▼ The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of live religious music versus live secular music on pre-wandering and wandering behaviors of persons diagnosed with dementia of the Alzheimers type. A pretest-posttest control group design with two dependent variables, pre-wandering and wandering behavior was used. The subjects (n = 18) were residents of four skilled nursing facilities who individually participated in five ten-minute music therapy sessions held on five consecutive days. Each subject was randomly selected to participate in either the experimental or control group. In the experimental group, subjects were engaged in music therapy interventions that utilized only religious music. In the control group, subjects were engaged in music therapy interventions utilizing only secular music. Pre-wandering data was collected by frequency count during each music therapy session. The Revised Algase Wandering Scale: Long-term Care Version was used to compare pretest and posttest wandering behavior for three different subscales: persistent walking, eloping behaviors and spatial disorientation. The Mann-Whitney non-parametric statistical test was applied to analyze whether the religious music or secular music had a greater impact on helping to reduce pre-wandering behaviors. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks non-parametric statistical test was applied to analyze the differences in the pretest and posttest wandering behaviors on the unit. Analysis revealed no significant difference between religious and secular music in helping to reduce pre-wandering behaviors. However, analysis also revealed that music therapy, regardless of whether it involved religious or secular music, significantly reduced wandering behaviors on the nursing unit. Findings suggest that future research may be warranted to study and compare which music therapy interventions, when paired with religious or secular music, may be most effective at helping to decrease pre-wandering behaviors. Advisors/Committee Members: Steele, Anita Louise.

▼ With the rapidly growing diversity in the United States, understanding cultural influence on human behaviors and becoming competent to work with culturally diverse populations have become important among human service professionals. The present study examined effectiveness and challenges of music therapy undergraduate programs in addressing multicultural competencies listed under AMTA Professional Competencies. A questionnaire was developed and sent to directors of undergraduate music therapy programs to assess their perception of effectiveness and challenges in teaching those multicultural competencies. Results indicated that a majority of directors perceived their programs effective; however, acknowledged the existence of multiple challenges. Although the results of the survey should not be generalized due to a low response rate, it provides insights into how to further develop multicultural education in the field of music therapy. Future research may utilize more objective tools and investigate correlations among different variables to pinpoint influential factors to effective multicultural education. Advisors/Committee Members: Steele, Louise.

▼ The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the grief process and group cohesion were affected by the incorporation of music therapy interventions into grief support groups. The participants (n=13) were members of grief support groups who were registered in one of three possible groups. Each group met weekly for six weeks. Experimental Group A received music therapy interventions along with the grief counseling programming. Experimental Group B received the grief counseling programming with recorded background music while the Control Group received only the standard support group curriculum without music interventions. A standardized tool, the Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist (HGRC), measured the grief process in pre-test/post-test design through six factors of grief. A post-test Support Group Questionnaire measured group cohesion at the end of the six weeks. Analysis revealed no significant differences of the grief process or group cohesion among the three groups. A linear regression revealed no significance of group cohesion predicting the grief process. Advisors/Committee Members: Steele, Anita Louise.

▼ While a majority of music therapists report using collaboration in their music therapy practices, little information exists regarding how the AMTA competency on interdisciplinary collaboration is addressed within music therapy training programs. In order to investigate the teaching of this competency at the undergraduate level, a survey was sent to 65 music therapy program directors at AMTA approved institutions. The survey sought to identify and define the terms and teaching models used to address this competency, as well as its value and placement within the undergraduate curriculum. Interdisciplinary was the most commonly selected term to address the competency over the terms collaboration, multidisciplinary, consultation, transdisciplinary, and interprofessional. Definitions selected by respondents indicated confusion continues to exist regarding the definitions and use of collaborative terminology. Additionally, results showed that program directors strongly value the competency and that the preparation for interdisciplinary collaboration may benefit from more information on this topic. Collaborative definitions and teaching approaches are recommended. Advisors/Committee Members: Steele, Anita Louise.