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The article offers the author's perspective as an early-career researcher in music therapy and reflects on their own research experiences and the challenges of writing about their perspectives. The author discusses the need for diversity and inclusivity in music therapy research and shares experiences from their research journey that have shaped their perspective on the field.

Music plays an important socio-cultural role in constructing and/or reflecting geo-cultural and universal emotional states by giving voice to personal emotional sensibilities, such as self-searching, romantic longing, and desire, alongside collective spatial sentiments, patriotism, etc. Moreover, popular song lyrics reveal the socio-cultural values, norms, tastes, and emotional conventions of both their creators and their audience. Thus, this article focuses on decoding geo-cultural vs. universal emotional sensibilities via narrative analysis of the first place winners of the annual Israeli Hit Parades between 1963 and 2018, broadcast on the two major Israeli radio stations, Kol Yisrael and Galgalatz, every year on the eve of the Jewish New Year. This long-standing tradition offers a unique opportunity to examine ongoing changes in socio-emotional coping with fear and death, wars and terror while providing a contemporary conceptual and practical inquiry into the normalization of emotions within a culture and politics of fear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objectives of this study were (a) to elucidate young tennis players' use of music to manipulate emotional states, and (b) to present a model grounded in present data to illustrate this phenomenon and to stimulate further research. Anecdotal evidence suggests that music listening is used regularly by elite athletes as a preperformance strategy, but only limited empirical evidence corroborates such use. Young tennis players (N = 14) were selected purposively for interview and diary data collection. Results indicated that participants consciously selected music to elicit various emotional states; frequently reported consequences of music listening included improved mood, increased arousal, and visual and auditory imagery. The choice of music tracks and the impact of music listening were mediated by a number of factors, including extramusical associations, inspirational lyrics, music properties, and desired emotional state. Implications for the future investigation of preperformance music are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Urodynamic studies (UDS) include assessments of the physics and physiology of the lower urinary tract (LUT). It is an invasive test and patients can feel fear and anxiety, especially at the beginning of the test. The aim of this study was to determine whether listening to music during urodynamic study decreases patient anxiety and pain. Methods: Sixty‐two patients who underwent urodynamic study were randomized into the following groups: no music (group 1, n = 30) or classical music (group 2, n = 32) during the procedure. Patient anxiety levels were quantified using the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI). A visual analog scale (VAS) was used for self‐assessment of discomfort and willingness among patients to have a repeat urodynamic study. Results: Demographic characteristics, mean age, duration of procedure, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) and heart rate before procedure were statistically significantly similar between the two groups. Statistically significant differences were detected between the two groups in the mean pain score on VAS (4.1 ± 1.4 vs 2.6 ± 1.8), mean post‐procedural STAI score (46 ± 5.8 vs 37.3 ± 5) and mean BAI score (14.2 ± 1.7 vs 3.5 ± 0.7). SBP and DBP and heart rate were similar between the groups. Conclusion: Music is a cheap, safe and effective intervention that has gained increasing recognition as an effective tool to reduce pain and anxiety. Listening to music during urodynamic study reduced patient pain and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music therapists have described powerful case examples and personal experiences of providing music therapy for clients who are actively dying that suggest a complex experience that merits further exploration. This phenomenological study was conducted to gain a better understanding of the lived experience of music therapists working with clients who are actively dying. Four music therapists (2 female, 2 male), with an average of 10 years' hospice care experience, participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach (Moustakas, 1994). Ten themes were distilled from the interviews and grouped into four categories: ongoing assessment, intuitive processes, countertransference, and the role of aesthetics and transformation. Participants described a flexible, dynamic clinical and personal process informed by ongoing assessment. These findings point to the importance of further discussion surrounding the clinical implications of the music therapist's internal experience and the role of assessment, intuition, and aesthetics in hospice music therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: For most people, music serves as a calming influence or as a pleasurable stimulus that lifts their spirits. In an attempt to both distract and cheer up hospitalized patients, we designed a brief intervention that would bring music to their hospital rooms in attempt to enhance their mood and minimize their awareness of pain.Methods: In this prospective study of adult patients on the general medicine ward at Johns Hopkins Hospital, we assessed the impact of self-selected music delivery on patients' mood and their perception of pain. Patients' mood and pain were assessed using the modified Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale, a validated 10-point Likert pain scale.Results: Of the 151 patients studied, their mean age was 57 years, 57% were women, and 65% were white. Ninety-seven percent of patients described listening to music regularly at home, but only 28% of patients reported that they had listened to any music since being in the hospital (P < 0.0001). The patients' modified Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score and pain score were decreased significantly (-4.99, standard error 0.45, P < 0.0001, and -0.72, standard error 1.51, P < 0.0001, respectively) after listening to a couple of their favorite songs.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that bringing music to hospitalized patients and encouraging them to listen to their favorite songs are genuinely appreciated. If this intervention can enhance moods and reduce pain for patients in the hospital, then directing resources to make it sustainable may be justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I will focus upon a case narrative described as 'Trine', and her participation in a community group called Come Closer. I relate the discussion within a broader context of Community work and Community music therapy. The article combines vignettes taken from music therapy practice and various theoretical views. I argue that music has a potential as a force for social change and spans an unlimited number of combinations. Music can function as a practice that involves the activity of personal reflection processes and music can function as a sociopolitical force, able to change social realities and alter power relations. In sum, the article concludes that three strategies which might be appropriate for further investigation and implementation regarding music as resource in child welfare work. First, there is the need for an individual strategy. The individual strategy includes person-oriented activities such as conversation, song writing, and the use of music technology. Second, there is the need for a community-oriented strategy wherein activities such as playing in a band or song writing comes into focus. Third, there is a need for a strategy which implies working with networks, social environments, and power relations. The third strategy is very closed related to ideals taken from a traditional community work perspective, whereas ideas such as Arnsteins ladder of participation is prominent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the effectiveness of music therapy in treating people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It provides overview of the origin of music therapy for people with ASD in Brazil, where in it was recognizes by the ministries of Education Work and Social Assistance. It also outlines the first Brazilian musical for people with ASD and mentions its different positive benefits to the population.

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the existing studies employing follow-up methodology in the Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy, and Music Therapy Perspectives. All articles from these journals were searched from their first year in publication until 2007. Results indicated a total of 18 studies contained a follow-up component that met inclusion criteria. These studies evaluated the effects of music therapy on a variety of dependent measures and clinical populations. Most studies were published in the Journal of Music Therapy since 2000. When the follow-up evaluation occurred seemed to be a function of the research question which, in turn, was driven by the specific clinical need of the population. Concerning results of treatment, the majority of studies demonstrated maintenance of gains at follow-up; other studies maintained some gains while another study did not maintain gains at follow-up. Implications for clinical practice and future research are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence has suggested that music can improve behavioural performance in several domains, including intelligence. Scientists have also discovered that music can modify the brain at both functional and structural levels. Such neural changes can impact several domains, but one domain seems to be particularly influenced by music—namely, language. Music and language seem to share special features that allow music to improve and shape language processing. This review will first discuss neuroimaging findings related to music training or musical expertise. Then, the influence of music on language processing outcomes will be considered. Finally, we will look into several future directions at the theoretical level, focusing on the relationship between music and language. Also, it will be argued that there are plausible applications for such findings, in particular when considering music as a rehabilitation tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The study examines the association between music involvement and academic achievement in both childhood and adolescence using three measures of music participation: in school, outside of school, and parental involvement in the form of concert attendance. Methods. We review prior work pertaining to music's impact on achievement and then draw from two nationally representative data sources (ECLS-K and NELS:88). Our analyses apply logistic and OLS regression techniques to assess patterns of music involvement and possible effects on math and reading performance for both elementary and high school students. Results. Music involvement varies quite systematically by class, and gender status, and such involvement holds implications for both math and reading achievement, and for young children and adolescents. Notably, associations with achievement persist in our modeling even when prior achievement levels are accounted for. Although music does mediate some student background effects, this mediation is only minimal. Conclusions. Music participation, both inside and outside of school, is associated with measures of academic achievement among children and adolescents. Future work should further delineate the relevant processes of music involvement, as well as how background inequalities and music involvement intersect in relation to educational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The music therapy analyzing partitura (MAP) is a method that was recently proposed to visually describe and analyze music therapy sessions. The main objective of this study was to examine the method and to see if it was in fact clear and usable to music therapists (MTs). Twenty-six experienced and inexperienced MTs were exposed to a MAP and to a written verbal description of the same session. Under a time limitation, they answered informative questions regarding the session and, in addition, indicated the potential of each of the descriptions to raise and analyze research questions. It was found that MTs could easily understand the MAP code. When using the MAP, they correctly answered significantly more questions in comparison with the verbal condition. MTs indicated that the MAP had better analyzing potential than the verbal description. Suggestions for future development of the MAP, as well as its possible implications to arts therapists at large, are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Over a period of 2 years we assessed the long-term effects of group music therapy carried out once weekly on the elderly (mean age: 83 years) suffering from moderate or severe dementia by observing changes in the cortisol level in saliva and in blood pressure and by an intelligence assessment. Systolic blood pressure determined 1 and 2 years after the start of therapy increased significantly in the nonmusic therapy group compared with that in music therapy group (p < .05). Systolic blood pressure increases with aging; the systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in participants who received music therapy. No significant differences in cortisol level in saliva or intelligence assessment score were observed, but the music therapy group maintained their physical and mental states during the 2-year period better than the nonmusic therapy group. This result indicates the lasting effect of once-a-week continuous music therapy. Even the elderly with moderate or severe dementia were able to participate in the group music therapy, and results suggest that enjoying singing and playing musical instruments in a concert was effective in preventing cardiac and cerebral diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of a control group is fundamental to experimental research design, though the use with clinical populations must be carefully considered. The purpose of this research was to examine the use of control groups in research with clinical and nonclinical populations published in Journal of Musical Therapy from 1964 through 2004. Criteria for inclusion were music or music therapy as an independent variable applied to one or more groups and at least one control group that did not receive a music treatment. Control groups were qualified as alternative treatment, placebo, no contact, and treatment as usual. Of the 692 articles, 94 met these criteria, 62 clinical and 32 nonclinical, representing 13.5% of the publications. Results indicated that research with clinical populations involved a mean of 38.1 subjects typically divided into two groups, an experimental and a control group. The pretest-posttest design was the most common (55%) as was a treatment as usual control group (45%). These design methods maximized the impact of the experimental music treatment on outcome. Experimental music groups significantly improved over control groups in the vast majority of studies identified. Undoubtedly, the foundation for evidence-based clinical practice is firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine which music therapy technique was most effective in eliciting emotional change with persons who are chemically dependent during a single session. Participants attended either a songwriting (n = 13) or a lyric analysis group (n = 13). A Visual Analog Mood Scale containing 11 emotion variables was completed prior to and immediately following sessions. No significant differences were found between groups or among the emotion variables between groups for either the pre or posttest data. Significant differences were found among the emotion variables for both the pretest and posttest data. Music therapy significantly increased feelings of acceptance and joy/happiness/enjoyment and significantly reduced feelings of guilty/regretful/blame and fear/distrust. Though not statistically significant, mean emotional change was greater for 10 of 11 variables in the songwriting group. Seventy-five percent of subjects indicated on the Significant Moments in Treatment Questionnaire that music therapy sessions were a significant tool for their recovery. Irrespective of technique, music therapy elicited significant emotional change during a single session and was perceived as therapeutic by the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of technological advances, music is presently widely available as a means of modifying social occasions. As with other artifacts, the use of music requires technical knowledge. Leaving aside the more crystallized segments of this knowledge, such as musical therapy and movie soundtracking, the study sought to explore the Junctional correlation college students established between types of music and social occasions. The existence of a body of consistent, though uncodified, technical knowledge is confirmed. This knowledge prescribes types of music appropriate for social occasions, and specifies the particular effects that can be obtained and the role played by some of the music's elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiple baseline-across-situations design was used to determine (1) the effects of contingent removal of music and a verbal cue on the frequency of rumination and (2) the effect of contingent removal of music on the duration of out-of-seat behavior. A profoundly retarded male served as participant for the 93-day study. Results indicated that contingent music and the verbal cue were effective in reducing out-of-seat behavior. Generalization was then programmed to the participants normal classroom setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of music in relaxation was examined by having subjects rate their level of relaxation after 15 minutes of either listening to one of five types of music or sitting in silence. Subjects also rated the pleasurable quality of the experience, ability to empty the mind, and liking of the music. No single type of music was found to lead to significantly more relaxation; however, atonal music produced significantly less relaxation. The most important factor in relaxation was the degree of liking for the music; significant correlations occurred between liking and relaxation, pleasure and not thinking. Individual preferences must thus be considered when using music to aid relaxation; precategorized soothing music may not always be soothing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the effects of two different kinds of relaxation music on tension level during a single 20-minute training session. The treatment conditions were: (a) Halpern's music (n = 10), (b) "superlearning" music (n = 8), and (c) no music (n = 7). The dependent variable was the subjects' tension level as measured on a 10-point anchoring scale. A one-way analysis of variance over the nine different time periods indicated no significant differences between treatment conditions for seven of the time periods. Analysis of the two significant differences on the third and fourth time periods indicated that the group listening to Halpern's music had higher tension levels than did the group not listening to music. Further research exploring changes in tension level over time are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between a passive music-listening activity, designed to facilitate concentration and relaxation, and subsequent performance of a specific classroom task, matching numbers. Subjects were 17 trainable mentally retarded (TMR) students, 6 to 11 years of age, in two primary self-contained classes. Both groups of students received treatment and control conditions in reverse order over a 2-week period. Experimental conditions consisted of a brief taped story illustrated on a felt board with characters and scenes from the story, a short rest period paired with a relaxing music selection, and 5 minutes of individual number matching at the students' seats. Control conditions were identical but without the music. Results were not significant for number-matching comparisons overall. The older group of students exhibited significantly less behavior during the music/rest than during the rest phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This clinical study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of music in decreasing stress behaviors exhibited by hospitalized infants and toddlers. The sample consisted of 27 hospitalized infants and toddlers, ages 5 weeks to 36 months, who had demonstrated stress behaviors (defined as crying, throwing objects, absence of vocalization, lethargy, and/or body tension) during 15-minute observation sessions. Each subject was assigned to a music program implemented by a Registered Music Therapist (RMT) on the Child Life staff. Programming included relaxation, didactic games, movement, and songs. Sessions lasted from 15 minutes to 1 hour. During the sessions, the subjects were observed and their behaviors were recorded on a checklist. Results of the study indicated that music plus interaction with a music therapist effectively reduced stress-related behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of sedative instrumental background music on EMG-assis ted biofeedback relaxation training of spastic cerebral palsied adults. One group of subjects (n = 3) received EMG bio feedback relaxation training only, while the second group (n = 3) received similar treatment with a sedative instrumental music background. The sedative instrumental background music served as the independent variable; the dependent variable was the degree of tension of the finger extensor muscles of the arm of greatest involvement, as measured by the biofeedback mechanism. Each subject received three 20-minute training sessions per week for a 5-week period. Results showed a 32.5% mean decrease of muscle tension in the group receiving only the EMG biofeedback training. The group receiving the EMG biofeedback training with sedative background music demonstrated a mean decrease of 65%. Although results strongly favored the background music condition, the sample size was not sufficient for statistical analysis. Replication is suggested, using a sample size that would permit valid statistical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the importance and the assessment of literature in music therapy. It notes the intervention-client outcomes-evaluation-decision model involving continuous process of decision making and goal attainment in line with music therapeutic process. Moreover, the model provides basis from which clinical music therapists can communicate with others in sharing information and techniques of treatment.

The article presents a reprint of the article "Music Instruction as Behavior Modification," by R. Douglas Greer, which appeared in the periodical "Journal of Music Therapy" in the 1976 issue. It discusses factors that influence music learning through performance, composition, analytical conceptualization and listening. It also talks about a research in music instruction as part of behavior modification which is grounded on connectionist theory.

The author offers information on increasing assembly line production rates of mentally retarded students by using group contingent music. Recent studies have indicated that individual production rates of retarded and disturbed workers can be effectively increased by the addition or rearrangement of consequences for work production. However, unless concurrent increases occur in the rates of all other workers, an increase in the production rate of one worker is of little significance.

The article offers information on music therapy conducted for emotionally disturbed individuals in a private hospital in the U.S. It mentions that music therapy involved coordinated program of activities and therapy for 23 full time patients admitted in the psychiatric division of a hospital. It informs that activities involved choral music, rhythm groups, and vocal dynamics. It reveals that under the therapy, patients progressed from informal singing and rhythm groups to organized choruses.

The article offers information on the Sensitive Rank Test procedure developed for use in music therapy research. It is said that one can use a total sample of only four subjects with the Sensitive Rank Test because each subject receives both the experimental and control treatments. An example is provided to gain an understanding of the technique in which the criterion behavior is rocking in four retarded, institutionalized young adults.

The article reports on the need of music therapy to work closely with related disciplines to solve its problems. It is said that decentralization of large psychiatric institutions, the rise of specialized centers for specific disorders, and the community mental health movement have influenced the need for the music therapist to work more closely with related disciplines. It presents two studies that shows the extension of the music therapist's services outside his own particular program.

The article presents a study on the correlation of music and self-esteem in elementary school boys with learning and behavior problems. It details the procedures for music development and behavioral research as well as the Coopersmith self-esteem measures including Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) and Behavior Rating Form (BRF). It concludes that musical skill development may increase self-esteem and self-confidence in socially disadvantaged and problem students.

The article discusses the various approaches in music therapy which is used for experimental research. It focuses on the traditional approach using music activities for diversional, recreational, and social values of patients in hospital settings that is commonly used by music therapists. Also examined are other approaches to music therapy including modified traditional and behavior modification approach.

The article discusses the potential help of music in play therapy, particularly with children. According to the author, the therapeutic use of music is often associated with its influence on human personality and behavior. The author adds that music helps in the reduction of anxiety in patients, mobilization of attention, and self-expression facilitation.

The article focuses on the psychodramatic effects of music when applied as a psychotherapeutic agent. It cites that music as a form treatment assists a mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed person to be more mindful of reality and less nervous about insecurities. Music homeostatis is a therapeutic agent for a wide range of individuals who need psychodynamic homeostasis. It concludes that music involvement helps produce positive and healthier self-perception.

The article presents several studies pertaining to music as part of early childhood development. It provides overview of the focus of the study that involve the effect of music on physiological and behavioral responses in premature infants, the evolution of behavior, and the cognitive processes used for language and music. It also presents the respective result of such studies.