Musical Activities Research Articles

Rehabilitation of Individuals with Special Educational Needs through Music: An Accreditation Model Proposal.

This study aims to eliminate the current deficiency in the use of music in the field of special education, to increase musical activities in special education, and to present an accreditation model proposal to increase the skills of institutions, educators, and students. The research was designed with a grounded theory study pattern, one of the qualitative research methods. Data for the research were collected examining the necessary documents, and through semi-structured interviews with experts in both the field of special education and music. As a result of the interviews, it was concluded that music was used as both a goal and a tool in the education of individuals receiving special education and that different skills were developed through rhythm, melody, and lyrics. It has been revealed that individuals' body coordination skills are improved through the rhythm in music, self-care skills are improved through melodies and lyrics, and behavioral disorders are corrected through rhythm, melodies, and lyrics. All these results led to the emergence of an accreditation model proposal to develop and rehabilitate individuals receiving special education through music.

Music and the aging brain - Exploring the role of long-term Carnatic music training on cognition and gray matter volumes.

Aging is a natural process and is often associated with an increased incidence of cognitive impairment. Physical exercise, diet, and leisure activities (music, dance, and art) are some of the lifestyle factors that contribute to healthy aging. The present study aims to explore the differences in cognitive functioning between aging individuals involved in musical activity throughout their lifetime and the ones who were not. Fifty-one healthy elderly individuals (50-80 years of age) residing in an urban locality were selected for the study from the Tata Longitudinal Study of Aging cohort. Participants were divided into two groups: Active musicians trained in Carnatic music for more than five years (n = 18) and age-matched non-musicians (n = 33). Addenbrooke cognitive examination-III, Hindi mental status examination, and trail-making test-B (TMT-B) were used to assess cognitive functioning. A Generalized Linear Regression Model was performed including covariates such as gender, age, and years of education. We also looked at the available brain magnetic resonance imaging data of a subset of our study population to inspect the volumetric differences between musicians and non-musicians. Our results showed that musicians had significantly better visuospatial abilities as compared to non-musicians (P = 0.043). Musicians (130.89 ± 45.16 s) also took less time to complete the TMT-B task than non-musicians (148.73 ± 39.65 s), although it was not a statistically significant difference (P =0.150). In addition, brain imaging data suggested that musicians had increased gray matter volumes in the right precuneus, right post-central gyrus, right medial and superior frontal gyrus, right orbital gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, left cuneus, left fusiform gyrus, and bilateral cingulate gyrus. Our findings are indicative of music being an important attribute in improving cognitive reserve and predicting cognitive resilience. These findings pave the way to explore the utility of non-pharmacological interventions, such as Music Therapy (especially Carnatic music in the Indian context), as a potential factor for improving cognitive reserve in elderly individuals.

Exploring Involvement in Musical Activity as a Predictor of Cognitive Resilience in Healthy Older Adults (P6-9.008)

Exploring Involvement in Musical Activity as a Predictor of Cognitive Resilience in Healthy Older Adults (P6-9.008)

CAN YOU FIND THE MARKETING IN THE MUSIC? AN INTERACTIVE CONCEPT-MATCHING ACTIVITY

ABSTRACT Student engagement is a growing challenge within higher education, especially as technology continues to evolve and competition for attention rises. As a business discipline, many marketing students struggle to connect with the theory presented in the classroom and seek interactive, experiential learning opportunities. The authors created the Find the Marketing in the Music playlist matching activity to address this challenge and provide students with an engaging application of marketing concepts. Music is a means of personal expression and broadens listeners’ perspectives. Music can help ignite or explain feelings, highlight complexities of social situations, and serve as a vehicle driving understanding and compassion. This featured activity reveals that by pairing songs that illustrate marketing concepts with information discussed in class, students could connect to the material in a new way. This exercise allows students to leverage the creative and grounded aspects of critical thinking by connecting something artistic with concrete marketing concepts. Students note that this activity helps them better relate to the material and that the relevancy of things discussed in the classroom takes on a new level when integrated into their everyday lives.

Music Composition Based on Creative Problem Solving: Effects on Students’ Perceptions of Creativity and Learning Music

Abstract Music composition has been shown to provide numerous benefits to students. However, composition has generally been considered a less important area in daily music classes than other musical activities. More research is needed to investigate specific teaching strategies for composition. This study aimed to compare the impact of music composition based on the creative problem solving (CPS) approach to traditional music composition on perceptions of students’ creativity competency, interest in and value of music as a subject, and perceived self-efficacy in learning music. A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used, where the experimental group took music composition classes for 7 weeks based on the CPS framework. The study's results showed no difference regarding interest in music as a subject between students taking CPS-based composition classes and students taking traditional composition classes. However, students in the CPS-based music composition classes showed higher perceived value of music as a subject and self-efficacy in learning music than those in traditional composition classes. Finally, students in the CPS-based music composition classes showed heightened perceived higher-order thinking and problem-solving compared to those in traditional music composition classes, but no difference was found between the two groups in terms of perceived divergent thinking.

MUSIC AND THE FLOW STATE

The flow state is the mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. Flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one's sense of time. Flow is the melting together of action and consciousness; the state of finding a balance between a skill and how challenging that task is. It requires a high level of concentration and a task that matches one's skill set. Music and flow go hand in hand, as a growing body of research demonstrate that many musical activities such as music performance, music composition and music education tend to elicit high levels of flow. The present study aims to review the latest findings associated to the link between music and flow and to show the importance of this optimal state in creating excellence in music.

Innovative Approaches Using the Arts to Support Persons with Dementia and Caregivers

There is a growing movement to explore the use of the arts to enhance the quality of life for persons with dementia (PWD) and their caregivers. Viewing art can promote well-being as well as express complex emotions during times of change and challenge. Listening to music and singing has been shown to enhance morale and reduce risk for depression and loneliness in older adults. Responsiveness to music is maintained in PWD even through later stages of the cognitive impairment. Arts-based programs appear pleasant and engaging, enhancing well-being. Looking deeper, they are based on educational theory and practice and on understanding of the neurocognitive changes with dementia. Additional benefits include increasing social interactions, promoting creativity and providing caregiver support.In this session, two geriatric psychiatrists and a decorated professional artist will discuss and demonstrate the interface between the arts and dementia in three domains: 1) art museum-based activities, 2) art creation by caregivers to process and cope with the stress of caregiving and disease progression, and 3) participation in music activities. Dr. Mary Blazek will begin the session, leading symposium participants in art-based activities. She will then discuss the growing literature on visual art museum programs for PWD and their caregivers. Dr. Mark Gilbert will discuss the use of portraiture as a research method to investigate the relationships and interactions between older patients and their partners in care. Dr. Susan Lehmann will review recent work highlighting the cognitive, social, and emotional benefits of participation in music activities for older adults and PWD.“In the Moment” Art Museum Programs for Persons with Dementia and their caregiversIn 2006, New York's Museum of Modern Art developed Meet Me at MoMA, a program for shared art experiences for (PWD) and their caregivers. Museums across the globe have developed similar programs emphasizing engaging with art “in the moment” as opposed to fostering reminiscence. Dr. Blazek will begin this session leading participants in sample activities from these programs. She will discuss the genesis of these programs and their impact on the PWD, on caregivers and on their relationships."Portrait of a Process: Exploring the experience of older adults and their partners in care through portraiture"Artist, researcher and teacher, Dr. Gilbert, will discuss artworks he created during a two-year research study in collaboration with geriatrician, Dr. Kenneth Rockwood at Geriatric Medical Research, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Memory Serves: Drawing Others Close used portraiture as a research method to investigate the relationships and interactions between older patients and their partners in care. Dr. Gilbert will also introduce a collection of drawings carried out by his late father, Scottish artist Norman Gilbert (1926-2019). The drawings were created as he sat with his wife of 65 years, Pat, as she lay dying in hospital of Alzheimer's related illness.“With a Song in My Heart”: How music can support emotional and cognitive well-being in persons with dementia and their care-partnersMusic plays a central role in human culture throughout the world and has the power to move us at every age. Aging musicians, from Bruce Springsteen to Billy Joel to Elton John, have enjoyed long performing careers, and performers such as Tony Bennett and Glen Campbell continued to perform in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Responsiveness to music is retained by PWD even into the later stages of cognitive impairment. There is growing evidence that listening to music, singing, or playing a musical instrument can have positive benefits for cognition as well as for emotional well-being for older adults and PWD. Dr. Lehmann will review recent studies that illuminate the relationship between brain health and music for older adults and will address interventions using music to support well-being in older adults with dementia.

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.

서양의 음악교육 문헌에서 나타나는 즉흥음악에 대한 주요한 이슈 탐색 및 논의

Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore and discover critical issues of Western music education regarding improvisation, and to analyze and discuss them.
 Methods As a systematic literature study, strategies such as database searches, backward snowballing, and forward snowballing were used to collect data. English words, improvisation, music, education were used as key words for data searches to identify relevant English literature. In order to discover potential critical issues gathered literature were thoroughly reviewed and re-analyzed by realms.
 Results Recurring important issues of improvisation in Western music education were divided into four realms. Those were issues relating to defining the term, diverse spectrum of improvisation, the critique of current pedagogies, and music teachers’ avoidance of improvisational activities. Also, the second issue was subdivided into three. Those were improvisation as musical traditions, improvisation as musical activities, and improvisation as pedagogical approaches.
 Conclusions This study suggested defining improvisation in an educational context, having a sensitivity to a degree of freedom given for students’ musical choices, and taking action to incorporate improvising activities in music teacher education.

Young People’s Preferences Regarding Classical Music and Gender: The Educational Context of a Study Carried out in Poland

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to diagnose young people’s preferences for classical music and to determine whether gender is related to them.
 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: In the study a problem was formulated in relation to women’s and men’s musical preferences for classical music. A diagnostic survey method and a questionnaire technique were used in the research.
 THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: Although classical music is the subject of intensive educational efforts it is still on the margins of young people’s musical preferences. Among the determinants of these preferences is gender. However, this is a variable that is rarely included in research.
 RESEARCH RESULTS: No relationship was found between gender and areas of preference to- wards classical music – attitudes towards listening to it, favourite composers and forms of musical activity. However, women more often listened to classical music. Besides, more women than men expressed the opinion that the development of interest in this music lays on school, family, the media and cultural institutions.
 CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND APPLICABLE VALUE OF RESEARCH: Gender did not show a clear association with preferences for classical music. The results of the study may inspire further exploration in this area and provide a rationale for multidirectional activities to develop interests in this music.

В. М. Металлов — священник, ученый, педагог

This article presents the experience of working in the genre of scientific biography of an outstanding representative of Russian culture at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries, priest Vasily Mikhailovich Metallov, who combined church service with scientific and pedagogical musical activity (to a lesser extent, composing).V.M. Metallov has come a long way from a provincial rural priest to the rector of the Kazan Church on Red Square in Moscow. Developing the talent of a research scientist, he achieved great results in the field of studying ancient Russian church music history, set forth in a number of fundamental works. In his extensive pedagogical activity, he sought to transfer his scientific knowledge to students of spiritual and secular educational institutions in Saratov and Moscow: the Saratov Theological Seminary, the Synodal School of Church Singing, the Moscow Conservatory of the Russian Musical Society, the Archaeological Institute.The central place in the secular ministry of V.M. Metallov was occupied by the Moscow Conservatory. In it, he continued the tradition of teaching the spiritual and musical training course «The History of Church Singing», the founder of which was Archpriest Dimitri Vasilyevich Razumovsky, and the successor Stepan Vasilyevich Smolensky. By his works and trying to preserve the presence of the spiritual and musical subject in the conditions of the reformation after 1917 of pre-revolutionary musical education at the Moscow Conservatory, V.M. In this way, he preserved the foundation, which in the future allowed the interest of musical researchers to revive in the national «monument» — the ancient Russian church music art.The article observes the chronological outline of the biography of V.M. Metallov, supplemented by a number of little-known details and documentary evidence discovered during the study of archival materials and documents.

Application of music therapy during the COVID-19

The sudden attack of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the rapid spread of the virus, has caused a severe impact on the psychology of medical staff, patients and ordinary people. In order to reduce the negative impact of the epidemic on the people's psychology, China has begun to provide professional music mental health services for different groups of people to reduce the psychological harm caused by the epidemic. Chinese music therapists actively participated in epidemic prevention operations and launched a number of "fighting the epidemic-psychological assistance for music therapy" programs. According to people's emotional and psychological adjustment needs during the epidemic, the project carried out music psychological public welfare activities for various key groups. Activities include music listening, music relaxation, music imagination, music painting, song discussion, song lyrics, body rhythm, etc., from listening and experiencing music to participating music interaction and other rich group music psychological activities. Through music experience and interaction, the activity relieves negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, increases positive and pleasant emotions, promotes communication and interaction among participants, reduces loneliness caused by isolation, and promotes family harmony.

Application of music therapy during the COVID-19

The sudden attack of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the rapid spread of the virus, has caused a severe impact on the psychology of medical staff, patients and ordinary people. In order to reduce the negative impact of the epidemic on the people's psychology, China has begun to provide professional music mental health services for different groups of people to reduce the psychological harm caused by the epidemic. Chinese music therapists actively participated in epidemic prevention operations and launched a number of "fighting the epidemic-psychological assistance for music therapy" programs. According to people's emotional and psychological adjustment needs during the epidemic, the project carried out music psychological public welfare activities for various key groups. Activities include music listening, music relaxation, music imagination, music painting, song discussion, song lyrics, body rhythm, etc., from listening and experiencing music to participating music interaction and other rich group music psychological activities. Through music experience and interaction, the activity relieves negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, increases positive and pleasant emotions, promotes communication and interaction among participants, reduces loneliness caused by isolation, and promotes family harmony.

Acoustic Evaluation of Trabzon Beşirli Central Tennis Court Multi-Purpose Hall

Today, although acoustic designs for different purposes are not realized in sports halls designed for sports activities, these halls are widely used for various events such as conferences and concerts. In this study; The main activity area in the Beşirli Central Tennis Court building, which was built for sports activities within the scope of the European Youth Games in Trabzon Province, was evaluated in terms of acoustics for different functional uses by computer simulation method. First of all, 3D models were prepared for the current conditions of the main sports event areas according to different audience occupancy rates. Then the models were transferred to the simulation program to evaluate the objective parameters of the sound. After obtaining the objective parameter values of the sound, 3D models of the hall were prepared again with the sound-absorbing mechanisms placed between the existing steel structural system on the ceiling plane of the hall, designed for the realization of sports, music and speech activities in the sports activity areas. The prepared 3D models were transferred to the ODEON V10 program and the simulation process was repeated. As a result of all simulations, the values of the objective parameters of the sound obtained for indoor sports activity areas were compared and evaluated with each other and the accepted optimum value ranges.

Arts education in Hong Kong kindergartens: provision of activities and impact of teachers’ demographics

Arts and Creativity is one learning area of Hong Kong’s official kindergarten curriculum framework. Kindergarten teachers are expected to foster children’s creativity via four art forms: music, visual arts, dance, and drama. However, prior studies have investigated the provision of activities for each of the art forms in isolation and have not explored the demographic variables that predict teachers’ provision of arts education activities. Investigating the provision of the four art forms and its relationship with teachers’ demographics could provide an overview of the status of arts education in Hong Kong kindergartens. We had two research goals: (1) investigate the frequency with which kindergarten teachers conduct arts education activities focusing on music, visual arts, dance, and drama; (2) identify subgroups of teachers who differ regarding the provision of arts education activities and analyze how key demographic variables predict their memberships to these subgroups. We surveyed 477 teachers. Descriptive statistics, latent profile analysis, and multinomial logistic regression analysis were performed. We found that the presence of the four art forms was unbalanced. Participants reported conducting music and visual arts activities frequently, while dance and drama activities were occasionally or rarely conducted. Moreover, we identified three subgroups of teachers who provided arts education activities with different frequencies. Participants with a master’s degree and those who worked in government-funded kindergartens were more likely to be in the highest arts provision group. Findings suggest that the curriculum is not being implemented accurately, as teachers do not equally expose children to the four art forms. We interpret these findings as a reflection of teachers’ uneven preparation in the various art forms. Implications for educational policy regarding professional development are discussed.

The place and role of the civil sector in the inclusive education and development of children with Williams syndrome (also) through music

Williams syndrome (WS) is an extremely rare genetic disorder. Approximately 1 in every 20 000 people has WS. Because of this, most people have never even met a child with WS. WS occupies a unique place among genetic disorders because of the fact that, in addition to a unique mix of difficulties, symptoms and abnormalities, some of their abilities and performance in certain intellectual areas are adequate or average, and in many cases above average. Relatively high level of ability includes good communication skills, outstanding verbal skills, sociability and good musical abilities with highly sensitive hearing, good musical pitch and musicality, and a very positive attitude towards music. As is typically the case for rare disorders, the most important pillar of their advocacy is the civil sphere, where NGOs and foundations support WS children and families. The great affinity and positive relationship with music justifies that a prominent part of development and inclusion are specifically music-related activities, music therapy activities. The main objective of our research is to map NGOs in Europe and beyond whose activities focus on WS patients and their families. The basis for mapping the organizations is to summarize their aims, activities and achievements and to highlight their music-related activities in line with the mission of inclusion. Our main objective is to show that the development and rehabilitation of WS patients through music and musical activities is a significant and integral part of their care within the organized framework and possibilities of the civil sector.

Very low association between multidimensional musical environment exposure and musical perception skills among children: Evidence from a large multilevel cross-sectional study

This study aimed to explore whether music perception is correlated with the load of exposure to musical activities in daily life, such as attending musical events, playing an instrument, attending music classes (at school or for a social project), and the time children spend listening to music using a non-experimental design. We are reusing data from the studies by Barros et al. and Cogo-Moreira & Lamont, from a random school-based sample (multilevel design) including 1,006 children from first to fifth grade in 14 schools in São Paulo, Brazil. Data were collected using the “M-factor”, a new paradigm to assess music perception, and a questionnaire to track children’s self-reported musical activities related to their individual daily lives in different environments (home and school). At the within-participants level, self-reported exposure to music activity accounted for only 5.3% of the variance in music perception after adjusting for age and sex. Hence, the magnitude of the association between music exposure and music perception skills was small when both music exposure and music perception skills were evaluated under continuous scores and using a heterogeneous population.

The Status of Music in Islamic Law: Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī’s (d. 974/1567) Treatise Against Recreation in its Polemical Context

Abstract Kaff al-raʿāʿ ʿan muḥarramāt al-lahw wa-l-samāʿ is an influential treatise on the legal status of music and other recreational activities written by the Shāfiʿī Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (d. 974/1567) in 958/1551. This article offers the first analysis of this “treatise against recreation”. Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī argues for the impermissibility of most musical activities on the basis of the Qurʾan and Hadith, the consensus of the ʿulamāʾ (particularly from his Shāfiʿī school), and the incompatibility of recreation (lahw) and piety. These arguments are forged in response to claims found in more permissive texts by the Ẓāhirīs Ibn Ḥazm (d. 456/1064) and Ibn al-Qaysarānī (d. 507/1113) and the Mālikī Muḥammad al-Shādhilī al-Tūnisī (d. 882/1477). I suggest that it is Ibn Ḥajar’s negative attitude to lahw that underlies his restrictive views on music, highlight the gendered element in this attitude, and observe that attitudes to recreation are not interchangeable with affiliation to Sufism.

Influence of rhythmic-movement activity intervention on hot executive function of 5- to 6-year-old children.

Hot Executive Function (hot EF) refers to cognitive process involved in high emotion or motivation, and the operation of this function is related to the activities of the ventromedial prefrontal lobe and orbitofrontal lobe. Meanwhile, rhythmic-movement activity is a musical activity in which one expresses and feels music with one's own body movements which involves cognitive abilities such as adjusting and understanding emotions among children. To explore how rhythmic-movement activity with rewards influences the development of hot EF in children of 5-6 years old, the organization principles of rhythmic-movement activity with rewards intervention on hot EF were designed, and 62 children of 5-6 years old in a kindergarten in Yantai of China were selected as research participants (M = 5.80 years old, SD = 0.37 years old) for pre-test and post-test experimental design. The experimental group received rhythmic-movement activity with rewards three times a week for 6 weeks, while the control group did not. The gift delay task and the children's gambling task were used to measure two sub-components of hot EF before and after the intervention, and the results show that rhythmic-movement activity with rewards has a significant effect on gratification delay and affective decision-making ability of children. Finally, the effects and enlightenment of rhythmic-movement activity with rewards on hot EF are discussed.

Virtual Musical Instruments in Music Classrooms: Performing with East Asian Music Cultures

In this article, we, culture bearers and music educators, discuss ways of using East Asian virtual musical instruments to promote culturally diverse music activities in classrooms. We introduce affordable tablet-based virtual instruments (Korean hyang-piri, Chinese erhu, and Japanese koto) and hands-on music activities to help students gain deeper understandings of East Asian music cultures. We provide an introduction of each instrument in its acoustic and tablet-based form, appropriate instrumental techniques to express unique musical and cultural characteristics (e.g., mode, vibrato, and ornamentations), and a teaching sequence of a sample piece. Such a performance-based and culturally diverse musical experience is intended to cultivate students’ intercultural sensitivity and attitudes that honor diverse cultures.