Today I was able to give a presentation for USU's Music Therapy Forum. This event is held each year, in the Taggart Student Center, as a means for the general population of the university to discover and learn about music therapy. Students from the program, who have participated in practicums in various populations, are asked to give presentations relating to a specific population and how music therapy is beneficial for those involved.
I was one of three asked to give a presentation. Mine was on Music Therapy and Geriatrics, specifically focusing on Alzheimer's disease and dementia. As I've had previous experience with the Geriatric population through Terrace Grove and through Hospice, I can attest to music therapy's effectiveness with this particular population. The other presenters talked about CAPSA (Community Abuse Prevention Services Agency) and Sound Beginnings (children with Cochlear Implants).
I gave an overview of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, then presented research to display music therapy's effectiveness with the geriatric population, testimonials, and an experiential including "You are My Sunshine" with handbells.
It was a lot of fun and I had some awesome volunteers for the experiential, most of them non-music therapy majors. All in all, the turnout was great and we had a great question-answer session at the end. It was a great learning experience for me and very informative for everyone involved.
Oh, and the video above was shown at the beginning of the Forum. It was created by a former music therapy student at USU. Please watch it, enjoy, and tell me your thoughts!
It was a lot of fun and I had some awesome volunteers for the experiential, most of them non-music therapy majors. All in all, the turnout was great and we had a great question-answer session at the end. It was a great learning experience for me and very informative for everyone involved.
Oh, and the video above was shown at the beginning of the Forum. It was created by a former music therapy student at USU. Please watch it, enjoy, and tell me your thoughts!
My thoughts are: #1.I love old people. #2.I think my Grandma is starting to develop beginning stages of dimentia and it makes me sad... she's forgetting a lot of things.When I first met Scott and Michael's Grandma Randall she was really all together and a little spunky. It was scary to watch her decline so quickly over a 4-5 year period. It happens fast, so I worry about my little granny! #3 I sure miss my grandpa! :) Glad you had fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mindy! It was fun. I love old people too. They are, by far, the population I want to work with as a music therapist. I can only imagine how scary it is to see a family member decline like you described. It always seems that when one loses a spouse later in life, those everyday functions almost always rapidly decrease because of lack of stimulation. I think your granny is adorable and I remember meeting your grandpa. They are definitely eternal sweethearts!
ReplyDeleteBecca! I had no idea that you were presenting at Forum! I bet it was awesome. It would have been neat to come and see you, but unfortunately someone didn't inform me ;)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I pretty much think you're awesome!