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Music therapy is a unique form of psychotherapy that has a broad range of applications. Music has the advantage of being an unobtrusive instrument with communicative flexibility, reaching to clients who may not accept other forms of therapy. The transformative qualities of music are valued because a client can ascribe meaning to sounds, or thoughts to music.

The objective of this study was to ascertain the efficacy of music therapy in alleviating anxiety among university students. This is achieved by employing the theory of planned behaviour. A survey comprising 350 participants was disseminated to evaluate their subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, attitudes, intentions to engage, and actual involvement in music therapy, as well as their degrees of anxiety. The information gathered was examined using structural equation modelling. The findings validated that favorable attitudes, robust subjective standards, and elevated perceived behavioral control fostered students' inclination to engage in music therapy. In addition, it is unsurprising that students who intended to participate ultimately followed through and carried out the task. The structural equation modelling analysis ultimately demonstrated that engaging in these sessions significantly decreased students' levels of anxiety. While effective in the examined context, the research acknowledges geographic and demographic limitations, suggesting the need for broader investigations. This study adds to the growing evidence supporting the integration of music therapy into mental health services, particularly for university students facing academic stressors.

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex neurological disorder characterized by impairments in communication and social interaction, limited patterns of behavior, interests and activities. Given the different forms of autism spectrum disorder and the fact that no two people are the same, an individual approach to each individual is required. Musical ability is one of the special talents that a child with an autism spectrum disorder can have. Such a child should be allowed to practice music. As a therapy, music therapy has proven to be effective in working with children with autism spectrum disorder, i.e. it has a positive effect on communication, vocalization, joint attention, eye contact, concentration, cooperation, cognitive functions, social skills, etc. This paper presents the observations obtained through the study case. The aim of the research was to show the behavior of students with autism spectrum disorder in the Music culture class and the impact of music therapy on their behavior. For the purposes of the research, two interviews were conducted, i.e. with a teaching assistant who worked with a student with an autism spectrum disorder and with the student's parents. The case study showed that the student has a developed musical ability, that he participates actively, with reserved attention, only in the Music culture classes, and that music therapy helped him in his expression and speech. It is essential to give these kids the tools they need to further develop their musical abilities. It will contribute to children with autism spectrum disorder feeling safe, happy, and accepted in their environment.

This reflective essay addresses the nexus of two recent events in the United States: (1) the public scrutiny of the relationship between land grant universities and the expropriation of Indigenous lands and (2) the often uncritical and rapid uptake of settler land acknowledgments at public college and university events. We argue that written land acknowledgment statements need to accompany actions that align with declarations of respect and honor. Specifically, we offer readers three concrete ideas through which institutions may further land acknowledgments: challenging their historical legacies, fostering meaningful partnerships with Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples, and materializing resources for this highly underserved, long-neglected, often ignored community.

The use of music therapy techniques has recently extended into the educational realm to help overcome learning difficulties, support emotional management, and assist students to develop necessary social skills. This is known as educational music therapy (EMT). Current educational policies give ever greater importance to the fostering and development of core social skills and competencies as decisive factors in overall educational success. Thus, teachers are being encouraged to explore interdisciplinary and creative collaboration and to innovate and incorporate new, more active, teaching methods to enable students to meet these educational objectives. This article comprises a systematic review of 34 research studies from 13 countries concerning the use of EMT over the last 15 years. The authors have identified uses of EMT in general teaching and in music education. The PICO(C) framework was used to develop the research question and the PRISMA diagram was used to determine the criteria for exclusion or inclusion of studies for review. The results from all studies considered agree that music therapy has benefits at all contexts and levels of education. The studies examined are diverse in terms of design, application, and procedures, and music therapy and music education techniques largely coincide in their educational objectives: improving inclusion, learning outcomes, and well-being among students. In conclusion, there is a two-way process of transfer between music education and EMT, and the addition of EMT techniques as another innovative method within teachers' repertoires could have many benefits in education. The added value can be found in the way this review relates different studies, revealing those dimensions that would benefit from further study as well as exploring the decision-making process around their potential applications.

This exploratory study reports findings from an "arts-based service-learning" (ABSL) programme where student musicians facilitated "therapeutic community music" (TCM) (Aigen, 2012) for, with, and alongside children and seniors in different community settings. The data primarily comprised student musicians' reflective logs and feedback forms and were analysed through a quality of life lens (Raphael, 2002). This paper discusses the student musicians' reported experiences of belonging (Raphael, 2002). Belonging manifested itself in physical, social, and community aspects. For example, facilitating TCM within a circular format helped the student musicians experience deeper social interactions and a greater sense of inclusion. Moreover, the sense of belonging became a resource for developing resilience, expressing creativity, building professional networks, and experiencing the possibilities of their careers. The study concludes with implications for embedding ABSL in higher education programmes to support learning, enhance well-being, and promote community.

Background: Although existing studies have shown that both repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and music therapy have advantages in the treatment of non-fluent aphasia, the efficacy of the combination of these two methods remains to be investigated. Aims: To investigate the clinical efficacy of low-frequency rTMS combined with music therapy on language function and depression in patients with non-fluent aphasia after stroke. Methods & Procedures: A single-blind parallel randomised controlled trial was conducted. Sixty patients (mean duration = 93.78 days) with non-fluent aphasia after stroke were randomly divided into a traditional therapy group (n = 20), a music therapy group (n = 20) and a combined therapy group (n = 20, 1 Hz). The language function and depression were evaluated before and 3 weeks after treatment with the Chinese version of the Western Aphasia Battery scale, Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination scale and Stroke Aphasic Depression Questionnaire Hospital Version scale. Outcomes & Results: The combined therapy group was significantly better in all outcomes than the traditional therapy group and was significantly better in depression than the music therapy group. The music therapy group was significantly better in repetition and depression than the traditional therapy group. Language improvement was positively correlated with depression improvement. For adverse events, only two patients in the combined therapy group showed slight dizziness during rTMS treatment and their symptoms improved after rest. Conclusions & Implications: Our preliminary randomised controlled study indicates that low-frequency rTMS combined with music therapy is feasible and safe in improving language function and depression in non-fluent aphasia patients after stroke.

Self-determination consists of essential skills for students with disabilities because it gives individuals the power to make decisions based on their own needs and desires. Self-determination includes areas such as choice-making, goal setting, and self-directed learning. Music therapy is a service that can be used to enhance self-determination for students within the educational setting. Through intentional collaboration, music therapists and special educators can bring together their expertise to promote self-determination in students with disabilities. As members of students' Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs), both professionals are working towards the common interest of fulfilling individuals' goals and needs. The authors of this manuscript outline and describe a three-step process for collaboration between music therapists and special educators to promote self-determination among students while also providing a vignette to demonstrate this practice.

Mauri Tui Tuia is a professional development programme established by the first and second authors who are a Registered Arts and Dance Movement Therapist and a Registered Music Therapist respectively. Mauri Tui Tuia seeks to empower educators to develop a kete of tools to support children in building resilience and maintaining wellbeing, through the medium of trauma-informed music and dance movement therapies. In this paper we discuss the theories that underpin the mahi (work) and give a broad overview of some of the ways our unique collaborative practices can potentially provide sustainable support for our communities in the wake of traumatic events, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic had, and still has, an influence on everybody's well-being, including that of music teachers. The search for meaning in life and purpose for music teachers became even more compelling throughout this trying time. This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) explores the multiple meanings that five self-employed music teachers who were diagnosed with the coronavirus ascribed to their lived experiences of Music and Imagery (MI) sessions. MI is a receptive music therapy method, which involves listening to music for therapeutic benefits. Five music teachers, who fitted the inclusion criteria, attended four individual MI sessions. Each teacher participated in a semi-structured interview after the sessions. The collected data were transcribed, analyzed, and coded. Themes that emerged included emotional experiences, spiritual experiences, personal growth and empowerment. Findings indicate that meaning in life during a pandemic can be re-established through the application of MI sessions.

Teachers working in special education school settings often lack confidence to deliver classroom music programs. Music therapists working in special schools may be well suited to collaborating with teacher colleagues to improve musical confidence and skills. This action research project worked with teaching staff of three special education classes to design and deliver a collaborative music program. Data sources were focus group discussions and weekly online surveys, triangulated with the researcher's field journal. Subsequently, reflexive thematic analysis identified four overarching themes in the data: listening inside the musical culture of a school; building capacity by accessing the music child; musicking for brain care; and removing barriers to success. This informed a refined framework supporting delivery skills to improve teaching staff musical capacity. Rehearsal of such an approach can facilitate "delivery without fear" experiences for participants. Therefore, this study informs pre-service and professional development teacher training, where a scaled-up model can be applied.

Purpose: Speech--Music Therapy for Aphasia (SMTA), a method that combines speech therapy and music therapy, is introduced as a treatment method for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). SMTA will be evaluated in a proof-ofprinciple study. The first case study is presented herein. Method: SMTA was evaluated in a study with a single-subject experimental design comparing 10 weeks of treatment with 2 months of no treatment. The research protocol included a pretest, baseline phase, treatment phase, posttest, no-treatment phase, and follow-up test. The participant was a boy with CAS aged 5;8 (years;months). Outcome measures were selected to reflect both intelligibility in daily communication as well as features of CAS and speech motor planning and programming. Results: Results on the Intelligibility in Context Scale--Dutch (ICS-Dutch) and in the analysis of a spontaneous speech sample suggest generalization of treatment effects. Improvements were found in measures that reflect complex speech motor skills, that is, the production of consonant clusters and consistency. Conclusions: This case study showed that speech production of the participant improved after treatment with SMTA. Although intelligibility as measured with the ICS-Dutch improved over the study period, objectifying changes at the level of intelligibility in daily communication proved to be difficult. Additional measures may be necessary to gain more insight into treatment effects at this level. Overall, the results of this first case study provide sufficient support and important leads for further evaluation of SMTA in the treatment of CAS in a proof-of-principle study.

Background: Although there are a growing number of studies investigating the benefits of music therapy interventions with patients diagnosed with cancer, few studies have taken an approach that specifically examines indices of perceived well-being in women with breast cancer. Overcoming these challenges can be an important step in the recovery process. Purpose: The purpose of our study was to know the positive influence of responsive music therapy through gong sounds, emitted live, on different areas of well-being of women with breast cancer. Methods: Four individual sessions of responsive music therapy with live gong sounds were conducted in which three women (M = 54; SD = 5.57) participated both in the music therapy program and in the completion of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) and a semi-structured interview with ad hoc designed questions about perception of qualitative aspects. Results: The results showed that the music therapy sessions significantly improved, p = 0.043 < 0.05, various domains of perceived well-being in women with breast cancer. Discussion: This article highlights several key benefits associated with music therapy and various indices of well-being in women with breast cancer, identifies the limitations of the study, and discusses the findings. It is considered necessary to replicate this practice in future studies that include a larger sample and age range over longer follow-up periods. Translation for Health Education Practice: The text highlights the importance of considering music therapy as a complementary intervention in comprehensive cancer care programs, which may be relevant to health educators when considering intervention and support approaches for cancer patients. Health education interventions targeting the enhancement of cancer patients' well-being should incorporate music therapy techniques.

Background: Interactive engagement, specifically attention and initiation, are considered important skills for facilitating development and learning in students with severe/profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Prior research has suggested that music therapy and multisensory storytelling are two promising interventions for supporting interactive engagement in this population. However, there are no known/published studies that have investigated the effect of combining relevant elements from musical interaction and multisensory storytelling for this group of students. This study aims to determine the effect of a novel educational approach--MultiSensory Music Drama (MSMD)--on the interactive engagement of students with severe/profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Methods: A single-case experimental design, specifically an ABAB design across three participants, was used to describe the effect of MSMD on interactive engagement when compared with a control activity. School staff members' perceptions of student interactive engagement and social validity were obtained. Findings: Coded video observations showed significantly higher levels of interactive engagement during MSMD for all three participants when compared to the control activity. Furthermore, the ratings on the interactive engagement from school staff members improved for two of the three participants. Finally, school staff members scored the social validity and perceived educational usefulness of the MSMD as very high. Conclusions: The findings provide initial evidence that MSMD may be effective in supporting the interactive engagement of some students with severe/profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Purpose: Autistic children with limited spoken language ability (LSLA) often do not respond to traditional interventions, reducing their social inclusion. It is essential to identify effective interventions, and sensitive measures to track their intervention response. Methods: Using data from an RCT comparing music-mediated and play-based interventions, we investigated the impact of spoken language ability on outcomes, and measured response to intervention through natural language sample measures. Results: Children with lower verbal IQ, relative to higher verbal IQ, made some greater gains over the course of music-mediated intervention. Natural language samples were helpful in characterizing communication and tracking change. Conclusion: Music-mediated interventions hold promise as effective interventions for autistic children with LSLA. Natural language samples are robust in characterizing this subgroup.

Listening to and creating music can be an effective way to help alleviate various symptoms and provide a sense of inner calm. For this reason, music therapy is becoming an increasingly popular form of holistic "healing," particularly for children and adults who are neurodiverse. Playing musical instruments and engaging in music therapy can significantly improve communication for those living with a wide range of conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Outdoor musical play can be particularly beneficial, as it creates connections with other players and improves communication overall in a nonthreatening environment.

As humanity around the globe enters the third decade of the 21st century, immense technological change is more profound than any previous time with pursuant massive social change. Central to this change is the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0). Three revolutions have gone before: mechanisation, mass production, and simple digitisation/automation. The fourth revolution builds on the third and is characterised by a combination of technologies where the boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological spheres are now blurred. Drawing on musical examples from Australia, this article is sited in and makes links with relevant elements of the fourth industrial revolution illustrating how music (in combination with other artforms) has enormous potential to benefit the well-being of the nation's citizens, creating unity between community and humanity. In this article (an expansion on Watson & Forrest, 2020) we focus on music initiatives that operate within Australian hospitals, the community and schools, involving marginalised members of society, with outcomes that are not specifically music-related. A variety of partner organisations and volunteers provide professional services and financial support to allow these activities to achieve their goals and remain viable. The organisations and programs under consideration are the "Hush Foundation," the "Choir of Hard Knocks," three "El Sistema" inspired programs ("The Pizzicato Effect, Crashendo!" and "Crescendo"), the "Boite Schools Chorus and Millennium Chorus" and "Don't Stop the Music." Musicians (as professionals, undergraduates, amateurs) and music educators, are involved in these types of projects either as an aspect of their career and earning a living or as a voluntary community member. Although music is a central point for achievement, the major outcomes are not necessarily going to be musical, either by design or through lack of planning. It is acknowledged that music has a significant role in the community for therapy, for healing, for well-being, and to support other academic goals.

Expressive Art Therapy is an unconventional therapeutic technique that can help individuals to heal emotionally. Music, art, and creative writing can help clients to re-align their emotions and bring forth healing within themselves. Music brings people together and may evoke different emotions in each person. Art represents the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of all people by using imagery rather than words. Finally, creative writing lets intrusive thoughts out of the mind and releases them onto paper. When clients reconnect their heads and their hearts, positive emotional changes can begin in their lives.

Guidance programs in school may not be meeting the current needs of students. School counsellors are forced to make decisions about which students should receive services, because of budget cuts and increasing demands placed on counsellors. This article proposes that, in the face of budget cuts to counselling services, students' needs would be better met with the incorporation of group counselling sessions. Music therapy is proposed as a preferred means of group counselling. The universality of music, the high success rate of clinical music therapy, and the strong music-adolescent connection are convincing reasons to incorporate group music therapy in schools.

Music is motivational, accessible and engaging for individuals with learning disabilities. Several systematic reviews have addressed the effects of music activity on people with learning disabilities; however, none has specifically reviewed the use of musical activity with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. This review aimed to: 1. identify peer-reviewed studies and describe the characteristics of evidence-based musical activity used with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and 2. evaluate and analyse the effectiveness of these music-based interventions and identify gaps within current research. A systematic search was conducted in April 2021 identifying seven peer-reviewed studies which included music-based interventions with at least one person with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Findings reveal the interventions varied in their frequency, duration and content. The outcome of most (n=6) interventions documented the development of the participants' social skillset. Interventions were predominantly (n=6) implemented by facilitators with musical expertise. The diverse and novel nature of the reviewed studies highlights a need to expand and enhance research with this population.

Based on findings from a large meta-data-based literature survey, this article is intended to provide a comprehensive synthesis of key features of China's music education system as seen through the lens of n = 116 major research studies, drawn from a total of N = 3,257 high-impact Chinese journal articles published during 2007 to 2019. The synthesis suggests that (1) education reform, aesthetic education, Chinese traditional music and cultural identity were found to be the most prominent topics across all levels of formal music education; and (2) in most studies, government financial support, policy priorities, curriculum enforcement and paedagogical innovation are proposed as general cures to address perceptions of an unsatisfactory situation within music education. However, (3) by relating these findings to national statistics, a clear gap is identified between several research studies and actual social contexts, suggesting a possible deviation of academic communities from realistic educational and social challenges. Thus, external validity issues related to these studies are also discussed critically, along with their potential influence on views of what counts as Chinese music education in domestic and international research communities.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of transitional elements on listeners' aesthetic responses. Participants (N = 81) viewed an excerpt of a choral performance while manipulating a Continuous Response Digital Interface to record their aesthetic responses. Participants in one group viewed the original choral performance, which included two purposeful transitions and no applause between pieces. In the other group, participants viewed the same choral performance but with applause over a black screen added between pieces. Participants then answered two open-ended questions to indicate the features of the performance most salient to their aesthetic responses. Mean aesthetic responses during each transition were higher for the continuous transition group compared to the applause group; however, differences between groups were statistically significant only during the attacca transition between the second and third piece. In response to "What factors contributed the most to your aesthetic response?" participants most commonly cited ensemble musicianship, followed by compositional elements such as harmonic, melodic, or rhythmic material; performer engagement; and song choices. When describing what kept them most engaged, participants mentioned programming most frequently, with the majority of comments referencing variety. We discuss implications for music teaching and learning.

The current study presents a rhythmic music program to acquire some motor skills for children with Down syndrome. The research sample was taken from one of the specialized Down syndrome learning centers for children, and the sample was taken in a random manner. The sample of children consisted of 20 boys and girls and divided into experimental and control groups. The researcher also prepared a list of the appropriate motor skills for these children (walking, running, jumping, throwing), in addition to the motor skills scale to determine the effectiveness of the proposed program. The results were statistically analyzed using the analysis of covariance, where pre-test serving as a covariate. The results indicated an improvement in the performance of all motor activities under study for the children of the experimental group compared to the control group, and this confirms the extent of the positive impact of the musical rhythmic program for these children, which affects the children positively in the performance of their motor.

Objective: Reading is an indispensable skill. The study investigated the effects of music therapy on the reading skills of pupils with intellectual disability. Methods: An experimental research design was used. The sample was purposively selected from two special schools for pupils with intellectual disability in Ibadan, Nigeria. Seventeen pupils were randomly assigned to two groups (music therapy and control groups). Eighteen sessions of music therapy were conducted with the experimental group only. The Reading Skills Test was used before and after the intervention to collect data. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used for data analysis. Results: The data indicated that there was a significant statistical difference between pre-test and post-test results. The interaction effect of treatment and parents' socio-economic status was not significant for the participants' reading. Conclusion: Music therapy enhanced the reading skills of pupils with intellectual disability and should be adopted in teaching pupils with intellectual disability.

Grief is a complicated equalizer and a personal reaction to loss. Losing a loved one is a universal experience, but fear keeps grief quiet and misunderstood. When teachers not trained in death education, it can affect children's grieving process. When grief is not processed in a healthy way, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, affecting a child's learning and mental health. Anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns can present themselves without the help of practices that support emotion regulation and personal grief expression. Schools need bereavement-trained teachers, death education, emotion regulation practices, and counsellors trained in play-based therapies to support grieving children.

Music therapy can help social workers deal with negative behaviors and symptoms of dementia in older adults without drugs or physical restraints, thereby improving the quality of care. This study tested the effectiveness of music therapy activities for improving agitated behavior in older adults with dementia living in long-term care institutions. The study was quasi-experimental. Eighty older adults were recruited from two nursing homes. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select subjects aged 65 years and above with dementia and agitated behavioral tendencies residing in nursing homes. The music therapy program comprised 90 minute sessions 3 times a week for two months. The program evaluation focused on one criterion: the agitated behavior of participants at the beginning and end of the music theory program, which was measured using a structured scale. Ultimately, the music therapy program showed promise for improving agitated behavior in older adults with dementia living in nursing homes. Incorporating music therapy activities into social work may help make long-term care more diverse and innovative.

Functions connected to mood and emotion regulation are often reported as the most frequent and important functions of music, particularly during adolescence. However, less is known on how adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) use music for emotion regulation. The aim of this study was therefore to explore how adolescents with intellectual disabilities (n = 30) use music for mood regulation in comparison to adolescents without ID (n = 34). We assessed the seven mood-regulation strategies of the Music in Mood Regulation questionnaire, personality traits, mood, and a number of variables regarding music listening. The result showed that personality and mood were associated with the use of music for mood regulation and that adolescents with ID were less specific in their use of mood regulation strategies than adolescents without intellectual disabilities, even when adjusting for gender differences. In conclusion, the present study shows that personality traits in addition to mood is related to differences in usage of music for mood regulation among adolescents with and without intellectual disability. The study provides initial insights into the use of music and the relationships between personality, mood, and music in mood regulation in adolescents with intellectual disabilities.

This scoping review addresses peer-reviewed research on musical interaction with children and young people with severe/profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (S/PIMD). Twenty-five articles published between the years 2000 and 2020 met the inclusion criteria. A narrative synthesis was used to summarise and evaluate different features, including participant characteristics, study design and methods, type of musical interaction, the abilities and behaviours in focus, reported benefits, promising components of musical interaction, and quality appraisal of the studies. The results revealed a variation in participant characteristics and study designs, where small-sample descriptive case studies were most common. In terms of the type of musical interaction, active music therapy was the most commonly used approach, followed by technology-mediated and multisensory musical activities. In terms of abilities and behaviours, a large majority of the studies focused on social interaction and communication, followed by engagement, attention and affect. Six categories were identified as promising components of musical interaction: the responsivity of the interaction partner, singing songs, structure and predictability in the activities, long-term interventions, technology-mediated and multisensory musical activities, and a therapeutic alliance between interaction partners. Based on this review, we discuss future research and practical implications for musical interaction and music therapy for children and young people with S/PIMD.

Empathy plays a fundamental role in the prosocial development of young people today as an essential skill for interacting with other human beings. Music, particularly in a small group set up, offers a fitting context for its development. This article presents a review of the different studies and investigations that examine the effects that the development of empathic capacity can produce in small group instrumental practice, the capacity of empathy to induce modifications in the final result of a small group musical interpretation, and empathy and its relationship with small group musical interpretation from the field of education. The aim of this article is to review and analyse literature on how empathy is researched in the context of small group (between 2 and 10 individuals) music performance in order to enquire if the empathic ability constitutes a basic and decisive foundation in the development of multiple actions executed jointly with other individuals. For that purpose, different aspects are analysed: (1) definition of empathy and how it is measured; (2) the instruments used for its measurement; (3) the characteristics of the participants in the studies and their level of music experience; and (4) the type of activities undertaken. The analysis of the results indicates that defining empathy in this context is an ongoing process, and the concept is measured by standardised and ad hoc tests. It also shows that the type of studies and activities are related to the discipline in which they are carried out. Notably, there is a lack of studies regarding the field of study and the age and the level of musical experience of the performers.

Background: The Beatalk technique is a speech therapy method, based on human beatboxing, involving intense, rapid repetitions of speech-like sounds. The goals of the current feasibility study were to test its effect in enhancing articulation accuracy and voice measures in a small group of adults with intellectual disability (ID), using a wide range of measures of verbal communication, and to refine the treatment protocol. Methods: A group pre-test-post-test experimental design was used (n = 12). Treatment consisted of ten weekly group sessions of 40 min, each followed by two self-practice sessions. Changes in speech intelligibility, voice, and communication skills were assessed. Results: The findings indicate significant improvements in speech production and intelligibility measures (Percentage of Consonant Correct, and staff-member intelligibility scores), voice measures (vocal loudness, Harmonic-Noise-Ratio, shimmer, and jitter) and staff-member communication scores. Implications: These results extend our understanding of the effects of the Beatalk technique, and suggest that it may have potential as an effective intervention for adults with ID. As the experimental design is limited in its ability to yield strong conclusions, further controlled studies are required.

Students with a newly acquired disability may struggle with adjusting to their life postdisability; therefore, they represent a unique facet of students within schools that require specialized services and support by school counselors. Creativity, used by school counselors within therapy sessions, may help promote personal growth and the successful transition of students back into school and home environments after a disability is acquired. This article focuses on narrative therapy, music, art, and drama techniques, as well as creative examples of how to approach transition issues associated with adolescent students who are struggling with newly acquired disabilities.

To maintain and improve skills for practice, health care professionals across all disciplines need to engage in ongoing professional development. However, helping clinicians learn and apply new knowledge in practice can be challenging. This article reports on a purpose-designed professional development programme targeting experienced practitioners of a particular music therapy, focusing on their cultural competency. The author conceptualised a workshop format with a relevant clinical scenario at its centre. She describes how she developed the programme, which she subsequently delivered to an international community of 57 practitioners attending professional development conferences. To capture participants' reactions and evidence of their new thinking applied to an everyday clinical practice, she used Brookfield's Critical Incident Questionnaire (CIQ). Her analysis of the data, which provided feedback on the training scenario and structured group discussion materials, found that this continuing professional development training workshop was effective in challenging clinicians to think differently, and to plan the application of their newly acquired knowledge to their everyday practice. This paradigmatic case study contributes new knowledge towards the current reform of health systems, where achieving person-centred health care depends on the ongoing professional development of established health practitioners. Replacing traditional health care, where the patient receiving treatment is accorded a passive role, person-centred health care engages patients' active participation in their therapy. Practitioners who have graduated a while ago therefore need to change some of their ingrained practices and approaches in treating their clients and patients, which will then lead to improved health outcomes.

Music is an experience that can cross personal and professional domains alongside cultural, gender, age and generational boundaries; it can also enhance the learning process through emotional processing and connection. This paper focuses on the learning experience of qualified clinical psychologists (CPs) working in the United Kingdom. This group of CPs had experience of undertaking experiential learning and reflective writing during their professional training. It considers the potential to continue a learning process, 3 years post qualification, through long distance methods using vignette-based material. Empathising with, and understanding, the position of others from differing backgrounds is an important competency within the therapeutic work of CPs and this comes alongside acknowledging and understanding ones? own experiences, both past and present. CPs work with difficult life experiences and complex issues; connecting constantly can be exhausting and, perhaps, unrealistic. Yet, to truly empathise one must connect with, and understand, the lived experiences of others. We will consider what helps and hinders this process, and how music and other creative mediums can be effectively used in learning even via long distance methods. We will further consider how CPs may be well placed to enhance the learning about, and processing of, difficult emotional experiences for themselves, other clinicians and the people they might work with.

Psychological and spiritual effects of music on people have been revealed by various studies and still continue to be investigated. The sound which has existed since the first formation of the universe; and music and music therapy which are as old as the history of mankind have constituted one of the treatment methods widely investigated at hospitals and universities. In the daily lives of people, anxiety, stress, well-being and similar phenomena clearly remain in the foreground. The current study is an experimental study designed to determine the effect of listening to classical music on anxiety and well-being. The sampling of the study is comprised of senior students in an education faculty. A total of 15 students (7 females and 8 males) participated in the current study. The data were collected with the State-Trait Anxiety Scale and the Psychological Well-being Scale. In the analysis of the data, Paired Sample t-Test was used. The findings of the current study have revealed that while listening to classical music for a 60-day period (listening to classical music ever day according to a music listening schedule) did not have any significant effect on the students' State Anxiety scores, it led to a statistically significant effect on their Trait Anxiety and Psychological Well-being scores (t=3,451 P<0,004; t=-3.699, P<0.002). When the pre-test and post-test Psychological Well-being mean scores were compared, no significant difference was found for the sub-dimension of "autonomy", significant differences in favour of post-test scores were found for the sub-dimensions of "positive relations with others", "environmental mastery", "personal growth", "purpose in life", and "self-acceptance".

The purpose of this paper was to better understand the current practice of arts therapy in educational institutions in the Czech Republic comparing it to that in health-care institutions and other working environments. The research goal was to analyze the prevalence of the different fields of arts therapy, the main difficulties of clients, the therapeutic forms, the ways of interdisciplinary cooperation, and the groups of therapists (according to their age and duration of practice). The data collected from the first national survey using "The Practice of Arts Therapies" questionnaire were analyzed with descriptive and inductive statistics (Chi-square test). The 142 respondents who participated in the study were contacted mainly through professional associations. The significant characteristics of arts therapies in educational environments are linked to the diffusion of the respective arts therapy fields (music therapy being the most prevalent), the main difficulties of pupils (learning difficulties/multiple disabilities or no obvious problems), and to the length of practice of the respondents. The results can be used for the creation of a research-based map of Czech arts therapies in educational institutions and for further development of this area.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the functioning of the brain and consequently other areas of development in an unstable and irregular way. There are many therapeutic approaches to autism and one of them is music therapy. Music therapy is a purely therapeutic treatment (Anagnostopoulou & Manti, 2009). It does not seek entertainment or music education. Music therapy is used as a means of expression and creativity, giving people with limited verbal communication capabilities such as autistic people an alternative way of communicating and expressing themselves. The purpose of this research is to investigate the development of social and communication skills through music therapy in children with ASD, focusing on emotional development, behavioral problems and academic performance. For the purposes of investigating the above purpose, the quality method and the data collection tools that helped to implement it were the semi-structured interview and the structured observation. In the interview were special therapists who implement music therapy approaches and observation was used to record a possible change in the unacceptable behaviors of a child attending a music therapy program. The results obtained from the qualitative analysis of the data demonstrate a significant weakness of the child with ADHD. both in terms of communication and sociability. Music therapy seems to be helpful in their academic skills. The results of the research show that music therapy plays an important role in early intervention to address the weaknesses faced by children with ASD.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience difficulties functioning in society due to social communication deficits and restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Music therapy has been suggested as a potential intervention used to improve these deficits in ASD. The current systematic literature review focuses on two methods of music therapy: improvisational music therapy (IMT) and singing/listening to songs. We review the extant literature and the associated methodological limitations, and we propose a framework to assess the effectiveness of music therapy as an intervention in ASD. We suggest the creation of a standardized framework that should utilize neuroimaging tools as an objective marker of changes induced by music therapy as well as a combination of functional and behaviourial outputs, rather than assessment methods addressing a broad range of functional and behavioural outputs, rather than only the main symptoms. The methodological limitations found in the current literature prevent us from making a strong statement about the effects of music therapy in autism. We consider treatment fidelity assessments as the key to successful future attempts to truly understand music therapy effects in ASD.

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a continuum of traits that may negatively affect social and emotional competencies of individuals, including challenges in their engagement abilities, possible limitations in reciprocal interactions, and inflexibility in initiating and sustaining communication. Such challenges may affect language development and speech acquisition. Considering their importance, this study explored the impact of a family-centered, music therapy intervention to promote preverbal and verbal communication skills of young children with ASD during parent-child, music engagement episodes. Method: A mixed-methods design was implemented to gather data on the children's preverbal and verbal communication abilities (pre-and-post intervention data collection) and on each dyad's musical interactions during a 16-week music therapy intervention. Quantitative outcome measures included children's scores on the Pragmatics Profile of Everyday Communication Skills (PPECS) and the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (CSBSDP), to assess children's communication, expressive speech, and symbolic behavior over time. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, logs, and journaling. Results: Reports from the families corroborate with quantitative results regarding changes on the children's communication abilities after the intervention. Discussion and Conclusion. Collectively, the current study provides evidence on the potential of using music therapy interventions within a family-centered approach to enhance young children's preverbal and verbal communication skills.

Parent-mediated interventions complement professional services and empower parents. In music therapy, this treatment modality is emerging. A systematic review was conducted to assess the existence of parent-mediated music interventions with children with ASD, identify the characteristics of parent coaching used, and summarize results. Thirteen studies were selected. Framework analyses were performed on descriptions of "parent-mediated," "parent coaching," outcomes, measures, and findings. Quality of the research and of the training programs varied substantially. Salient findings include emerging interest in involving parents in treatment, limited conceptual frameworks for parent coaching, and limited development of this modality. High attrition, parental effort, and mixed populations limit the internal and social validity of studies. Music therapists may consider investigating parent-mediated interventions, while considering parental effort.