The Impact of Violin Playing Techniques Specifically Designed to Simulate the Human Voice on Anxiety Reduction of College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the violin played with techniques specifically designed to simulate the human voice on anxiety reduction of college students prior to stressful events. This study attempted to answer the following questions: (a) Does listening to violin music that simulates the human singing voice decrease anxiety levels in healthy individuals? (b) Does violin music that simulates a singer’s breath have a different effect on individuals’ self-reported anxiety levels than violin music that does not simulate a singer’s breath? Forty healthy undergraduate and graduate students participated in the study. Participants were assigned to the experimental or control group; assignments were predetermined based on the research schedules yet remained unknown to the participants. A one-way repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was computed to analyze the between-participants factor (i.e., experimental and control conditions) and the within-participants factor (i.e., time of measurement). Results indicated a statistically significant main effect for Time, while the main effect for ‘Group’ and the interaction effect were not statistically significant. Although this research study was limited by small sample size, personal coping skills, and past experience associates with the violin timbre, the ability of violin music to effectively reduce anxiety is undeniable regardless of whether or not it simulated the human singing voice. The better we understand the therapeutic potential and benefits of this fascinating instrument, the more convincing it will be for music therapists to use the violin clinically. Therefore, future studies in this topic area are encouraged

A Study of the Tradition of Extreme Literature

This thesis endeavours to investigate some of the many ways literary works can engage with the tradition of extremism. In so doing, the author hopes to demonstrate the importance of the tradition as a vessel for understanding the world around and within us. In an effort to show the breadth and endurance of this tradition, this thesis critically analyses selected works by Robert Browning, Harold Pinter, and Frank Bidart in context with various other literary works