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A lifetime learning melodies, rhythms & harmonies: the continuum of affective, behavioral, cognitive, physiological, and spiritual musical performance components in the lives of seniors

The purpose of this study is to understand affective, behavioral, cognitive, physiological, and spiritual, Musical Performance Components (MPCs) in the lifelong musical education of 20 nursing home residents who actively engaged in musical education, practice, performance, and appreciation since childhood and continued to do so in their nursing home community. The project began exploring Musical Performance Anxiety (MPA), and expanded the concept to MPCs, which may cluster to form basic states, moods, and dispositional-traits (e.g., individual differences in anxiety, sadness, anger, happiness, amorousness, or spirituality). The following question guided the research: How have the 20 nursing home residents who have actively engaged in making music since childhood, experienced, if at all, affective, behavioral, cognitive, physiological, and spiritual MPCs? Observations were utilized to describe the many qualities of the musical community. A flexible, open-ended, thematic interview approach with template analysis was used to uncover memories of possible experience with MPCs. Analysis revealed that residents experienced a broad spectrum of MPCs including affective, behavioral, cognitive, physiological, and spiritual components throughout their lives making music, consistent with the literature review. Analysis also revealed that residents experienced a continuum of MPCs, ranging from brief but intense component states, to lower-level moods that tend to endure for longer periods of time, to dispositional-traits that can be lifelong, consistent with the continuum of affect theory detailed, herein. Their experiences sometimes negatively influenced well-being and commitment to engaging in music, but oftentimes they had beneficial impact. Some risks and benefits of MPCs from lifelong music making are detailed.
Keywords: affective, behavioral, cognitive, continuum of affect theory, dispositions, emotional, lifelong, moods, MPA, MPCs, musical performance anxiety, musical performance components, music making, physiological, spiritual, states, traits.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/49158
Date20 August 2024
CreatorsReiss, Christopher Jacob
ContributorsWilliamon, Aaron
Source SetsBoston University
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis/Dissertation

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