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We examined the effects of background music on cognitive task performances using different musical arrangements from an excerpt of Mozart’s Piano Sonata K.448. The participants were 126 university students: 70 music majors and 56 nonmusic majors. Three types of musical arrangements were used as background conditions: rhythm-only, melody, and original music conditions. Participants were asked to perform cognitive tasks in the presence of each music condition. The participants’ percentage of completed items and accuracy on these tasks were compared for music and nonmusic majors, controlling for the effect of perceived level of arousal and their performance during no background music. Whether a participant’s perceptions of background music predicted their cognitive performance was also analyzed. We found that music majors demonstrated decreased task performance for the original background condition, while nonmusic majors demonstrated no significant differences in performance across the arrangements. When pitch or rhythm information was modified, emotional valence and arousal were perceived differently. Perception of the complexity of the background music depending on the arrangement type differed between music majors and nonmusic majors. While the perceived complexity significantly predicted nonmusic majors’ cognitive performance, its predictive effect was not found in music majors. The findings imply that perceptions of musical arrangements in terms of expectancy and complexity can be critical factors in determining how arrangements affect concurrent cognitive activity, while suggesting that music itself is not a facilitating or detrimental factor for cognitive performance.

This study aimed to investigate the differences in verbal descriptions of emotions induced by music between adults who are visually impaired (VI) and adults who have normal vision (NV). Thirty part...

This study aimed to investigate what are the factors that influence the perception of one's own voice, and if there are any differences using voice between speaking and singing. Further the study purported to examine how these attitudes affect individuals' vocal behavior in personal and social contexts. A total of 100 participants completed the survey which comprised 23 questions about demographics, music experience, speaking voice, and singing voice. The quantitative data were analyzed by correlations and paired t test. For qualitative analyses, content analysis was conducted. The results revealed an even distribution among negative, neutral, and positive attitudes regarding singing and speaking voices and their effects on vocal behavior. For their negative/positive perceptions of their voices, participants referenced factors related to vocal attributes, personal features, social or external validation, emotional quality of the voice, etc. Lastly, result showed that one's perception of the speaking voice has some influence on behaviors ranging from the personal (expressing oneself) to social (interacting with people) aspects. The findings of this study implies that one's attitude toward one's own voice substantially impacts one's personal, interpersonal and social-presentation.

There is growing interest in identifying the environmental factors that contribute to individuals’ perceptions of safety and sense of well-being in public spaces. As such, this study examined how music listening during nighttime walking influenced female university students’ psychological state and perceptions of their campus. A total of 178 female university students with a mean age of 23.0 years participated in this study. One group of 78 students listened to prerecorded music while walking across their campus at night, while the other 100 students did not listen to music during nighttime walking. Immediately following their nighttime walking, participants were asked to rate their psychological state, perceptions on the safety of their campus, and the music (only for the music-listening group). For the non-music-listening group, significant correlations were found between the perceived safety of the campus and psychological states (both anxiety and psychological distress); the correlations were not significant in the music-listening group. The results indicate that music can mediate psychological states, supporting the proactive use of music as a psychological resource for coping with their perceptions of adverse environments. Given the limitations of this preliminary study, further studies with controlled music listening conditions, type of music, and environmental issues are suggested.

Background: Patients with a terminal illness receiving hospice care suffer from high psychological and emotional distress and physical pain, which impact quality of life. Music therapy has...

This study introduces a music therapy project for young offenders through community collaboration and its efficacy through a mixed method. The project called Young & Great Music is carried out via collaboration among three parties, which are the educational institution, the district prosecutor’s office, and corporate sponsor, forming a tripartite networking system. In this paper, we present an efficacy evaluation of the project’s implementation with 178 adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system: 115 youth was on suspension of indictment and 63 youth was under supervised probation. Quantitative and qualitative measures were collected and analyzed to examine the efficacy of the project. The music therapy program was developed for 15 sessions based on the use of music to prompt positive resources through music making and song writing. The efficacy was examined using three scales; self-concept, resilience, and stress coping skills. The paired t-test showed that there were significant improvement in all three scales respectively (p < 0.000). In order to examine the group difference between suspended indictment and supervised probation groups, Welch–Aspin t-test was conducted due to unequal variance of the group. Results showed there was a significant group difference in self-concept (p = 0.006) and resilience (p = 0.022). The study further examined participant’s experience of music and perceived benefits. Twenty participants had in-depth interviews about their music therapy experience which were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. Of the 109 statements derived from a qualitative content analysis of the interview transcripts, music making and song writing was repeatedly reported as helpful in gaining “new perspectives,” “courage to challenge and pursuit,” “perseverance,” and “self-acknowledgment.” The positive result of the study showed that the collaborative networking of regional and social resource to support for adolescents at-risk was successful. The results of this project are promising and suggest that other arts-based rehabilitation services and programs should be developed and implemented in juvenile justice system. For this, strategies for program sustainability for long-term facilitation are needed.

Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre, Griffith University, Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health in the UK; Ewah Woman’s University Music Therapy Wellness clinic in South Korea

In music listening, limitations on visual experience affect a listener’s abstract information processing and conceptualization of the music. The aim of this study is to examine the differences in emotional responses to music between adults with visual impairment (VI) and adults with normal vision (NV). By using specific, emotion-inducing music reflecting happiness, sadness, anger, and fear, this study considers factors such as music emotion identification, emotional valence, arousal, intensity, and musical preference. A total of 120 participants (60 VI and 60 NV) listened to sixteen 15-second music excerpts and reported which emotion and to what extent they perceived it, using a self-reported music emotion evaluation scale. The results indicated that both of the groups showed high congruence in music emotion identification. However, the VI group showed significantly higher arousal, intensity and preference for sadness, while showing the lowest score for the intensity of fear. The main factor affecting emotion identification was preference for the VI group, and valence for the NV group.

The purpose of this study was to examine the difference between adults with schizophrenia and healthy adults in terms of emotion identification, and the perceived intensity of the emotions in music excerpts. A total of 60 participants, including 27 adults with schizophrenia and 33 healthy adults, participated in this study. Participants listened to eight music excerpts which suggested emotions of happiness, peacefulness, anger, and sadness and were asked to choose the perceived emotion in each piece of music, and rate the intensity level of the emotion. Results of two-way ANOVA indicated that the schizophrenia group showed significantly lower concordance in recognizing all four intended emotions in music and significantly lower emotion intensity level than the healthy adult group did. Also, emotions with positive valence had relatively higher concordance rate than those with negative valence in the schizophrenia group. Further analysis within the schizophrenia group revealed that participants with...

The effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on gait in adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI) were investigated. A total of 14 adolescents with ABI were initially recruited, and 12 were included in the final analysis (n = 6 each). They were randomly assigned to the experimental (RAS) or the control (conventional gait training) groups. The experimental group received gait training with RAS three times a week for 4 weeks. For both groups, spatiotemporal parameters and kinematic data, such as dynamic motions of joints on three-dimensional planes during a gait cycle and the range of motion in each joint, were collected. Significant group differences in pre-post changes were observed in cadence, walking velocity, and step time, indicating that there were greater improvements in those parameters in the RAS group compared with the control group. Significant increases in hip and knee motions in the sagittal plane were also observed in the RAS group. The changes in kinematic data significantly differed between groups, particularly from terminal stance to mid-swing phase. An increase of both spatiotemporal parameters and corresponding kinematic changes of hip and knee joints after RAS protocol indicates that the use of rhythmic cueing may change gait patterns in adolescents with ABI.

This study measured surface electromyography of the biceps brachii and triceps brachii during repeated drum playing with and without a drumstick to better understand activation of the upper arm muscles and inform the use of instrument playing for motor rehabilitation. A total of 40 healthy college students participated in this study. All participants were asked to strike a drum with their hand and with a drumstick at three different levels of stroke: soft, medium, and strong. The stroke order was randomly assigned to participants. A sound level meter was used to record the intensity of the drum playing. Surface electromyography signals were recorded at every hit during drum playing both with and without the drumstick in each of the three stroke conditions. The results demonstrated that the highest muscle activation was observed in both biceps brachii and triceps brachii with strong drum playing with and without the drumstick. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance showed that there was a significant main effect for stroke intensity in muscle activation and produced sound level. While higher activation of the triceps brachii was observed for drum playing without a drumstick, no significant differences were found between the biceps brachii and sound level. This study demonstrated via surface electromyography data that greater muscle activation of the biceps brachii and triceps brachii does not occur with the use of drumsticks in drum playing. With the drum sound controlled, drum playing by hand can be an effective therapeutic intervention for the upper arm muscles.

Introduction This study investigated attitudes (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and communal) toward, and uses of, music among people with visual impairments compared with those who are sighted to investigate the potential of music as a means of communication and social expression. Method A total of 137 participants (63 visually impaired, 74 sighted) were recruited from six cities in South Korea. Participants, aged 20 to 39 years, were asked to complete a 30-question survey on music attitudes and use, which was distributed (electronically, by post, by telephone, and in person) between June 2013 and February 2014. Results The response rate was 87%. Attitudes toward music showed that visually impaired participants demonstrated significantly higher (more positive) values than sighted participants on interpersonal and communal survey dimensions ( p < .05). The groups demonstrated similar results regarding intrapersonal attitudes, which received the highest scores of all three categories. Visually impaired participants mainly accessed music from home via portable devices or computers, whereas sighted participants used music most frequently at their homes or in cars. The most significant difference between groups was that music was involved in the majority of leisure time for visually impaired participants, but not for sighted participants. Discussion Higher attitude scores in the intrapersonal category from both groups imply an important role of music, with its emotional and affective aspects, in self-expression. Findings indicated that visually impaired participants utilized music mainly for self-amusement despite perceiving it as an interpersonal and communal tool, most likely due to social restrictions. Implications for practitioners The role of music in the lives of visually impaired individuals could be expanded to provide more group opportunities, hands-on experiences, enjoyable outdoor activities, and psychosocial coping strategies. Group music programs should be considered in order to expand interpersonal and communal experiences for both visually impaired and sighted individuals.

This study is to investigate the characteristic of tonal elements in word utterance of 30 pre-school children. For the analyses, 240 utterances of 4 syllable words were processed to extract acoustic values and then the data was transformed into tonal height in order to examine the contour. The results show that the mean pitch of a note is and high and low pitched notes are and . The pitch patterns of the 4 syllables measured at the frication and aspiration portion are and F4-E4-B3-A3. The pitch patterns of consonant clusters are and . The analyses of tonal elements in this study provide evidentiary data on tonal height helpful for developing melodic contour.

Background While a number of studies have tested the therapeutic effectiveness of playing musical instruments, such as the electronic keyboard using Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), it is still unclear whether outcomes of electronic keyboard playing are related to hand function tests. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between MIDI-keyboard playing and hand function tests, including grip strength, Box and Block test (BBT), and Jensen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHF). Methods A total of 66 stroke patients were recruited from medical centers and were classified into acute (n = 21), subacute (n = 28), and chronic (n = 17) recovery stages. The participants' mean age was 60.5 years. The MIDI-keyboard playing protocol based on sequential key pressing was implemented. All hand function tests were performed by certified occupational therapists. Results MIDI scores from participants at all three recovery stages were significantly correlated with BBT and grip strength. Overall, MIDI-keyboard playing scores demonstrated moderate to high correlations with hand function tests except for participants at the chronic stage and the JTHF, which showed no correlation. Conclusions These findings suggest that MIDI-keyboard playing has great potential as an assessment tool of hand function, especially hand dexterity in acute and subacute stroke patients. Further studies are needed to refine the specific keyboard playing tasks that increase responsiveness to traditional hand function tests.

Music functions as a catalyst for various emotional experiences. Among the numerous genres of music, film music has been reported to induce strong emotional responses. However, the effectiveness of film music in evoking different types of emotions and its relationship in terms of which musical elements contribute to listeners" perception of intended emotion have been rarely investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the congruence between the intended emotion and the perceived emotion of listeners in film music listening and to identify musical characteristics of film music that correspond with specific types of emotion. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate possible relationships between participants’ identification responses and personal musical experience. A total of 147 college students listened to twelve 15-second music excerpts and identified the perceived emotion during music listening. The results showed a high degree of congruence between the intended emotion in film music and the participants’ perceived emotion. Existence of tonality and modality were found to play an important role in listeners" perception of intended emotion. The findings suggest that identification of perceived emotion in film music excerpts was congruent regardless of individual differences. Specific music components that led to high congruence are further discussed.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of Therapeutic Instrument Music Performance (TIMP) for fine motor exercises in adults with cerebral palsy (CP). Individuals with CP (n = 5) received a total of twelve, 30-min TIMP sessions, two days per week for six to nine weeks. Pre- and post-Music Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data were used as a measure of hand function. Pre-velocity was significantly different from the normative data obtained from typical adults (n = 20); however, post-velocity did not yield significance, specifically in the second and fifth fingers, indicating improvement in hand function for the adults with cerebral palsy. The finding implies that TIMP using keyboard playing may effectively improve manual dexterity and velocity of finger movement. Based on these results, future program development of instrumental playing for adults with CP is called for to enhance both their independent living skills and quality of life.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of light condition on physiological state and mood perception of music during listening. Seventy-six participants were assigned randomly to 2 experimental conditions: regular and dim light conditions. Visual analogue scales were used to indicate changes in physiological state and the perceived mood of the music. Participants assessed their physiological state between “relaxed” and “tensed” before and after the music listening. At posttest, they also indicated the perceived mood of the music on a second Visual Analog Scale. Analysis of covariance and analysis of variance were used to analyze the group differences in physiological change and perception of music, respectively. The results indicated that there was a statistical difference in physiological change between the 2 group conditions ( P = .005), with greater changes present in the dimmer light condition than in the regular light condition. There was no significant difference in the music mood perception between the groups. These results indicate that brightness may be a significant paravariable in the listening experience.

The effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on gait in adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI) were investigated. A total of 14 adolescents with ABI were initially recruited, and 12 were included in the final analysis (n = 6 each). They were randomly assigned to the experimental (RAS) or the control (conventional gait training) groups. The experimental group received gait training with RAS three times a week for 4 weeks. For both groups, spatiotemporal parameters and kinematic data, such as dynamic motions of joints on three-dimensional planes during a gait cycle and the range of motion in each joint, were collected. Significant group differences in pre-post changes were observed in cadence, walking velocity, and step time, indicating that there were greater improvements in those parameters in the RAS group compared with the control group. Significant increases in hip and knee motions in the sagittal plane were also observed in the RAS group. The changes in kinematic data significantly differed between groups, particularly from terminal stance to mid-swing phase. An increase of both spatiotemporal parameters and corresponding kinematic changes of hip and knee joints after RAS protocol indicates that the use of rhythmic cueing may change gait patterns in adolescents with ABI.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how special education teachers and health-related professionals perceive and understand the functions of music in the United Arab Emirates. A total of 70 Special Education teachers, physical therapists, speech therapists, and medical professionals completed questionnaires about their musical training and activities, as well as their beliefs about the role and function of music. The survey results indicated that these professionals perceived music to have specific functions in the social, emotional, communicational, and recreational domains. Further analysis showed positive correlations between certain participants’ characteristics, such as duration of music education, and beliefs about specific functions of music. The authors propose that these results provide fundamental information needed to develop and implement music therapy programs in the United Arab Emirates and to promote collaborations among professionals from different fields and cultural backgrounds. Keywords: function of music, special education, United Arab Emirates, perception of music

The purpose of this study was to examine how an after-school Education-oriented Music Therapy (EoMT) program can impact students’ emotional and behavioral problems and academic competency. The study implemented a 16-week music therapy program using music activities and interventions to promote academic, social, and emotional skills. The Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliott, 1990); which measures social skills, academic competency, and problem behavior, was administered before and after the intervention by the classroom teachers. The results showed that the areas of social skills and problem behavior improved significantly after program implementation; however, there were no improvements in academic competency. Results suggest that this structured music therapy program benefits students who have behavioral issues, though the positive changes in their emotional and behavioral problems did not influence academic competency.

Zusammenfassung. Ein Musikprogramm wurde als musiktherapeutisch-pädagogische Arbeit für Kinder, die aus armen und sozial schwachen Familien stammen, durchgeführt. Diese Untersuchung basierte auf der Beobachtung des Verhaltens der Teilnehmer dahingehend, wie sich der/die Teilnehmer/in in den verschiedenen von ihm erlebten Situationen verhält. Erhalten Kinder eine dauerhafte Unterstützung wie diese therapeutisch-pädagogische Arbeit, kann sich dies positiv auf ihre Fähigkeit zur Zusammenarbeit auswirken, was auch ihr Ego beim Lernen und im Allgemeinen stärken kann. Um solch positive Ergebnisse zu erzielen, muss jedoch eine langfristig angelegte Unterstützung angeboten werden, einerseits durch direkte finanzielle Hilfe für die Familie und andererseits durch dauerhafte angebotene und variierende Bildungsprogramme für die Zeit außerhalb des Schulunterrichts, also nach der Schule.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether people enjoy singing, and to identify the underlying reasons why or why not. A total of 90 university students participated in the study. They were given a survey form with an open-ended question asking whether or not they enjoy singing, and the responses were content analyzed. The data segments were organized through a system of categories and subcategories. Analysis of the data yielded three main categories and nine subcategories. Inter-rater reliability between the two raters completing the content analysis was .92. The three main categories included “enjoyment of singing,” “enjoyment of singing when alone,” and “no enjoyment of singing.” For “enjoyment of singing,” there were seven categories of reasons: self-expression, aesthetic experience, interpersonal relationships, stress reduction/mood change, spirituality, empowerment/identity, and self-actualization. Eighty responses (88.3%) out of 90 were categorized into these seven categories. The second main category of singing was “enjoyment when alone (8.2%).” This category included statements emphasizing “alone” as a condition for the singing situation. The third main category of singing experience reflected negative attitude towards singing, “no enjoyment of singing (3.5%).” The results suggested that participants experience different benefits from singing. Those who enjoy singing use it to meet diverse idiosyncratic needs, including emotional, social, existential, and spiritual needs. On the other hand, some participants are uncomfortable about singing in front of other people, or do not enjoy singing at all. Either they are very conscious of other people's judgments or have negative perceptions of their own voice.

Despite increasing interest in keyboard playing as a strategy for repetitive finger exercises in fine motor skill development and hand rehabilitation, comparative analysis of task-specific finger movements relevant to keyboard playing has been less extensive. This study examined, whether there were differences in surface EMG activity levels of forearm muscles associated with different keyboard playing tasks. Results demonstrated higher muscle activity with sequential keyboard playing in a random pattern compared to individuated playing or sequential playing in a successive pattern. Also, the speed of finger movements was found as a factor that affect muscle activity levels, demonstrating that faster tempo elicited significantly greater muscle activity than self-paced tempo. The results inform our understanding of the type of finger movements involved in different types of keyboard playing at different tempi. This helps to consider the efficacy and fatigue level of keyboard playing tasks when being used as an intervention for amateur pianists or individuals with impaired fine motor skills.

Although instrument playing-based training has been repeatedly reported to improve functional hand movements including grasping, the attempts to present quantitative information on physiological mechanism of grasping have been relatively insufficient to determine the type and the intensity of the exercises involved. This study aimed to examine the muscle activation during hand percussion playing depending on the grasping type and the playing tempo. A total of twelve healthy older adults with a mean age of 71.5 years participated in this study. Surface electrodes were placed on three grasping-related muscles: Flexor digitorum superficialis, extensor digitorum, and flexor pollicis brevis. Participants were instructed to play with the egg shaker, paddle drum mallet and clave involving different types of grasp at three different tempi (i.e., 80, 100, and 120 bpm) and sEMG data were collected during each playing. Significantly greater muscle activation was generated with the small sphere type of egg shaker, compared to the handle type of paddle drum mallet and the small cylinder type of clave. Playing at faster tempo also elicited significantly greater muscle activation than at slower tempo. With regard to the rise time of muscle activation, while tempo significantly affected the rise time, the time to peak muscle did not significantly change depending on the grasping type. This study confirmed that grasping pattern and the tempo of movement significantly influence the muscular activation of grasping involved in instrument playing. Based on these results, clinical implication for instrument selection and structured instrument playing would be suggested.

BACKGROUND Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) improves gait velocity, cadence, and stride length in hemiplegic stroke patients, yet little is known about the effectiveness of RAS on standing balance. OBJECTIVES To examine and compare the effectiveness on standing balance and gait parameter of two different types of gait trainings, gait training with RAS versus gait training without RAS, was compared in two groups of hemiplegic stroke patients over a three-week period (RAS group, n = 8; control group = 8). METHODS Sixteen hemiplegic stroke patients were included in the study. Standing balance was measured by using Biosway®. Stride length, gait velocity, and cadence were calculated from the number of steps and required time for a 10 m-walk. RESULTS Pre- to post-test measures showed a significant improvement in RAS group for overall stability index (p = 0.043), mediolateral index (p = 0.006), anteroposterior index (p = 0.016), gait velocity (p = 0.012), stride length (p = 0.03) and cadence (p = 0.012) over the control group. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study showed that RAS was an effective therapeutic method to improve gait velocity, stride length, cadence, and standing balance in hemiplegic stroke patients.

Background As a sequential, programmed movement of fingers, keyboard playing is a promising technique for inducing execution and a high level of coordination during finger movements. Also, keyboard playing can be physically and emotionally rewarding for adolescents in rehabilitation settings and thereby motivate continued involvement in treatment. Objective The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of keyboard playing using Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) on finger movement for adolescents with brain damage. Methods Eight adolescents with brain damage, ages 9 to 18 years (M = 13 years, SD = 2.78), in physical rehabilitation settings participated in this study. Measurements included MIDI keyboard playing for pressing force of the fingers and hand function tests (Grip and Pinch Power Test, Box and Block Test of Manual Dexterity [BBT], and the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test). Results Results showed increased velocity of all fingers on the MIDI-based test, and statistical significance was found in the velocity of F2 (index finger), F3 (middle finger), and F5 (little finger) between pre- and post-training tests. Correlation analysis between the pressing force of the finger and hand function tests showed a strong positive correlation between the measure of grip power and the pressing force of F2 and F5 on the Grip and Pinch Strength Test. All fingers showed strong correlation between MIDI results and BBT. For the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test, only the moving light objects task at post-training yielded strong correlation with MIDI results of all fingers. Conclusions The results support using keyboard playing for hand rehabilitation, especially in the pressing force of individual finger sequential movements. Further investigation is needed to define the feasibility of the MIDI program for valid hand rehabilitation for people with brain damage.