Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 8 of 8
-
ItemThemes in Songs Written by Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: Differences Across the Lifespan(Australian Music Therapy Association, 2005)This study aimed to identify age differences in the themes of songs written by patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Lyrics from 82 songs written by 11 female and 20 male patients aged between 5 and 60 years were categorised into eight themes and 24 categories. Incidence of categories and themes were calculated and compared across six age brackets. Results suggest that children, early adolescent, and middle adolescent patients with TBI focus on memories to a substantially greater degree than older patients. Early and late adolescent patient groups are most likely to be self-reflective, and to raise concerns about the future, when compared with other patient groups.
-
ItemThe link between singing and respiratory health for people with quadriplegia(Australian Music Therapy Association, 2009)This article presents rationale and methodology for current music therapy research in spinal cord injury (SCI). Respiratory complications are the leading cause of illness and death following SCI and may cause long term hardship for those living with quadriplegia (DeVivo, Krause, & Lammertse, 1999). Music therapy intervention involving singing training may facilitate increased respiratory muscle strength and control for people with chronic C4-C5 quadriplegia. This, in turn, has implications for long-term respiratory health and voice quality. The effect of SCI on respiratory function and voice is discussed, as is the effect of vocal training on respiratory function. The music therapy literature on respiratory rehabilitation is reviewed and used to strengthen the case for investigation into the effect of singing training on respiratory and voice function in SCI. Finally, the methodology for a rigorous research study on this topic is presented.
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableA Music Therapy Treatment Protocol for Acquired Dysarthria Rehabilitation(Oxford University Press, 2008-01-01)Dysarthria is a common form of speech impairment, affecting 20–50% of stroke patients and 10–60% of traumatic brain injury patients (Sellars, Hughes, & Langhorne, 2002). Very little research has been conducted on the effect of treatments for dysarthria and even less has been reported on rehabilitative music therapy interventions. In the current climate of evidence-based practice (Edwards, 2002) the music therapy profession needs to develop and rigorously test interventions designed to address specific disorders such as dysarthria. This paper discusses theoretical foundations for the use of singing interventions to treat dysarthria and presents a music therapy dysarthria treatment protocol incorporating vocal and respiratory exercises and therapeutic singing.
-
ItemDevelopment of a music therapy service in an Australian public rehabilitation hospital(GAMUT - Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre (NORCE & University of Bergen), 2006)It is often challenging to find information about the details and development of clinical music therapy programs in other parts of the world. This article addresses a gap in the literature by describing the evolution of a neurological rehabilitation program over the past two years in Melbourne, Australia. After providing some local details on the development of rehabilitation music therapy in this part of the world, a brief rationale is offered for the place of music therapy in clinical rehabilitation services. This is followed by a detailed description of the implementation, operation and evaluation of the music therapy program established at the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre in 2004. Music therapy in adult neurological rehabilitation is still an emerging area of practice in Australia. Although the first music therapy service for adult rehabilitation was piloted and developed here over 13 years ago, few rehabilitation facilities currently employ music therapy as a standard part of rehabilitation service. Although research and practice of music therapy in rehabilitation internationally is relatively new, it has been practiced for around 20 to 30 years in the United Kingdom and the United States of America respectively. The scarcity of music therapy positions in rehabilitation facilities in Australia is possibly a reflection of the lack of understanding of music therapy on the part of funding bodies and the shortage of rigorous music therapy research in this field. The establishment of new music therapy positions in rehabilitation facilities reflects the development of music therapy in neurorehabilitation internationally in terms of research, clinical practice and publications.
-
Item[Review of the book Music therapy and traumatic brain injury: A light on a dark night, by Simon Gilbertson and David Aldridge](Taylor and Francis Group, 2009-01-01)
-
ItemAdjusting to Change Through Song: Themes in Songs Written by Clients With Traumatic Brain Injury(CSIRO Publishing, 2005-12-01)Abstract The study aimed to identify themes in songs written by clients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Lyrics (1834) from 82 songs written by 11 female and 21 male clients aged between 5 and 60 years were categorised into 8 main themes and 24 subcategories. Incidence of subcategories and themes were calculated. Self-reflections and messages were the most frequent themes portrayed within songs. Memories and reflections about significant others were also frequently communicated. It was noticeable that clients felt safer to communicate thoughts and feelings about the past and present but were less inclined to confront the future.
-
ItemSong collage technique: A new approach to songwriting(Informa UK Limited, 2006-01-01)
-
ItemA pilot study into the effect of vocal exercises and singing on dysarthric speech(IOS PRESS, 2008)This pilot study aimed to investigate the effects of vocal exercises and singing on intelligibility and speech naturalness for subjects with acquired dysarthria following traumatic brain injury or stroke. A multiple case study design was used, involving pre, mid, and post-treatment assessments of intelligibility, rate, naturalness, and pause time for four subjects with dysarthria. Each subject participated in 24 individual music therapy sessions over eight weeks involving oral motor respiratory exercises, rhythmic and melodic articulation exercises, rhythmic speech cuing, vocal intonation therapy, and therapeutic singing using familiar songs. Results were measured using a standardized dysarthric speech assessment--the Sentence Intelligibility Test, waveform analysis, and ratings of speech naturalness. Statistically significant improvements in functional speech intelligibility were achieved but improvements in rate of speech were not significant. Speech naturalness improved post-treatment and a reduction in the number and length of pauses was verified via waveform analysis. Preliminary findings suggest that a program of vocal exercises and singing may facilitate more normative speech production for people with acquired dysarthria and support the need for further research in this area.