The Relationship between Music and Well-being through the Eyes of Autistic Adults

Despite the fact that autistic people make up a significant portion of music therapy clients, we know about their subjective experience of music. Studies assessing the effectiveness of music interventions for autistic people mostly measure behavioural changes in social communication and interactions while disregarding well-being or quality of life. This raises important ethical questions. To gain a better understanding of how autistic adults view the relationship between music and well-being, we conducted interviews with 13 autistic participants (seven women and six men) who shared their experiences and understanding of music. The findings reveal the extensive and profound significance of music, encompassing everything from seemingly minor aspects, such as finding motivation to perform household chores, to existential questions like the choice to stay alive. The purpose of this presentation is to connect these findings with the fundamental psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and to demonstrate how music can play a role in the well-being and empowerment of autistic adults. This knowledge can help in setting new goals and methods for measuring the effects of musical activities in future studie

Differences in the perceptions of daily practice between high achieving and low achieving piano students

Raziskovalci v zadnjih letih glasbeno vajo vse pogosteje proučujejo z vidika samoregulativnega učenja, ki nudi okvir za integracijo številnih različnih dejavnikov učenja. Kljub temu nekateri vidiki, kot so motivacijski, predvsem pa čustveni, ostajajo slabo raziskani (McPherson, Miksza in Evans, 2018). Namen tega magistrskega dela je bila primerjava uspešnih in manj uspešnih študentov klavirja, glede na to, kako vajo razumejo in se je lotevajo, kaj jih za vajo motivira in kako jo čustveno doživljajo. Podatki so bili zbrani in obdelani po metodi pojmovnega mreženja (Trochim, 1989Kane in Trochim, 2009). Udeleženci so v dveh skupinah po šest pianistov prek spleta odgovarjali na odprta vprašanja, ki so se navezovala na kognitivno-vedenjske in čustveno-motivacijske vidike vaje. Odgovore so vnašali v skupinsko preglednico, nato pa jih je vsak udeleženec po svoje razdelil v poljubno število pomenskih kategorij in ocenil, kako pomembno se mu zdi za učinkovitost vaje to, kar opisuje izjava, in kako pogosto to doživlja ali počne tudi sam. Rezultati večrazsežnostnega lestvičenja in Wardove hierarhične grozdne analize so pokazali, da je razumevanje vaje pri uspešnejših študentih bolj poglobljeno in kompleksno ter da se v največji meri posvetijo predvsem interpretativnim, tehničnim in telesnim vidikom vaje, medtem ko manj uspešni največ časa posvetijo organizaciji vaje. Na motivacijskem področju so uspešni študenti omenjali tako usmerjenost v približevanje izkazovanju zmožnosti kot približevanje obvladovanju, vendar je bilo slednje omenjano več kot trikrat pogosteje. Manj uspešni pianisti so se ravno obratno v večji meri navajali približevanje izkazovanju zmožnosti, poleg tega pa so omenjali še izogibanje neobvladovanju in izkazovanju nezmožnosti. Razlike so bile opazne tudi pri čustvenem doživljanju vaje – medtem ko so uspešni pianisti navajali predvsem pozitivna čustva (užitek, zadovoljstvo ipd.), so manj uspešni navajali predvsem negativna (frustracija, strah ipd.). Pri razumevanju učinkovite vaje se kaže potreba po upoštevanju in boljšem razumevanju vloge čustev.In recent years, musical practice has become more frequently addressed through the framework of self-regulated learning. Although the framework offers good integration of different learning aspects, some aspects - like motivational and emotional aspects of practice – are less well researched (McPherson, Miksza & Evans, 2018). The purpose of this study was to compare high- and low-achieving piano students in regard to their understanding of practice, how they approach it, what motivates them for practice, and how they experience practice emotionally. The data were gathered and analysed using concept mapping (Trochim, 1989Kane & Trochim, 2009). Two groups of pianists (with six participants each) were formedone with no formal achievements and one with an average of more than three formal achievements in the past five years. The groups answered questions concerning cognitive-behavioural and motivational-affective aspects of their practice via two separate google spreadsheets (they were anonymous). Each participant classified their given answers freely into any number of categories. They evaluated each answer in regard to importance and frequency of the described strategy or experience. The results showed that the high-achieving showed a more in-depth and complex understanding of practice and focused more on interpretation, technique and body, while the low-achieving group focused more on the organization of practice. Differences were found in regard to motivational-affective aspects of practice. The high-achieving pianists mentioned mastery goal orientation and positive emotion much more frequently than the low-achieving. The latter mainly reported focusing on performance goals and negative emotion, while also mentioning mastery-avoidance and performance-avoidance. There is a clear need to for an integration of motivational and emotional aspects of practice into our understanding of efficient practice

The Relationship between Music and Well-being through the Eyes of Autistic Adults

Despite the fact that autistic people make up a significant portion of music therapy clients, we know about their subjective experience of music. Studies assessing the effectiveness of music interventions for autistic people mostly measure behavioural changes in social communication and interactions while disregarding well-being or quality of life. This raises important ethical questions. To gain a better understanding of how autistic adults view the relationship between music and well-being, we conducted interviews with 13 autistic participants (seven women and six men) who shared their experiences and understanding of music. The findings reveal the extensive and profound significance of music, encompassing everything from seemingly minor aspects, such as finding motivation to perform household chores, to existential questions like the choice to stay alive. The purpose of this presentation is to connect these findings with the fundamental psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and to demonstrate how music can play a role in the well-being and empowerment of autistic adults. This knowledge can help in setting new goals and methods for measuring the effects of musical activities in future studie

Use of music for mood regulation in adolescents with intellectual disabilities : A case control study

Functions connected to mood and emotion regulation are often reported as the most frequent and important functions of music, particularly during adolescence. However, less is known on how adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) use music for emotion regulation. The aim of this study was therefore to explore how adolescents with intellectual disabilities (n = 30) use music for mood regulation in comparison to adolescents without ID (n = 34). We assessed the seven mood-regulation strategies of the Music in Mood Regulation questionnaire, personality traits, mood, and a number of variables regarding music listening. The result showed that personality and mood were associated with the use of music for mood regulation and that adolescents with ID were less specific in their use of mood regulation strategies than adolescents without intellectual disabilities, even when adjusting for gender differences. In conclusion, the present study shows that personality traits in addition to mood is related to differences in usage of music for mood regulation among adolescents with and without intellectual disability. The study provides initial insights into the use of music and the relationships between personality, mood, and music in mood regulation in adolescents with intellectual disabilities

“It is more important than food sometimes”; Meanings and Functions of Music in the Lives of Autistic Adults Through a Hermeneutic-phenomenological Lens

Subjective experiences of autistic adults remain under-researched, especially in the field of art. To learn more about their uses and functions of music, we interviewed 13 autistic adults and, through a hermeneutic-phenomenological analysis, found four overarching themes: Well-being, Identity and self-development, Connectedness, and Negative experiences. Findings show a broad and deep meaning of music in their lives, spanning from seemingly trivial functions such as making chores more enjoyable to existential questions such as choosing to stay alive. We discuss the often-overlooked negative effects or experiences of music, noting that positive and negative effects must always be addressed together if we are to use music to lower stress and support well-being

Can Dance and Music Make the Transition to a Sustainable Society More Feasible?

Transition to sustainability is a process that requires change on all levels of society from the physical to the psychological. This review takes an interdisciplinary view of the landscapes of research that contribute to the development of pro-social behaviors that align with sustainability goals, or what we call ‘inner sustainability’. Engaging in musical and dance activities can make people feel trust and connectedness, promote prosocial behavior within a group, and also reduce prejudices between groups. Sustained engagement in these art forms brings change in a matter of seconds (such as hormonal changes and associated stress relief), months (such as improved emotional wellbeing and learning outcomes), and decades (such as structural changes to the brains of musicians and dancers and superior skills in expressing and understanding emotion). In this review, we bridge the often-separate domains of the arts and sciences by presenting evidence that suggests music and dance promote self-awareness, learning, care for others and wellbeing at individual and group levels. In doing so, we argue that artistic practices have a key role to play in leading the transformations necessary for a sustainable society. We require a movement of action that provides dance and music within a constructive framework for stimulating social sustainability

Improvisation as the Foundation of Flow in Music Education : Connections to Attitudes, Gender and Genre

The aim of our study was to explore the connection between improvisation and flow. Data were collected from 252 tertiary music students from Slovenia and Croatia (121 male and 131 female musicians), who filled in The Questionnaire on Attitudes to Music Improvisation, The Inventory on Feelings associated with Music Improvisation, and the Work-related Flow Inventory. The results show that the female students have significantly more negative feelings and attitudes toward improvisation, and they experience less flow while improvising. Differences were even more pronounced when comparing students who only played classical music with those who played other genres, as well. Regression analysis showed that we can explain 71% of the variance in flow with attitudes toward improvisation