Buffy Summers
Professor Waddell
Writing 202.111
03/11/2013
Research Proposal
Topic Question
Does music help the brain learn in different areas? Many studies have been conducted
that show that the inclusion of music can result in better test-taking abilities in school-aged
children. Music also plays a role in improved developmental skills in children as young as
newborn. If the use of music can help enhance brain activity in typically developing individuals,
how could the use of music be instituted in helping those with cognitive disabilities develop in
other areas of deficiency?
Audience
The intended audience for this topic is any person who is interested, from a scientific
standpoint, in how the brain learns and functions in people with both typical and atypical
learning abilities. Those with an interest in teaching will also benefit from this information,
whether their teaching will apply to special needs students or students with average cognitive
function. Any person who knows or has an interest in helping disabled individuals improve their
skills, to include parents and family members, therapists or aides.
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to help broaden the understanding of how individuals,
specifically those with disabilities, can benefit from the institution of music classes and therapies
into their daily routines. By showing the statistics and proven cases of these benefits, I hope to
convince those who may have future contact with disabled individuals that there are ways to
improve their learning and levels of abilities beyond what others may think is their full potential.
Proposed Line of Inquiry
The first part of my research will be to study what parts of the normal brain are activated
when learning is in process. I will then look, separately, at the effects of music on a normally
developed brain. This would include how a brain hears, interprets, and remembers music. I will
also compare brain activity during periods of learning, both with and without music and record
how the activities are different and how they are the same. This should give a good idea of how
the two activities complement each other. It is important to know how a typical brain learns and
reacts to music before we can begin to understand how an atypical brain performs these two
activities. When all of the data is collected and recorded regarding how a normal brain works in
these areas, I will look at studies that have shown how an atypical brain with cognitive
impairments learns and interprets music. By comparing and contrasting the two sets of data, I
hope to show that an individual with mental disabilities can learn better in all areas with the
assistance of musical intervention and therapies to achieve more than what was thought possible.
My primary research will consist of interviews with special needs classroom and music teachers
to learn about their experiences with using music to facilitate the progression of various abilities.
This kind of research can, hopefully, open up new avenues of teaching persons with disabilities
to excel in all areas of development.
Qualifications
I am qualified to research this topic because I am a Biology major with an interest in
neurobiology, specifically brain development. I am also qualified in this area because I am the
mother of a child with multiple severe disabilities who also has unique musical abilities. I hope
that this research will give me a better understanding of how his brain works, how to better help
him, and hopefully, how to help other disabled people to progress in their development.
Proposed Timetable
03/11/2013
Research Proposal Presentation
03/22/2013
Research Proposal Rough Draft Due
03/25/2013
Research Proposal Final Draft Due
03/26/2013 -04/22/2013
Work on Research Paper
04/24/2013
Research Paper Rough Draft Due
04/24/2013
Peer Reviews
04/26/2013
Research Paper Due
Annotated Bibliography
Brown, L., & Jellison, J. (2012). Music research with children and youth with disabilities and
typically developing peers: a systematic review. Journal of Music Therapy 49(3) p335364. Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
This article focuses on the comparisons between using music therapy in children
with disabilities and children with no disabilities. This will be helpful in helping to find
out how music reaches the parts of the brain that are not affected by the disability or a
part of the brain that is enhances by the disability.
Chikhaoui, B., Pigot, H., Beaudoin, M., Pratte, G., Bellefeuille, P., & Laudares, F. (2009).
Learning a Song : an ACT-R Model. World Academy of Science, Engineering &
Technology 55 p405-410. Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
This article explains the use of a simulator that details how the brain hears and
interprets music on a physiological level. This will be useful in figuring out which
parts of the brain are responsible for musical intake and how those parts are
integrated with other learning parts of the brain.
Magee, WL. & Andrews, K. (2007). Multi-disciplinary perceptions of music therapy in complex
neuro-rehabilitation. International Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation 14 (2) p70-75.
Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
This article focuses on the use of music intervention during rehabilitation in
patients with neurological disabilities. A focus is put on priority and frequency of
intervention. This is useful to me because I want to focus on the neurological side
of development and how music plays a role in the development.
Olischar, M. Shoemark, H. Holton, T., Weninger, W. & Hunt, R., (2011). The influence of music
on aEEG activity in neurologically healthy newborns ≥32 weeks' gestational age. Acta
Paediatrica 100 (5) p670-675. Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
This article shows EEG results of healthy newborns during sleep, and compares
these results to healthy newborns listening to music during sleep. This
information is helpful because newborns have not been pre-exposed to any other
interventions. Their brains are clean slates and optimal for gauging reactions.
Paul, S. & Ramsey, D. (2000). Music therapy in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Australian
Occupational Therapy Journal 47 (3) p111-118. Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
This article focuses on the pairing of music therapy with physical therapy, which
is becoming more commonplace in recent years. This article will help me to
provide further proof and information on the benefits of music paired with
therapy.
Rahlin, M., & Stefani J. (2009). Effects of music on crying behavior of infants and toddlers
during physical therapy intervention. Pediatric Physical Therapy 21 (4) p325-335.
Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
Physical therapists sometimes employ the use of music to help soothe irritable
infants during sessions. This article will help in my research because it will be
useful to learn how the brain is more open to receiving physical stimuli, for
example therapy, while engaged in listening to music.
Savarimuthu, D. & Bunnell, T., (2002) The effects of music on clients with learning disabilities:
a literature review. Complementary therapies in Nursing and Midwives 8 (3) p160-165.
Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
This article focuses on using music with disabled persons in calming aggression
and improving communication skills. This is important to my research because it
supports the findings of other articles in showing the helpfulness of music therapy
and of using music while conducting other therapies.
Standley, JM. (2001). Music therapy for the neonate. Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews 1(4)
p211-216. Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
This article focuses on the growing practice of using music in the neonatal care
units to help facilitate growth and development in preemies. This will be helpful
in my research because it focuses on neonates, whose brains are essentially a
blank slate. They represent a group of individuals who have no prior exposure to
music or interventions of any kind.
Standley, J., Cassidy, J., Grant, R., Cevasco, A., Szuch, C., Nguyen, J., Walworth, D., Procelli,
D., Jarred, J., & Adams, K. (2010). The effect of music reinforcement for non-nutritive
sucking on nipple feeding of premature infants. Pediatric Nursing 36 (3) p138-145.
Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
This article discusses a study that was done which incorporated music into the
development of infants, focusing on their ability to learn the suck, swallow,
breathe cycle. This particular study showed the positive effect that the music had
on the infants.
Vervoot, J., DeVoight, MJA., Van den Bergh, W., (2007). The improvement of severe
psychomotor and neurological dysfunctions treated with the Tomatis Audio-PsychoPhonology Method measured with EEG brain map and auditory evoked potentials.
Journal of Neurotherapy 11(4) p37-49. Retrieved from Ebscohost.com
This article described studies done with EEG mapping on patients with severe
psychomotor and neurological dysfunctions undergoing auditory stimulation.
This will be very important in my research, as it shows physiological changes that
occur in the brain during period of auditory input.