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My family is musically inclined, which I believe is the reason I’ve been drawn to it. In 2006, I began taking guitar lessons but never had much interest in playing. Things changed in 2009, and I wished to be different. Wanted to be good at something so began to teach myself guitar and have stuck with the guitar until now. In 2010, I began to play on my church’s worship team and I enjoyed it very much.
I have now been a worship leader for the past four years and Xx meeting I love to do. I love it so much that for the past two years have gone to Camp Electric to improve my skills. Camp Electric is a rock and roll music camp where musicians pick an instrument and they participate in workshops with that instrument. This camp is filled with people who love music and who love playing music. I have such a passion for playing that I have begun teaching guitar lessons and now I am expressing music with my patients in order to achieve a goal.
I love to share music with people and I feel that different genres have different therapeutic benefits that can differ from person to person. Listening to music has its benefits but so does playing music, and I use music as a stress reliever on a daily basis. I have experienced the healing benefits that music provides and I wish to share those with other people. I have always been interested in why people behave the way they do; whether this behavior is from what has happened to them or what they have been through can be fixed. Eve music, but I wanted to take a different perspective to it by focusing on music therapy for my senior project. If one were to search for music therapy on Google there is not a lack of information, stories of transformations line the web. People have always been curious about music, something so simple but so life-changing. Millions of studies have been conducted throughout the years, to research why music works and who it works on. Will be using scholarly journals and articles to help me research my topic. Along with research, will be taking the results from my experiment to add to my credibility on the subject.
My mentor, Divan Schmidt, has also worked with Alchemies patients for five years now and she is able to advise me on normal behavior for patients. Plan to integrate a product that really defines the project. For my product I will make video that will be included into my presentation. This video will include myself working with the patients whom should be able to have some recollection of partial memories with the approach I’m taking. I will be taking music from when the patient was 18-25 years old and playing music from each year, hoping to get a memory from every year.
Once have gotten them through those years I will then go decade by decade to get more memories the individual may have hidden. The second part of my product is going to be a test result that will be included in my paper and also in my portfolio. The est. results will show improvement through better sleep and stress reduction. Research: A catastrophic day might interfere with one’s plans, it might make them feel rushed or under pressure. They would come home after long hours of mental torture and reach for the cereal box only to put it back in the cup cabinet.
One might struggle daily with remembering peoples’ names and may not even remember what they had for breakfast yesterday. After not having much sleep someone may snap at their friend for something they did last week, and they had already talked it over. This forgetfulness and confusion is meeting that an individual with Alchemist’s goes through day-to-day. The side effects from each stage of Alchemist’s only gets worse over time and they begin to take over the lives Of innocent individuals. In fact, Alleghenies is the sixth leading cause of death in the world because it kills more than breast and prostate cancer combined.
More than five million Americans are living with a disease that is treatable but has no cure (2014 Alchemist’s Disease). So how did Alchemist’s come to be? How was it discovered? In 1906, German Physician Allis Alchemies, began to link symptoms to microscopic brain changes. When he began an autopsy on his first Alchemist’s patient, Augusta Deter, Alchemies saw dramatic shrinkage and abnormal deposits in and around her nerve cells. In 1910, the disease was named after him because of the great discovery he made that would change history forever.
In 1 931, the electron microscope was invented and this allowed for further exploration of the brain and how it is affected by this disease (Hippies). Something that may be as simple as just observing the brain and analyzing minor changes might seem small but it changed the future. Doctors are now able to recognize the symptoms of Alchemist’s and signage the disease properly. The symptoms will be able to place the individual into their correct stage of the disease. There are seven stages, all which gain momentum over time.
The Register Scale states that the first stage is the underlying disease but no symptoms in which case the individual seems to be normal. The first stage is easy to look over if the individual isn’t expecting it, which is common when one obtains early-onset Alchemist’s. In stages 2-4 the individual begins to have memory lapses, trouble coming up with names and forgetting recent events, all of which would simply indicate stressed-out person. Stages 5 and 6 both become serious very fast, the patient begins to forget their phone number and their own name. The last stage is where they lose all communication and movement abilities.
Because the brain is the powerhouse of the body, Alchemies s affects everything. The complications can range from behavioral, emotional, social, cognitive, and communicational. Behavioral issues include bad judgment, inappropriate behavior in public, shouting curse words/obscenities, no longer realizing appropriate social behavior. Cognitive issues can include learning memory, language, executive function, complex attention, perpetual-motor, social ignition (Behavioral Complications). So why does this matter? What does this research have to do with my product and the experiences I will observe?
Because of the research I have done, I now understand how Alchemist’s attacks the brain and how that affects the individual. This research has given me a passion because I understand what they’re going through. The whole purpose of my product is to mass the symptoms of my patients, and to help them become happier in all of the mess. Music is an outlet for people and is especially prominent in the Alleghenies society. This is a world-wide disease, and it is a disease that as been looked over for many years by individuals who don’t understand the pain.
So how can the pain be handled? There are many medicines for Alchemist’s that strip away the Symptoms, but it doesn’t have people signing up to take those pills. The average senior has their daily concoction of pills they take with breakfast, what’s adding a couple more? These seniors would say otherwise, they don’t want more pills to take. What if there was something that could reduce their symptoms and increase their well-being without the pill? People would be lined up to get whatever the breakthrough was, but its right in front of them. That’s where music therapy comes in.
In 1 Samuel 16:14-23, King Saul suffered from the torment of an evil spirit. David was summoned to play his lyre, and the Bible states that the music “would bring relief to Saul and make him feel better. ” Music in this instance was used to alter King Sail’s mood. Psalm 45:8 indicates that music can “make [one] happy. ” So what is music therapy? The American Music Therapy Association defines music therapy as: “The clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved sic therapy program. The history of music therapy is extensive and has been used for hundreds of years on all types of diseases such as: Alchemist’s (which is what disability I will be working with), autism, cancer, depression, and Parkinson. Music therapy began after World War I, community musicians would go to Veteran’s hospital to play for soldiers who had suffered from emotional and physical trauma during the war (Hansom). Music therapy has many benefits that most people aren’t aware of. People think of listening or playing music as a hobby, but the therapeutic benefits prove otherwise.
Music therapy can be used to treat many diseases and the advantages include: memory recall, positive changes in mood and emotional state, a general sense of control over their life, non-pharmacological management of pain and discomfort, stimulation that promotes interest even when other approaches are ineffective, and opportunities to act socially with others. There’s growing evidence that listening to music can also help stimulate seemingly lost memories and even help maintain some cognitive functioning. Product: For my product I wanted to play the guitar for the residents and also allow hem to listen to music from their time.
Music Therapy is supposed to be done by someone who has a degree in the subject and that is something I don’t have. The residents at Carillon have a lady who performs music for them every Friday. Instead of doing the music myself will be observing the residents interacting with her and will also be interviewing her about her process. My first day at Carillon was a meet and greet day. My mentor and I spent time touring the facility and talking with the residents. All of the residents were so friendly and so full of joy, and the experience was not what expected at all.
The first lady I met complimented me immediately and said it was so great to meet me. We joked about how we were going to go have a party together and she reminded me of how her teenage years were nothing but partying. Was introduced to many amazing people. Everybody in there is so close to each other, some of the residents are even coupled up. Met an incredible guy name Bill, he was so inviting into what he considers his house. He grew up here and it well known on Oak Island. In Bill’s room, he had pictures from when he was in his ass and he told us about how he sang with
Loretta Lynn back in the day. Pauline was a lady who was a little farther gone in her Alchemist’s and she clung to her teddy bear as we entered her room. Pauline didn’t communicate well verbally but she used other senses such as smell and touch to get across what she was trying to say. As we left Palings room I noticed a picture of Elvis on the wall, and it was the only thing that got her to talk. I played a few songs before leaving and everyone started trying to sing even if they didn’t know the songs. They enjoyed it so much and begged me not to leave but promised them that would be back soon.
I quickly name back to visit everyone. Surprisingly they all remember me from two weeks before, which is intriguing being that short-term memory loss is the first thing to go. The second time I visited Carillon I observed Lori Shown, a lady whom has used music therapy with many individuals over the past few years. Observed her as she and her accompanying music played for the residents’ of Carillon. She played music from the ass and ass, all stuff that they knew. They all quickly began to sing their favorite songs and telling their friends about all of the fun time they had in those days.
This is something that hey get almost every day from one person to another. Had an interview with Lori as well. I asked her if she truly knew that she was impacting their lives that she wasn’t just having fun, and she assured me of how she had worked in music therapy before and that is why she was doing it. She has worked with them for a couple years now so she understands what to do. Lori creates a program that allows a lot of interaction which took her a while to gain, with Alchemist’s patients it takes a lot for them to break out of their shell. Once they become acquainted with a specific individual they are usually nine though.
Lori program incorporate memory recollection and interaction which is what any good music therapy should. The last part of my project is me taking what Eve learned from all of this and making my own program. I will be playing a few songs that they all know and enjoy. They know me pretty well now and enjoy my playing. I feel that I have learned enough to complete a music therapy session. Will be completing this on Wednesday and then adding a one-minute video to the presentation. Have also been added to the volunteer list for Carillon. Will be volunteering there on a regular basis now cause I have such a compassion for these individuals.
I believe this is an effective treatment for these individuals, as long as it is done at least once a week. This program keeps them in constant contact with their long-term memories and creates happiness that otherwise would not be there. What I Learned: I learned a lot through this project. Learned a lot about my future. I wish to grow up and work in music, although this is a bit different than what will be doing in my future it is still relevant. I fully understand now how to be sensitive to certain individuals and how to settle any conflict that may encounter. Ad no idea how Alchemist’s even affected people or how they died from it before beginning this project. Once you research something as deeply as I did this project, you begin to see the pain they go through. This project has given me compassion for these individuals that have been diagnosed with this horrible illness. I taught myself discipline as this project requires a lot out of Sorenson. I had strict deadlines and tough assignments but I got through it. I have had many difficulties in accomplishing in what I need to do, part of that is my own fault and part of that is my mentors fault.
I would recommend that anyone who wants to do this to intern somewhere first. This is a very demanding but also very rewarding career to go into. I learned that music therapy is an important part of society. Whether we know it or not, constantly it’s on our radio or in our head, music is always changing our lives. Music is something that is world-wide, everyone understands putting words to a beat, no matter what language it’s in. Music makes us sad, happy, or mad. Music makes us relax. Music causes Dopamine – the pleasure hormone – to be released. This is why music matters, it changes lives.
I oldest recommend someone to go into the music field because it pays well, because it doesn’t Music is something that someone has to have a passion for or it will never work out. This is why I chose to do my topic on music therapy, and this is also why I choose to go into the music field. Love changing lives. I feel like as people of this society the only thing we really want is to “make a difference in this world” but half Of us are all talk. Most people who say they want to change the world never do it and the other half only make a small ripple in the ocean of life. Want to be a world changer.
A world hanger that changes the world through music.