Music Therapy Techniques in the Commercial Music Industry

Despite the fact that music is commonly described as free therapy with easily accessible content in the modern age of streaming, most people do not realize that music they already listen to contains many legitimate, psychologically tested therapy. This creative artistic research study examines the role that music therapy processes and techniques play in affecting the form, songwriting and creative processes of the modern music industry. These foundational aspects of songs elicit neurological responses, the emotional effect of which is discussed and incorporated through creative research and implementation through a creative artifact. This study explores songwriting techniques found in various music therapy approaches like group-write, improvisation, and chord progression analyses. Each of these techniques uniquely impact songs and how they shape the music industry and creative connection with audiences. Songwriting styles and modern industry trends are discussed, as well as their popularity and impact on audiences over the last several years. The project culminates in a creative artifact of a six-song album in singer-songwriter-demo-style utilizing various aspects of the music therapy processes analyzed in this study as well as popular music styles that have proven popular and impactful in the modern industry. This artifact demonstrates the effects and influence these techniques have on the modern music industry

Music Therapy Techniques in the Commercial Music Industry

Despite the fact that music is commonly described as free therapy with easily accessible content in the modern age of streaming, most people do not realize that music they already listen to contains many legitimate, psychologically tested therapy. This creative artistic research study examines the role that music therapy processes and techniques play in affecting the form, songwriting and creative processes of the modern music industry. These foundational aspects of songs elicit neurological responses, the emotional effect of which is discussed and incorporated through creative research and implementation through a creative artifact. This study explores songwriting techniques found in various music therapy approaches like group-write, improvisation, and chord progression analyses. Each of these techniques uniquely impact songs and how they shape the music industry and creative connection with audiences. Songwriting styles and modern industry trends are discussed, as well as their popularity and impact on audiences over the last several years. The project culminates in a creative artifact of a six-song album in singer-songwriter-demo-style utilizing various aspects of the music therapy processes analyzed in this study as well as popular music styles that have proven popular and impactful in the modern industry. This artifact demonstrates the effects and influence these techniques have on the modern music industry

The effects of sexually transmitted illness (STI) stigmatization on intimate relationships : non-infected partners\u27 perceptions, reactions, feelings and attitudes toward female partners\u27 disclosure of Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) positive status

The purpose of this study was to explore in greater depth the effects of Sexually Transmitted Illness (STI) stigma on intimate relationships by examining the reactions of non-infected intimate partners to their female partner\u27s disclosure of her Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) positive status. The research question was: what are non-infected partners perceptions, reactions, feelings and attitudes to their female partner\u27s disclosure of HSV positive status? This exploratory mixed-methods study was informed by the extant literature on STI stigma and intimate relationships. The lens of stigma theory is used to frame the discussion of the findings. Forty-three participants responded to the predominantly quantitative online survey. Inclusion criteria required that the participant was over the age of 18 and had been disclosed to by his/her female Herpes positive intimate partner. Noteworthy findings point to both similarities and differences in gender responses to disclosure and speak to a general trend of partner positive emotional response to HSV+ disclosure in intimate relationships among this sample. Study findings further underline the importance of pre-intercourse disclosure, and the role of disclosure in supporting safe-sex practices and information seeking behavior

Going to Extremes: The National Parent Teacher Association and Political Extremism in the 1960s

In the 1960s, the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) reported efforts at “infiltration” by conservative extremist groups, including the John Birch Society (JBS). Extremists sought to take over PTA meetings to obtain a mainstream platform for minority opinions. The PTA parried extremists’ efforts with a deluge of activities and publications dedicated to democratic fair play and research-based approaches to education. In spite of a coherent plan for dealing with such techniques in the 1960s, the methods used by the Birch Society and other conservative extremist groups appear to have resumed in contemporary educational discussions. Once again, opinions that appeal to the fringes of the American political and social spectrum have dominated policy discussions, most notably relating to textbook selection

Small heat-shock proteins: important players in regulating cellular proteostasis

Small heat-shock proteins (sHsps) are a diverse family of intra-cellular molecular chaperone proteins that play a critical role in mitigating and preventing protein aggregation under stress conditions such as elevated temperature, oxidation and infection. In doing so, they assist in the maintenance of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) thereby avoiding the deleterious effects that result from loss of protein function and/or protein aggregation. The chaperone properties of sHsps are therefore employed extensively in many tissues to prevent the development of diseases associated with protein aggregation. Significant progress has been made of late in understanding the structure and chaperone mechanism of sHsps. In this review, we discuss some of these advances, with a focus on mammalian sHsp hetero-oligomerisation, the mechanism by which sHsps act as molecular chaperones to prevent both amorphous and fibrillar protein aggregation, and the role of post-translational modifications in sHsp chaperone function, particularly in the context of disease.SM was supported by a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, HE is supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT110100586) and JC is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grant (#1068087)

Empowerment Evaluation of Programs Involving Youth: Evaluators’ Perceptions

Background: Participatory and collaborative evaluation approaches, including Empowerment Evaluation (EE), are useful for evaluating programs involving youth. Empowerment evaluation involves stakeholders in the evaluation process through a set of structured steps. It is primarily concerned with empowering, illuminating, and building program beneficiaries’ self-determination. Given the emphasis that EE places on inclusivity of stakeholders, it appears to be a good fit for evaluating programs that involve youth. Purpose: To explore the extent to which evaluators use EE to evaluate programs involving youth as well as what factor(s) facilitate and hinder their use of EE in these programs. Setting: The study involved evaluators associated with the Collaborative, Participatory and Empowerment Evaluation and Youth-Focused Evaluation Targeted Interest Groups (TIGs) of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) who are involved in evaluating programs targeted at youth. Intervention: Not applicable. Research Design: We used a two-phase sequential mixed-methods research design. In Phase 1, we surveyed evaluators. In Phase 2, we interviewed a sample of evaluators from Phase 1.  Findings: In Phase 1, 41 (53.9%) respondents indicated not using EE to evaluate programs involving youth, 30 (39.5%) had used EE and 5 (6.6%) were unsure. Of those who used EE, they used it to teach youth program stakeholders about evaluation (n=8, 24.2%), produce more authentic results by engaging youth as experts of their lived experience (n=7, 21.2%) or produce more useful results for stakeholders to use (n=6, 18.2%), as well as other less popular reasons. In Phase 2, 12 interviewees raised five factors that facilitate or hinder the use of EE to evaluate programs involving youth including, evaluator perceptions, type of evaluation experience, evaluator knowledge and professional training, guidelines from organizations and funders, and stakeholders and time. Factors that some interviewees viewed as facilitators others viewed as hinderances.   Keywords: empowerment evaluation, program evaluation, youth-focused evaluation   &nbsp

A new modality of audiovisual translation? Covert translation of presenter scripts in Japan's globally aired English-language TV music show

This article sheds light on an unresearched translation modality that forms a pillar of program production for Japan’s publicly funded, globally aired, round-the-clock English-language television channel, NHK World-Japan TV. The modality in question is the translation of presenter scripts written in one language (Japanese) and delivered to camera exclusively in another (English). Through a critical self-reflexion on the lead author’s construction and application of translation guidelines aimed largely at optimizing comprehensibility for viewers of the NHK World-Japan TV music show J-MELO, new lines of Translation Studies research into this underrepresented modality and its significance in the wider context of international TV broadcasting are suggested

Intervention in health care teams and working relationships

Introduction: Communication is an intrinsic part of collaborative working but can be problematic when the complexities of professional and personal identities inhibit quality care provision. This paper investigates these complexities and recommends interventions to facilitate collaborative working.Methods: A qualitative comparative approach examined data collected from participants using purposive non-probability sampling. Perspectives were obtained from four professional groups (nurses, social workers, care managers, and police), from different organizations with different theoretical and practice frameworks, and from a fifth group (informal carers).Results: Curriculum change and leadership initiatives are required to address the complexities inhibiting collaborative working relationships. Integrating complexity theory, personality typology, and problem-based learning into the curriculum to understand behavioral actions will enable interventions to effect change and promote the centrality of those being cared for