You Need A Therapist

Christine Lapka
Reprinted by permission. Illinois Music Educator, Fall 2001. Don Davis, Editor.

While sitting in the back yard of my home, I looked up to see a pair of masked eyes peering down from the chimney. I immediately realized that I needed professional help! After several telephone calls to friends and the animal shelter, I was referred to a chimney sweep for his help to remove the family of raccoons. His advice was easy to follow and worked like a charm. In fact, in just one short hour the baby raccoon was quite anxious. The event drew a small crowd of people to my house at a busy intersection. After a good deal of squealing (by the baby) and explanations to worried neighbors (by me), the mother raccoon returned to prepare for the big move.

Is the remedy making you curious? Music! Music was the prescription. The trick was a radio in the fireplace for a period of 24 hours (tune to your least favorite station for added adversity). My friends and neighbors thought this was an appropriate solution for a music educator.

The reaction led me to a question posed by a public school colleague who called wanting information about a particular study regarding music, reading comprehension and learning disabled students. She wanted to know what I knew about the study and my views on incorporating it in music classes. We agreed the information was interesting and further discussed possible incorporation in a general music classroom. However, the reading teachers in the school actually wanted the music teacher to use music as remedial treatment for low reading comprehension. Therefore, I looked into studies related to music for non-musical goals. Subsequent discussion here will provide brief descriptions of studies involving therapeutic uses of music with disabled children. The purpose of the dialogue is to keep music educators informed of related research. However, the content of the studies raises the question, "is this applicable to music education?"

LaBach's (1959) study looked at the influence of background music on reading comprehension. A standardized reading test was administered while students listened to a tape of relaxing orchestral music. The music did not significantly affect test scores. After looking at his research design, LaBach found the one time use of background music a possible inadequacy. The single dose of music during a testing situation may not have been enough to cause improved reading comprehension. It seems a bit simple to suggest that instant improvements in understanding occur after selecting music and flipping a switch. In the epilogue, he wondered if a prolonged treatment plan would yield different effects.

Using LaBach's research as a springboard, Helfrich (1973) decided to use slow and fast rock music over a prolonged period as the basis of his investigation. He chose rock music because students in LaBach's study had favorable attitudes toward music and specifically asked for fast popular music. Helfrich takes his investigation a step further by deciding to target only disabled readers, performing below grade level one year or more. Three treatment groups were established. All groups received remedial instruction by a certified reading specialist using materials developed for disabled readers. Group 1 was given instruction without background music. Groups 2 and 3 listened to slow (70 +/- 3) and fast (126 +/- 6) instrumental, rock music respectively. In addition, students were seated to provide a constant 70-decibel levf sound.

Even with the extended 12-week treatment, rock music did not improve reading test scores. Still, its use did not hinder normal progress. In addition, questionnaires indicate students prefer the use of music in instruction. Helfrich believes the importance of music might have a psychological effect suitable for further study.

A more recent study seems to surface in discussions involving learning disabled (LD) students. Wiley-Khaaliq (l990) used piano music by Sergei Rachmaninoff as background music during four testing sessions. Two groups were used for the investigation. Each group of LD students completed two forms of the test. First without background music and next with music controlled for a decibel range of 60-65. In this case, the differences between the music and non-music tests were significant. On the average, tests given during the quiet romantic piano music yielded greater comprehension. Yet, five of the thirty subjects did not improve during the background music situation. Although background music can facilitate reading comprehension, individual variation should be expected.

Wiley-Khaaliq attributes the success of the background music to the selection of music with slow tempos. She bases her idea on research of tempos related to the human heart at rest by Lozanov (1978). He believes a tempo of sixty beats a minute, reduces the heart rate and blood pressure and subsequently causes an anxiety free state. However fascinating his research is, without comparing faster music in the Wiley-Khaaliq study, we cannot assume the tempo of the music caused the improvement in comprehension. Because earlier studies used orchestral music, timbre could play a part in learning outcomes. Replicating the study with tempo or tone color controls could yield results that are more conclusive.

Background music was also the subject of investigation in a 1996 study to determine its effect on behavior (Campbell). The study found soft background music compared to no music reduces out-of-seat and talk-out behaviors. When comparing soft music to moderate music, both improved targeted behaviors with soft music having a greater impact. In like manner, soft music enhanced on-task behavior of students and improved classroom performance.

After creating lessons and music activities focused on development of communication, the program was launched in an early childhood special education classroom (Frick, 2000). Subjects included students with communication delays, motor characteristics associated with cerebral palsy, severe developmental delays, and autistic-like behavior. During ten weeks of intense music use by the teacher and students, music increased vocalizations and created a social context for child interaction.

The previous studies use music to enhance or facilitate learning, but are they music education? Playing music for the raccoon in the fireplace was not music education. Similarly, music educators do not teach by simply including music during instruction. Unfortunately, some are troubled or confused when schools request their classes to cover areas outside of the music curriculum (excluding reciprocal curriculum integration). Music educators are not trained to teach other subject areas and are often hindered by limited contact time. Likewise, Hoffer suggests caution when music educators defend school music programs with extra-musical reasons for existence.

A quandary is created when music specialists are expected to ready students for Illinois State Learning Outcomes and use precious music time to implement non-music programs in areas outside of a specialist's range of training. To solve the problem we need to look beyond the current "go ask the music teacher" mentality. When faced with the raccoon problem, I searched for the proper practitioner. As a profession, we need to extend a professional courtesy to the field of music therapy.

Music educators should suggest the services of music therapists when asked to use music for outcomes other than those found in the music curriculum. Music therapists are interested in school setting employment (Smith & Hariston, 1999). In a 1979 journal article, Alley calls for collaboration between music education and music therapy. Darrow (1996) feels the goals and objectives of music therapy and music education overlap and can be worked on simultaneously by both educators and therapists. MENC's Music Code of Ethics protects the domain of professional musicians. Perhaps it is time to direct our attention to the domain of music therapy by insisting on the services of music therapists. In such cases, I do not believe therapists will jeopardize music education. I do believe their employment can ease some of the burden and confusion regarding the role of music education. When asked to use music classes as remedies for poor reading comprehension, music teachers can give professional advice by saying. "You need a therapist."

REFERENCES

Alley. J. M. (1979). Music in the IEP: Therapy/education. Journal of Music Therapy, 16(3). 111-127.

Campbell. D. (1996). The effects of soft background music on compliance in the classroom: A case study of some New York City special education classrooms. Dissertation Abstracts International, 57(06) 2432A. (University Microfilms No. ADG963356)

Darrow. A. A. (1996). "Research on mainstreaming: Implications for music therapists," in B. L. Wilson (Ed.), Models of music therapy interventions in school settings: From institution to inclusion. Silver Spring, MD: National Association for Music Therapy

Frick, I. W. (2000). A qualitative study of music and communication in musically rich early childhood special education classroom. Dissertation Abstracts International, 60(08) 2868A. (University Microfilms No. ADG9940757)

Helfrich. D. C. (1973). The effect of rock music, controlled for tempo and volume, on disabled readers in remedial reading classes. (Doctoral dissertation. University of Georgia, 1972). Dissertation Abstracts International. 34(06) 3024A.

Hoffer. C. R. (1 993). Introduction to music education (2nd ed.). Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing.

LaBach, J. P. (1959) The effects of background music on reading comprehension and their relationship to various other characteristics in sixth grade students. (Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University, 1959). Dissertation Abstracts International, 21(02) 0350.

Lozanoy, G. (1978). Suggestology (in Bulgarian). Sofia, Bulgaria: lzdatelsvo Nauka I lzkustvo, 1971. English.

Music Educators National Conference. (1986). Guidelines for performances of school music groups: Expectations and limitations. Reston, VA: Author.

Spingarn. D. L. (1984). The effect of variant teacher/student conceptual tempo on student reading achievement, teacher-student interaction, and student self-concept. Dissertation Abstracts International. 46(03) 0609A. (University Microfilms No. AA18509415)

Smith. D. S. & Hariston. M. J. (1999). Music therapy in school settings: Current practice. Journal of Music Therapy. 36(4). 274-292.

Wiley-Khaaliq, R. (1990). A study of the effects of background music on reading comprehension of learning disabled students. (Doctoral dissertation, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1990). Dissertation Abstracts International. 52(01) 0123A. Please direct questions or comments to: Christine Lapka Special Learners Coordinator Illinois Music Educators Association CM-Lapka@wiu.edu