&#8223;s interinfluent are explained by different approaches, across study on education areas psychology and music therapy (LEWIN, 1965;1973; FREIRE, 1970; RIBEIRO, 1994; BARCELLOS, 2004). Learning difficulties were understood in a broad way, through a differentiated listening that integrated (knowledge and locus varied in their speeches) to the apprehension of the mutual constitution of subject and medium. Understanding this fully, depending on the category-selective -thinkfeelact- leading to a shift of focus on the phenomena, in which LEARNING disabilities are presented as a disSONANCE BETWEEN THINKFEELACT. / A pesquisa, desenvolvida na linha de pesquisa Cultura e Processos Educacionais, tem como objeto de estudo as dificuldades de aprendizagem numa escola de tempo integral, com o objetivo de compreender suas manifestações e propôr ações musicoterapêuticas à sua modificação. A metodologia baseou-se na pesquisa-ação integral, na perspectiva fenomenológica existencial, utilizando-se de diversas técnicas de coleta de dados e ações musicoterapêuticas interdisciplinares, numa atuação multidirecional sustentada na escuta musicoterapêutica, mediando experiências, ações e compreensões. Os resultados apontaram para três categorias axiais: espaço de vida interinfluentes, percepções intersubjetivas e atos inter-reflexivos, indicando que as dificuldades de aprendizagem devem ser vistas a partir de um olhar diferenciado e ampliado, no qual a musicoterapia se configura como espaço-tempo de trans-formação das dimensões do pensar, sentir e agir. O referencial teórico é subsidiário de Merleau-Ponty em sua proposta analítica da hiperdialética à proposição do diálogo com outros teóricos. Semelhante à complexidade do real, as dificuldades de aprendizagem e os multifatores interinfluentes são explicados por diferentes abordagens, através dos estudos das áreas de Educação, Psicologia e Musicoterapia (LEWIN, 1965;1973; FREIRE, 1970; RIBEIRO, 1994; BARCELLOS, 2004). As dificuldades de aprendizagem foram compreendidas de forma ampliada, por meio de uma escuta diferenciada que integrou saberes e discursos em seus lócus variados à apreensão da mútua constituição entre sujeitos e meio. A partir dessa compreensão integral, conformamos a categoria seletiva pensarsentiragir- levando a uma mudança de olhar sobre os fenômenos, em que as dificuldades de APRENDIZAGEM se apresentam como uma disSONÂNCIA ENTRE PENSARSENTIRAGIR.