Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Research Publications
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ItemExploring the Self through Songwriting: An Analysis of Songs Composed by People with Acquired Neurodisability in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Program(Oxford University Press, 2017-03-01)Background: Neurological trauma is associated with significant damage to people’s pre-injury self-concept. Therapeutic songwriting has been linked with changes in self-concept and improved psychological well-being. Objective: This study analyzed the lyrics of songs composed by inpatients with neurological injuries who participated in a targeted songwriting program. The aim of this study was to understand which of the subdomains of the self-concept were the most frequently expressed in songs. Methods: An independent, deductive content analysis of 36 songs composed by 12 adults with spinal cord injury or brain injury (11 males, mean age 41 years +/– 13) were undertaken by authors 1 and 2. Results: Deductive analysis indicated that when writing about the past self, people created songs that reflected a strong focus on family and descriptions of their personality. In contrast, there is a clear preoccupation with the physical self, on the personal self, and a tendency for spiritual and moral reflections to emerge during the active phase of rehabilitation (song about the present self). Statistical analyses confirmed a significant self-concept subdomain by song interaction, F(10, 110) = 5.98, p < .001, ηp2 = .35), which was primarily due to an increased focus on physical self-concept and a reduced focus on family self-concept in the present song, more than in either past or future songs. Conclusions: The analysis process confirmed that songwriting is a vehicle that allows for exploration of self-concept in individuals with neurological impairments. Songwriting may serve as a therapeutic tool to target the most prevalent areas of self-concept challenges for clients undergoing inpatient neurological rehabilitation programs.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableA therapeutic songwriting intervention to promote reconstruction of self-concept and enhance well-being following brain or spinal cord injury: pilot randomized controlled trial(SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2019-06)OBJECTIVE: To determine the size of the effects and feasibility (recruitment and retention rates) of a therapeutic songwriting protocol for in-patients and community-dwelling people with acquired brain injury or spinal cord injury. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial with songwriting intervention and care-as-usual control groups, in a mixed measures design assessed at three time points. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 47 participants (3 in-patients with acquired brain injury, 20 community participants with acquired brain injury, 12 in-patients with spinal cord injury, and 12 community participants with spinal cord injury: 23 1208 days post injury). INTERVENTIONS: The intervention group received a 12-session identity-targeted songwriting programme, where participants created three songs reflecting on perceptions of past, present, and future self. Control participants received care as usual. MEASURES: Baseline, postintervention, and follow-up measures comprised the Head Injury Semantic Differential Scale (primary outcome measure), Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. RESULTS: No significant between group pre-post intervention differences were found on the primary self-concept measure, the Head Injury Semantic Differential Scale ( p = 0.38, d = 0.44). Significant and large effect sizes from baseline to post between groups in favour of the songwriting group for Satisfaction with Life ( p = 0.04, n2 p = 0.14). There were no significant between group pre-post interaction effects for the Emotion Regulation Suppression subscale ( p = 0.12, n2 p = -0.08) although scores decreased in the songwriting group over time while increasing for the standard care group. There were no significant differences in baseline to follow-up between groups in any other outcome measures. Recruitment was challenging due to the small number of people eligible to participate combined with poor uptake by eligible participants, particularly the in-patient group. Retention rates were higher for the community-dwelling cohorts. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the challenges in recruitment and retention of participants invited to participate in a music therapy study. Findings suggest this identity-focused therapeutic songwriting protocols may be more beneficial for people who have transitioned from in-patient to community-contexts given the greater proportion of participants who consent and complete the intervention. Preliminary effects in favour of the intervention group were detected in a range of well-being measures suggesting that a larger study is warranted.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableClinical Effectiveness of Music Interventions for Dementia and Depression in ELderly Care (MIDDEL) in Australia: Pragmatic Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial( 2021)Background: Dementia and depression are highly prevalent and comorbid conditions among older adults living in care homes, and are associated with individual distress and rising societal costs. Effective, scalable, and feasible interventions are needed. Different music interventions have shown promising effects, but the current evidence-base is inconclusive.
Methods: We implemented a 2x2 factorial cluster-randomised controlled trial to determine whether 1) group music therapy (GMT) is more effective than standard care (SC) or 2) recreational choir singing (RCS) is more effective than SC, for reducing depressive symptoms and other secondary outcomes in people with dementia with mild to severe depressive symptoms living in residential aged care. Care home units with at least 10 residents were allocated to GMT, RCS, both GMT and RCS, or SC, using a computer-generated list with block randomisation (block size four). The protocolised interventions were delivered by music therapists (GMT) and community musicians (RCS). The primary outcome was Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale score at 6 months, assessed by a masked assessor and analysed on an intention-to-treat basis using linear mixed-effects models, which examined the effects of GMT vs no-GMT and RCS vs no-RCS, as well as interaction effects of GMT and RCS. Trial registration: NCT03496675; ACTRN12618000156280.
Findings: Between July 18, 2018, and November 26, 2019, 20 care home units were randomised (318 residents). Recruitment ceased in March 2020 due to COVID-19. The primary endpoint, available from 20 care home units (214 residents), suggested beneficial effects of RCS (mean difference: -4·25; 95% CI -7·89 to -0·62) but not GMT (mean difference -0·44; 95% CI -4·32 to 3·43). No related serious adverse events occurred.
Interpretation: Our study supports implementing group singing as a clinically relevant therapeutic intervention in reducing depressive symptoms for people with dementia in the Australian care home context.
Trial Registration: Trial registration: NCT03496675; ACTRN12618000156280.
Funding: National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia.
Declaration of Interest: We declare no competing interests
Ethical Approval: Ethical approval was obtained from the Medicine and Dentistry Human Ethics Sub-Committee at the University of Melbourne, Australia (January 12, 2018, Ethics ID 1750400). -
ItemExploring self-concept, wellbeing and distress in therapeutic songwriting participants following acquired brain injury: A case series analysis(Taylor & Francis, 2020-02-07)Acquired brain injury (ABI) presents a significant threat to sense of self and necessitates a complex process of psychosocial adjustment. Self-concept changes remain understudied in the early stages of inpatient rehabilitation. The aim of the current study was to examine changes in self-concept, distress, wellbeing and functional skills for five inpatients undertaking a music therapy intervention within a subacute rehabilitation centre in Victoria, Australia. Participants completed a six-week, 12-session therapeutic songwriting programme to produce past-, current- and future-self-focused songs. A range of self-concept, subjective wellbeing and distress measures were completed pre-, mid- and post-intervention. A descriptive case series approach was applied to determine trends in pre-post scores for five individual cases. Participants showing the greatest gains across self-concept and subjective wellbeing indices also showed the greatest functional gains on the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) from admission to discharge. The current study highlights the importance of examining early changes in self-concept, wellbeing and distress in subacute rehabilitation, and suggests that individualised songwriting programmes warrant further research attention in neurological populations.
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ItemClinical effectiveness of music interventions for dementia and depression in elderly care (MIDDEL): Australian cohort of an international pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trial(ELSEVIER, 2022-03)BACKGROUND: Dementia and depression are highly prevalent and comorbid conditions among older adults living in care homes and are associated with individual distress and rising societal costs. Effective, scalable, and feasible interventions are needed. Music interventions have shown promising effects, but the current evidence base is inconclusive. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of two different music interventions on the depressive symptoms of people with dementia living in residential aged care. METHODS: We implemented a 2 × 2 factorial cluster-randomised controlled trial to determine whether group music therapy (GMT) is more effective than no GMT with standard care, or recreational choir singing (RCS) is more effective than no RCS with standard care, for reducing depressive symptoms and other secondary outcomes in people with dementia with mild to severe depressive symptoms living in residential aged care. Care home units with at least ten residents were allocated to GMT, RCS, GMT plus RCS, or standard care, using a computer-generated list with block randomisation (block size four). The protocolised interventions were delivered by music therapists (GMT) and community musicians (RCS). The primary outcome was Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale score at 6 months, assessed by a masked assessor and analysed on an intention-to-treat basis using linear mixed-effects models, which examined the effects of GMT versus no-GMT and RCS versus no-RCS, as well as interaction effects of GMT and RCS. We report on the Australian cohort of an international trial. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03496675, and anzctr.org.au, ACTRN12618000156280. FINDINGS: Between June 15, 2018, and Feb 18, 2020, we approached 12 RAC facilities with 26 eligible care home units and, excluding six units who could not be enrolled due to COVID-19 lockdowns, we screened 818 residents. Between July 18, 2018, and Nov 26, 2019, 20 care home units were randomised (318 residents). Recruitment ceased on March 17, 2020, due to COVID-19. The primary endpoint, available from 20 care home units (214 residents), suggested beneficial effects of RCS (mean difference -4·25, 95% CI -7·89 to -0·62; p=0·0221) but not GMT (mean difference -0·44, -4·32 to 3·43; p=0·8224). No related serious adverse events occurred. INTERPRETATION: Our study supports implementing recreational choir singing as a clinically relevant therapeutic intervention in reducing depressive symptoms for people with dementia in the Australian care home context. FUNDING: National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia.
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ItemTherapeutic music interventions with people with dementia living in residential aged care: Perspectives of residents, family members and care home staff from a cluster randomised controlled trial(WILEY, 2022-05)BACKGROUND: Despite growing support for the benefits of music interventions in dementia care, the perspectives of people with dementia, their families and carers are often missing from the research. This study explored multiple perspectives and first-person experiences of group music interventions delivered within a large cluster randomised controlled trial examining the effectiveness of group music therapy (GMT) and recreational choir singing (RCS) with people with dementia living in residential-aged care (RAC) settings. METHODS: Focus group and individual interviews with residents with dementia (n = 4), family members (n = 5) and care home staff (n = 15) were conducted following completion of the 6-month GMT and/or RCS intervention and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Three main themes were identified as follows: (1) direct and indirect intrapersonal benefits, (2) direct and indirect interpersonal benefits and (3) therapeutic music interventions versus entertainment. GMT and RCS supported residents' mood, enjoyment, engagement and connectedness to self and others within and post-sessions, with flow-on effects to family members, care staff and the care home environment. Participants differentiated GMT and RCS from other forms of music engagement in the RAC facilities and described feelings of post-programme loss, highlighting ongoing meaning in active therapeutic music interventions. CONCLUSION: This research highlights the need for increased access to sustainable and meaningful activities, such as purposefully designed therapeutic music interventions in RAC. Improving knowledge about the distinct benefits of therapeutic music interventions compared with other forms of music engagement in RAC may assist nursing staff to make appropriate treatment planning decisions regarding therapeutic music programmes to meet the complex needs of residents with dementia.
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Item“Doing Things Together Is What It’s About”: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Experience of Group Therapeutic Songwriting From the Perspectives of People With Dementia and Their Family Caregivers(Frontiers Media SA, 2021)Background. The wellbeing of people living with dementia and their family caregivers may be impacted by stigma, changing roles, and limited access to meaningful opportunities as a dyad. Group therapeutic songwriting (TSW) and qualitative interviews have been utilized in music therapy research to promote the voices of people with dementia and family caregivers participating in separate songwriting groups but not together as dyads. Procedures. This study aimed to explore how ten people with dementia/family caregiver dyads experienced a 6-week group TSW program. Dyads participated in homogenous TSW groups involving 2–4 dyads who were either living together in the community (2 spousal groups) or living separately because the person with dementia resided in a care home (1 family group, 1 spousal group). The TSW program, informed by personhood, couplehood, family centered and group process frameworks, involved creating original lyrics through song parody and song collage. Qualified Music Therapists facilitated sessions and interviewed each dyad separately. Interviews were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings. Five recurrent group themes were developed, indicating group TSW: (1) was a positive shared experience, benefiting both members of the dyad and motivating further engagement with music; (2) stimulated mental processes and reignited participants’ interests and skills; (3) provided meaningful opportunities for reflection and connection with memories and life experiences; and (4) prompted interaction and collaboration, leading to social connections, empathic relationships and experiences of inclusion. Participants also highlighted how: (5) the facilitated process supported engagement, highlighting abilities and challenging doubts. Conclusion. Dyads identified group TSW as an opportunity to recognize strengths, voice ideas and opinions, share meaningful experiences, and do “more with music.” Participants valued TSW as a new, creative and stimulating experience that enabled connection with self and others and led to feelings of pride and achievement. Our findings further recognize how therapeutic intention and approach were reflected in participants’ engagement and responses regardless of dementia stage and type, dyad relationship, or musical background. This research may broaden perspectives and expand understanding about how people with dementia and their family caregivers access and engage in music therapy.
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Item"It's Feasible to Write a Song": A Feasibility Study Examining Group Therapeutic Songwriting for People Living With Dementia and Their Family Caregivers(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2020-08-07)Psychosocial interventions for people with dementia and their family caregivers together may sustain relationship quality and social connection. No previous music therapy research has examined the effects of group therapeutic songwriting (TSW) attended by people with dementia/family caregiver dyads.
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ItemHOMESIDE: home-based family caregiver-delivered music and reading interventions for people living with dementia: protocol of a randomised controlled trial(BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP, 2019-11)INTRODUCTION: Pharmacological interventions to address behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) can have undesirable side effects, therefore non-pharmacological approaches to managing symptoms may be preferable. Past studies show that music therapy can reduce BPSD, and other studies have explored how formal caregivers use music in their caring roles. However, no randomised study has examined the effects on BPSD of music interventions delivered by informal caregivers (CGs) in the home setting. Our project aims to address the need for improved informal care by training cohabiting family CGs to implement music interventions that target BPSD, and the quality of life (QoL) and well-being of people with dementia (PwD) and CGs. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A large international three-arm parallel-group randomised controlled trial will recruit a sample of 495 dyads from Australia, Germany, UK, Poland and Norway. Dyads will be randomised equally to standard care (SC), a home-based music programme plus SC, or a home-based reading programme plus SC for 12 weeks. The primary outcome is BPSD of PwD (measured using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire). Secondary outcomes will examine relationship quality between CG and PwD, depression, resilience, competence, QoL for CG and QoL for PwD. Outcomes will be collected at baseline, at the end of the 12-week intervention and at 6 months post randomisation. Resource Utilisation in Dementia will be used to collect economic data across the life of the intervention and at 6-month follow-up. We hypothesise that the music programme plus SC will generate better results than SC alone (primary comparison) and the reading programme plus SC (secondary comparison). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained for all countries. Results will be presented at national and international conferences and published in scientific journals and disseminated to consumer and caregiver representatives and the community. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: ACTRN12618001799246p; NCT03907748.
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ItemRemini-Sing: A Feasibility Study of Therapeutic Group Singing to Support Relationship Quality and Wellbeing for Community-Dwelling People Living With Dementia and Their Family Caregivers(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2018-08-31)Background: Living at home following a diagnosis of dementia can be difficult for both the person living with dementia (PwD) and their family caregivers (FCG). Active group music participation may provide an avenue for emotional release, offer psychosocial support to caregivers and stimulate meaningful interaction between caregivers and loved ones with dementia. Therapeutic music interventions also have the capacity to facilitate reminiscence and social engagement and can help to manage challenging symptoms associated with dementia, such as anxiety, apathy, and agitation. Method: This feasibility study examined the acceptability of a 20-week therapeutic group singing intervention (Remini-Sing) and quantitative research assessments for PwD/FCG dyads living in the community. Quantitative measures for the following outcomes were tested for sensitivity and acceptability: relationship quality (PwD and FCG); life satisfaction, caregiver satisfaction, flourishing, and depression for FCGs; and anxiety, apathy, agitation, and quality of life for PwD. Quantitative assessments were conducted before, during (midway) and after 20 weeks of participation in a therapeutic singing group attended by the PwD and FCG together. The Remini-Sing intervention incorporated vocal warm ups, singing familiar songs, learning new songs, and opportunities for social interaction. Qualitative interviews were conducted with all dyads that completed the intervention. Results: Twelve PWD/FCG dyads were recruited and enrolled in the study. High participation and retention rates indicated that the intervention was received favorably by participants. There were no statistically significant changes on measures from pre to post intervention. However, favorable baseline scores on relationship quality and wellbeing measures were sustained over the 20-week intervention. The testing of these measures for feasibility also revealed that some were too difficult for PwD and thus yielded questionable results, some were potentially less relevant, and there were likely floor and ceiling effects on several of the measures utilized. Conclusions: This study demonstrated good feasibility for a research protocol and therapeutic group singing intervention for community-dwelling PwD and their FCGs. Participant reflections and researcher observations yielded useful information guiding the selection of quantitative outcome measures for future research in this area.