Maybe it is because of the history I have with the pains of finding relatable research that make me dislike it. I actually love the idea of doing a research project, but that initial step has made it easy for me to put research far, far back on the WAY backest burner.
I have to be honest, the closest I have gotten to researching something lately is looking for new ideas on Pinterest, heading to conferences or asking for advice on different social media forums. Little did I know Pinterest is actually an awesome place to find research. Just searching "music therapy research" gave me a huge list of music therapy books that I had not been aware even existed. More links to pediatric, hospital, geriatric and general music therapy were easily found.
Working within a geriatric setting, my main interest in research has been finding appropriate songs and interventions to engage my residents. But since beginning my new job in early May, I've also been intrigued by research on "Music & Memory." I know many music therapists have had questions or concerns about the program. Being a music therapist, I feel any opportunity to expose residents to music especially preferred music from their early adulthood, is a positive. Being in a position that allows me to observe 10 residents that participate in an established program, I've seen first hand the power of the residents preferred music. In Wisconsin, we have had approximately 200 nursing homes participate in the "Music & Memory" program. Even though "Music & Memory" is not overseen by music therapists exclusively, there are tips that are helpful for any caregiver caring for a family member. Of course, within the "Music & Memory" program, facilities have been limited on who is eligible to participate and how many residents can participate. Our facility has a good amount of money set aside to add additional iPods and residents to the program. After reading about success stories, I would love to do more research within this population.
Using familiar music, to "evoke emotions and influence mood and arousal is often relatively well preserved also in dementia." (Music and Medicine July 2012 vol. 4 no. 3 153-162) So even though "Music & Memory" is definitely a hot topic, I'm hoping to do my own research since my floor is the pilot floor in my facility. I know iPods are not a replacement for music therapists, but I definitely also know that I cannot be in 10 rooms conducting 10 individual music therapy sessions daily. Until that day when I can, I'll be looking for more research and working towards the day I can provide live music therapy sessions are more beneficial providing the added personal touch that recorded music fails to provide.
Music, Emotion, and Dementia.Insight From Neuroscientific and Clinical Research. Teppo Särkämö, PhD, Sari Laitinen, Mari Tervaniemi, PhD, MA, Ava Numminen, PhD, MA, Merja Kurki, PhD, MA, Pekka Rantanen, PhD, MD, Music and Medicine July 2012 vol. 4 no. 3 153-162
The Role of Singing Familiar Songs in Encouraging Conversation Among People with Middle to Late Stage Alzheimer’s Disease
Ayelet Dassa, PhD and
Dorit Amir, DA, ACMT
J Music Ther (2014) 51 (2): 131-153.
The #MusicTherapyBlogger Challenge - Week 4
This week’s challenge is to pick a current research article or chapter of a book that is closely related to your target audience and summarize it.
Summarize and cite the reading, then add your reflections upon it. You may want to discuss what surprised you, how the results can help your audience, why you picked the article/chapter, or what your “take-away” moment was from the reading.
And there is an added bonus to this challenge: it keeps you refreshed on the growing literature in our field!
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