American Music Research Articles

Hearing health literacy among professional and amateur musicians

AbstractMusicians create sound that is enjoyable to themselves and their audience, but this same sound also threatens their hearing health due to high sound pressure levels generated by their own and their fellow musicians’ instruments. Here we seek to identify musicians’ hearing health awareness in relation to their coping strategies. 370 professional and 401 amateur musicians in total responded to a questionnaire on hearing health, which included quantitative elements and open-ended questions. Findings reveal that musicians are generally aware of hearing health risks but also indicate a lack of discussion on that topic. However, inasmuch as respondents consider hearing protection as necessary, they articulate justified concerns about its potential impact on quality of performance and musical communication. In sum, musicians show literacy regarding their hearing health, but more guidance and training is needed to ensure effective protective measures.

Music Therapy Sessions With Older Adults on YouTube: A Content Analysis for Academic Instruction

Abstract Prior research in music therapy has examined the availability and content of YouTube videos overall and in relation to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and pediatric medical music therapy. Anecdotally music educators use YouTube videos to provide students with clinical examples of music therapy sessions. It is unclear what clinical video content about music therapy with older adults is available. Therefore, this descriptive study aimed to examine the content of YouTube videos related to the clinical practice of music therapy with older adults for academic instruction. After conducting an initial search for music therapy clinical videos with older adults on YouTube, the authors completed a descriptive analysis of 23 videos that included clinical footage. Videos were analyzed to describe video-specific and therapy-specific content. In addition, the authors completed an exploratory analysis of diversity-specific content. Finally, the authors investigated the presence of American Music Therapy Association’s (AMTA) Competencies in clinical videos from the past 5 years (2018–2022). Results demonstrate varying amounts of video-specific, therapy-specific, and diversity-specific content leading to clinical and educational implications. The authors identify a need for future investigation of the use of videos in teaching by music therapy faculty, as well as student perceptions of music therapy content provided in clinical video clips.

Human motion and musical expression: Exploring the link between physical movement and emotional resonance in performance

Musical performance has traditionally been understood as an auditory experience, with emotions conveyed primarily through sound. However, emerging research highlights the role of physical movement—gestures, posture, and body language—in enhancing emotional expression and creating a deeper connection between performers and their audiences. While existing studies have explored some aspects of this relationship, there is limited understanding of how specific movements modulate emotional responses across different musical genres. This study addresses these gaps by investigating the interaction between human motion and musical expression, focusing on the emotional resonance experienced by performers and audience members. The need for this study arises from the lack of comprehensive data on the correlation between movement and emotional engagement during musical performances, particularly concerning different genres. Using motion capture, biometric sensors, and facial recognition technology, the research analyzed the performances of professional and amateur musicians across classical, jazz, and contemporary music. Audience members’ emotional responses were captured through physiological data and post-performance surveys. One limitation of this study is that it focused solely on live performance environments, leaving digital or virtual performances unexplored. Key findings reveal that expressive movements increased emotional intensity ratings by 1.6 points (p < 0.001), with heart rate rising by 6.9 BPM (p < 0.0012) and electrodermal activity increasing by 1.6 µS (p < 0.0008). Movement synchronization with musical elements, especially during climaxes, strongly correlated with heightened emotional responses (r = 0.85, p < 0.01). Classical performances exhibited the highest synchronization between movement and emotion, with audience emotional intensity peaking at 8.3 on a Likert scale.

Musical and verbal memory dissociation in a patient with autoimmune encephalitis

Music is emotionally arousing and activates different brain areas. Musicians with encephalitis spare musical memory. However, no prior studies have used delayed verbal and musical memory tasks in a patient with thalamic damage. The aim of the present study is to analyse a possible dissociation between verbal and musical memory in a patient with autoimmune encephalitis, who was an amateur musician. JC is a 67- years-old amateur musician with autoimmune encephalitis. He and 8 participants (musicians and non-musicians) were assessed through musical (novel excerpt recognition) and verbal memory tasks (word learning, recall and recognition), including a delayed memory task, a week later. The results showed JC had spared musical memory and impaired verbal memory, and a significant dissociation between them. The dissociation found could be due to the musical training brain plasticity. These findings support the idea of music stimuli as therapeutic tools for these patients.

Honoring Día de los Muertos as a Mexican American Music Therapist

Honoring Día de los Muertos as a Mexican American Music Therapist

Prevalence and Severity of Temporomandibular Disorders in A Group of Iranian Musicians

ObjectiveAllegedly playing a musical instrument is a contributing factor to developing TMD signs and symptoms, but the literature is incoherent. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of TMD among amateur musicians for the first time in the Iranian population. MethodsThis is a descriptive questionnaire-based cross-sectional study that includes 140 amateur musicians (35 international wind instrumentalists, 35 traditional wind instrumentalists, 35 international string instrumentalists, and 35 traditional string instrumentalists). Forty-eight violinists were studied separately from other study groups. The Fonseca questionnaire was used to evaluate TMD in this sample. A P-value of 0.05 was considered significant. ResultsThe Prevalence of the study sample was 72.8%. The prevalence of TMD and the mean severity score among musicians of international wind instruments, traditional wind instruments, international string instruments, and traditional string instruments were 77.1%, 67.6%, 82.8%, and 62.8%, and 30.00 ± 15.52, 32.42 ± 14.92, 30.71 ± 18.75, and 28.57 ± 19.87, respectively. The study groups did not show any significant differences regarding the TMD severity score. The prevalence of TMD was higher among women (P = 0.000017) and wind instrumentalists (P = 0.009). The prevalence of TMD and the mean severity score among violinists were 62.85% and 26.85 ± 20.68, respectively. ConclusionsRegardless of class or category, the prevalence of TMD is high among musicians compared to the available statistics reported previously on the Iranian population in the literature. Moreover, TMD prevalence is higher among wind instrumentalists than string instrumentalists.

British and American Musical Theatre Exchanges in the West End (1924–1970): The ‘Americanization’ of Drury Lane, Arianne Johnson Quinn (2022)

Review of: British and American Musical Theatre Exchanges in the West End (1924–1970): The ‘Americanization’ of Drury Lane, Arianne Johnson Quinn (2022) London: Palgrave Macmillan, 283 pp., ISBN 978-3-03114-662-6, p/bk, $119.99

Out-group Characters Depicted in American Musical Films: Take the Film The Greatest Showman as an Example

The Greatest Showman, a 2017 film directed by Michael Gracey, focuses on the first circus in history, its founder, and its members under the background of The Great Depression. Therefore, this paper primarily examines the dialogue and lyrics in the film, and how these elements help to portray the out-group characters and describe what they have gone through. The data source of this research is The Greatest Showman (2017), which includes scripts, dialogues, and lyrics from the film soundtrack. Based on the content of the film, the authors carefully read the script credits and the soundtrack, subsequently selecting data relevant to the research topic and consulting secondary sources (research articles and audience reviews). By recording and analyzing relevant data, this paper relates them to the mechanisms of social identity theory. The paper finds that the film uses monologues, dialogues and title tracks to reflect the positions and emotions of out-group individuals, all of whom are discriminated against because of who they are, all of whom have good character traits, and all of whom dare to change the status quo, build shelters for themselves and ultimately take pride in their uniqueness and accept their out-group identity.

The effects of musical practice on the well-being, mental health and social support of student, amateur, and professional musicians in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This pan-Canadian study investigates the effects of musical practice on the well-being, mental health, and social support of Canadian musicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a survey questionnaire, data was collected from 1,618 participants aged 14 and above during the first wave of the pandemic up to the first half of 2022. The survey included standardized questionnaires to self-assess well-being (WHO-5), mental health (MHC-SF), and social support (SPS-10 measures social support). Results show that increased musical practice frequency correlates with improved well-being and mental health, particularly among amateurs. Professional musicians and those at a post-secondary level exhibit lower well-being scores, likely due to pandemic-related challenges. Factors such as age, gender, sports engagement, and participation in social clubs or volunteer work significantly influenced outcomes. While sports engagement was associated with higher scores on well-being, mental health and social support, no significant differences were found among participants engaged in artistic hobbies. As for involvement in social clubs or volunteer work, benefits were reported on two of the three outcomes. Overall, the findings suggest that regular amateur musical practice, especially in group settings, alongside engagement in sports and social activities, may have promoted well-being, mental health, and social support among musicians during the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The African American Collections Relating to Music at Emory University’s Rose Library

ABSTRACT: United States music history has for years privileged whiteness and largely ignored or disregarded the contributions of African Americans. The Stuart R. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, houses over thirty collections (and growing) related to African American musicians that could be used to both uncover and recover the critical role African Americans played in the music culture of the United States. This article presents a brief overview of these holdings to date, including the papers of composers (such as William Dawson, George Walker, and Undine Smith Moore), entertainers (such as Victoria Spivey, Bricktop, and Geoffrey Holder), and researchers (such as Rae Linda Brown, Geneva Southall, and Delilah Jackson). Types of materials held include manuscript letters and scores, photographs, and published music (both print and recorded) by and about African Americans.

Selective Annotation of Few Data for Beat Tracking of Latin American Music Using Rhythmic Features

Selective Annotation of Few Data for Beat Tracking of Latin American Music Using Rhythmic Features

The Weston Park Music Collection: Five Generations of Family Music-Making in Eighteenth-Century Staffordshire

Abstract The activities of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century music collectors help to chart the development of the period’s canon and understand the connections between consumers as amateur musicians and collectors and the composers and their music. In 2014, a collection of music came to light at the ancestral seat of the Earls of Bradford, Weston Park in Shropshire, which reveals a scenario of amateur music-making intrinsically linked to the wider professional scene. This collection has been largely ignored due to its unbound state in a private residence. It is of importance for its association with the five generations of the Bridgeman family, and for numerous manuscripts of previously unknown cello works; but crucially, the presence of four manuscript catalogues, a teacher’s bill for music, and an auction sale catalogue dating from the time, helps to fill in the gaps of what was being performed in the house, by whom, where, and when. This article describes seven sources connected with family music-making and presents a catalogue of the current music collection at Weston Park as supplementary material in the form of a data set in an Excel spreadsheet. Readers can consult the collection as it stands today and how it developed over 150 years.

The Global Jukebox and the Celestial Monochord: Alan Lomax and Harry Smith Compute Folk Music in Cold War America

AbstractTypically understood only within the cultural history of the post–World War II folk music revival, documentarian Alan Lomax's “Cantometrics” research and artist Harry Smith's Folkways Anthology of American Music also deserve to be positioned within the broader Cold War–era rise of the digital computer and tactics of computation in American society. Linking what Ross Cole describes as the “folkloric imagination” to what we might call the Cold War “computational imagination,” Lomax and Smith each examined folk music not through conventional ethnographic or musicological modes, but rather through computational lenses of data analysis, systems theory, informatics, and cybernetics. Both sought to expand cultural democracy by doing so, carrying Popular Front ideals into the postwar milieu while also presaging dilemmas found in today's fraught context of data analytics, artificial intelligence, and the application of digital technologies to almost all aspects of human culture.

Family first: Yahritza y Su Esencia, family bands and the musical education of Mexican Americans

Beginning with a description of música Mexicana’s rising stars, Yahritza y Su Esencia, a ‘family band’ of young Mexican American musicians, we suggest that school music educators become more informed of the musical interests, involvements and learning styles of Mexican American students at home, within their families and in the communities that surround them. Yahritza’s trademark sierreño style is described and contextualized in light of other notable genres such as mariachi, música nortena, son jarocho, banda, grupera and trap corridos. The phenomenon of family bands within Mexican American communities is explored as a means of children’s musical enculturation away from school, juxtaposed with a history of exclusion of Mexican American students from school music opportunities. The article addresses limitations of the American model of school music programmes, including (1) the need for opportunities for Mexican American (and other) populations to access meaningful musical education experiences, and (2) the gap between the music genres offered within the curriculum and those that Mexican American (and other) students experience at home and within their communities. Even as we acknowledge and applaud the presence of family bands and other strong music community music practices among Mexican Americans, we call for a national initiative among music educators to ensure that the music which students learn in school is at least germane to students’ home experiences.

MUSIC THERAPY AND BACKGROUND MUSIC IN THE PHYSIOTHERAPY OF A PATIENT WITH NORMAL PRESSURE HYDROCEPHALUS

Cognitive deterioration and gait balance disturbances are the core symptoms of idiopathic normal pressure patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus – NHP (J. Larson et al, 2021). The manifestations caused by NPH directly foul the patient’s autonomy. Rehabilitation in NPH and supervised physical exercise are important factors to improve patient’s functions (J. Rydja et al, 2021). Music therapy and background music have cognitive, psychosocial, behavioural, and motor benefits for people with neurological disorders. Various forms and genres of music can be engaging, emotional, physical, personal, social, persuasive, and music also promotes synchronization of movement (O. Brancatisano et al., 2020). The process of music therapy intervention was structured and designed according to American Music Therapy Association (2005) in a 3-step process of preparation, implementation, and evaluation. Background music and instrumental and movement music activities were aimed at relaxation and cognitive stimulation in a patient with NPH during physiotherapy. In instrumental activities three music instruments were used, two Orff instruments a tambourine, a rattle, and a plastic string resembling an accordion (made from recycled material) – to improve the range of movements, strength, endurance, and coordination of the upper limb bilaterally and to improve walking motor skills. Furthermore, we selected background music according to the patient’s taste and choice. The music genres in our sessions were electronic music, pop, and relaxing jazz: The music styles were Synth-pop, Ambient, Disco, Eurodance, Dance-pop and Relaxing jazz. A total of 5 music therapy sessions were held within two months. Each session lasted for 60 min. We observed the following changes in the patient: The mechanism of regulation of fine motor movements was affected in his upper arm bilaterally, and communication skills were also improved. The gross motor skills in upper arm improved bilaterally. The walking speed was more pronounced, and his submaximal performance distance was extended. During background music the patient myofascially relaxed – the spasticity began to subside, and music induced psychological and physical well-being on his emotional level.

In/Visible Voices: Investigating Asian American Music Teachers’ Experiences Through the Lens of AsianCrit

Abstract This study explored the experiences of six Asian American public school music teachers in the United States, utilizing Asian critical theory (AsianCrit) as a method of inquiry. The study brought to light the often invisible challenges these teachers confront, both in their personal upbringing and within the educational system. The analysis revealed four main themes: (a) not being perceived as “fully American,” (b) experiences of invisibility, (c) dealing with microaggressions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (d) a commitment to social justice. The findings underscore the need for greater representation of Asian American music teachers and recognition of the barriers they frequently face.

Exploring the accuracy of musical tempo memory: The effects of reproduction method, reference tempo, and musical expertise

Although people commonly remember and recreate the tempo of musical pieces with high accuracy, comparatively less is known regarding sources of potential variation in musical tempo memory. This study therefore aimed to investigate musical tempo memory accuracy and the effects of reference tempo, reproduction method, musical expertise, and their interaction. A sample of 403 individuals with varying levels of musical training participated in the experimental online study, including nonmusicians, amateur musicians, and professional musicians. Participants were tasked with reproducing the tempos of 19 popular pop/rock songs using two methods: tempo tapping and adjusting the tempo of the audio file based on the previously tapped tempo. Results from multilevel models revealed overall high accuracy in tempo memory, with tempo adjusting yielding greater accuracy compared with tempo tapping. Higher musical expertise was associated with increased accuracy in tempo production. In addition, we observed a quadratic effect of reference tempo, with the greatest accuracy in tempo reproduction around 120 bpm. Gender, age, familiarity with the pieces, and accompaniment strategies were also associated with greater accuracy. These findings provide insights into the factors influencing musical tempo memory and have implications for understanding the cognitive processes involved in tempo perception and reproduction.

Outcomes and Experiences of Students in Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE)

Research is a pivotal element of music therapy education. Finding, interpreting, and integrating research into clinical practice are required in the professional competencies (American Music Therapy Association, 2013, 2021). Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) have been identified by the National Science Foundation to increase access to underrepresented student populations in STEM programs. Fewer studies have been seen in humanities. To develop competency in a cohort of music therapy students, a CURE was developed with student research collaborating on all parts of the study. Elements of the CURE were guided by Dvorak and Hernandez-Ruiz (2019); one of the first publications in music therapy using this approach with students. However, in the present CURE each student developed their own research question within a larger project, modeled after a lab-based approach. Students who wished to present their research as a poster for the regional or national conference were prepared to do so. Significant improvements in were found (p<.0001) three categories on the Research Skill Development Questionnaire (RSDQ: Dvorak et al., 2021) including knowledge of research-related content, research skills, and research dispositions. Student reflections share a growth in comfort with and accessibility of conducting research as something “not just for scientists and doctors” but that was “a lot less stressful, and really fun!” Others reported a motivation to identify questions and conduct research in the future. The outcome was a fully immersive educational experience and functional a resource for members within the School of Music to educate on hearing loss prevention.

Development and implementation of self-care strategies in undergraduate music therapy students: A qualitative thematic analysis

ABSTRACT Introduction Music therapy students may encounter a variety of stressors throughout their undergraduate careers and require self-care strategies to maintain their health and wellbeing. To date, there is a dearth of literature regarding self-care strategies for undergraduate music therapy students. Understanding the development and implementation of self-care strategies in undergraduate music therapy students may enable students, their peers, professors, and institutions to better support students throughout their academic careers. Therefore, the purpose of this interpretivist study was to understand how undergraduate music therapy students in the United States of America develop and implement self-care strategies. Method We conducted semi-structured interviews with nine undergraduate music therapy students at public universities geographically located in four regions of the American Music Therapy Association. Results We used an inductive approach to thematic analysis to analyze data and identified six themes: (a) Recognizing the need to shift to intentional self-care; (b) Developing an awareness of how and when to use self-care strategies; (c) Identifying specific strategies to support the self-care journey; (d) Circumstances impacting self-care; (e) Adjusting music as a self-care strategy; and (f) Advice for music therapy students and professors. We developed a model to depict the sequence of and relationships among themes. Discussion This study provides an understanding of the processes and products of undergraduate music therapy students’ self-care strategies. We recommend integrating self-care into the music therapy curriculum as early as possible and empowering students with agency and autonomy to determine the best proactive and reactive strategies to maintain their health and wellbeing.

Musculoskeletal Pain Intensity and Interference Questionnaire for Musicians-Italian Version (MPIIQM-IT): Multicenter Validation, Translation and Cultural Adaptation.

The study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and test the psychometric properties of the Musculoskeletal Pain Intensity and Interference Questionnaire for Musicians (MPIIQM) in an Italian population of professional and amateur musicians. The translation and cultural adaptation process followed international guidelines, while the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were assessed against the COSMIN checklist. The internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha (a) coefficient. Construct validity was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with principal axis factoring (PAF) extraction. The sample adequacy and data suitability were assessed through the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett's sphericity tests, respectively. Concurrent validity was analyzed by assessing Pearson's correlation coefficient with the Italian version of the Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ-I). Finally, the cross-cultural validity was investigated by analyzing score differences between amateur and professional musicians, and differences based on musical practice habits. The tool was administered to 311 subjects recruited from across Italy. The MPIIQM-IT was found to have high levels of internal consistency for the entire tool and each of the two subscales (Cronbach's a = 0.875, 0.877, and 0.845, respectively). The recruited sample was found to be adequate (KMO = 0.810) and the data suitable (C2 = 341.040, p < 0.001) for factor analysis, which produced 9 items contained in two main factors. Pearson's correlation coefficients showed a positive, statistically significant correlation between the MSK-HQ-I and the two subscales of the MPIIQM-IT with p < 0.01. Analysis of Student's t-test for independent samples and the ANOVA test for continuous variables showed statistically significant differences between male and female, professional and non-professional musicians, and conservatory and non-conservatory students. The MPIIQM-IT is a valid and reliable tool, useful for investigating the presence of pain and playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) in both professional and non-professional musicians.