Moulden 1

Ethan Moulden
Mrs. DeBock
English 4
18 February 2016
Essential Question: How does music therapy affect patients with diseases?
Working Thesis: Music therapy affects patients with Parkinsons disease, Alzheimer's disease,
and Muscular Dystrophy.
Refined Thesis: Music therapy has positively benefited patients that suffer from Parkinsons
disease, Alzheimers disease, and Muscular Dystrophy.
Annotated Bibliography
"Alzheimer's Disease and Music Therapy." Alzheimer's Disease and Music Therapy. Web. 17
Mar. 2016
This article is sponsored by the Alzheimers Awareness Foundation and discusses ways to
deal with the disease through music therapy. It gives directions based on the early, middle, and
late stages of the disease. It shows the contrast of the stages and the severity of treatment needed
to fight the disease appropriately. This happens because rhythmic and other well-rehearsed
responses require little to no cognitive or mental processing. They are influenced by the motor
center of the brain that responds directly to auditory rhythmic cues. A persons ability to engage

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in music, particularly rhythm playing and singing, remains intact late into the disease process
because, again, these activities do not mandate cognitive functioning for success. This article will
be used to show how Alzheimers disease can be prevented by music therapy.
"Effects of Musically Cued Gait Training in Parkinson's Disease: Beyond a Motor Benefit."
Annals Of The New York Academy Of Sciences. New York Academy of Science
Country of Publication. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.
This article talks about the effects of music therapy on Parkinsons disease. This article
discusses how the brain will react to the music and how the motor systems timing will increase.
The timing learned by playing different rhythms and beats will create and increased awareness in
the motor system. It will be able to work faster and more efficient. Parkinsons disease will
prevent the motor system from working at its full potential. The muscles will begin to tremor and
shake and rigidness will occur. This can be aided by music therapy as patients learn different
rhythms and notes they will develop better timing and control over the motor system. This will
help my research paper to show how music therapy can help fight Parkinsons disease
Individual Music Therapy for Managing Neuropsychiatric ..." Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
This article talks about Myotonic Dystrophy, a type of muscular dystrophy, that is defined
as a genetic disorder with progressive muscle deterioration and weakness. It talks about the
subject of this study who was diagnosed with congenital myotonic dystrophy with gross and fine
motor deficits and articulation disorders. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the
transfer of gross motor, articulation, and instrument playing skills during small group music
therapy sessions to regular physical education classes and regular music education classes.

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Results of the study indicated that the frequency of accurate task performances were significantly
correlated in music therapy and physical education classes and music therapy and music
education classes. This article can be used to show that music therapy will help patients learn to
use their motor systems the correct way to fight muscular dystrophy.
"Music Therapy Interventions in Parkinson's Disease: The State-of-the-Art."Frontiers. Web. 17
Mar. 2016.
The article shows how music has helped to fight against Parkinson's disease and improve
patients. It discusses how playing and listening to music may modulate emotions, behaviors,
movements, communication, and cognitive factors, modifying the activity of the brain areas
involved in the perception and regulation of these aspects. Rhythm has a crucial role in
rehabilitation, enhancing connections between the motor and auditory systems because it helps
the timing of the patients as this is one thing that they lack due to Parkinsons disease. Musical
rhythm in Parkinsons disease treatment can improve gait speed, frequency, and step length, as
well as limbs coordination, postural control, and balance. This article will be useds to show the
effects of music therapy on Parkinsons disease.
Pavlicevic, Mercedes, and Victoria Wood. Music Therapy in Children's Hospices: Jessie's Fund
in Action. London: Jessica Kingsley, 2005. Print.
Chapter 6 of this book details the effects of music therapy on two young boys with muscular
dystrophy. The two boys Tom and Irman suffer from severe cases of muscular dystrophy. They
both live in the same childrens hospice and are given therapy by the author the the chapter, Neil
Eaves. He goes on to explain they type of dystrophy they boys have and the severe effects of

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what they have. They are unable to use their muscles like a normal human as they cannot control
them. He uses the many devices they have to help the boys train their muscles back to the full
operating capacity. The instruments he has and the lessons he gives will help develop the motor
system back to normal because of the different rhythms and textures that he uses to teach them.
This article can be used to show how the treatment through music lessons can prevent muscular
dystrophy.
"Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of
Medicine. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
This article discusses the various ways that music therapy can benefit patients that are
diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. In this study two groups of 20 patients matched by age,
educational level, gender, illness duration, and cognitive state were assessed using a
questionnaire before and after music intervention. The questionnaire measured several aspects
including personal identity, anosognosia, affective state, body representation, prospective
memory, introspection and moral judgments. One group received familiar music stimulation and
another group unfamiliar music stimulation over three months. The patients who received a
familiar music intervention showed a stabilization or improvement in aspects of the
questionnaire. By contrast, the control group showed a deterioration of most of the questionnaire
aspects after unfamiliar music stimulation, except the questionnaire aspects of body
representation and affective state. This is because the music will affect the prefrontal cortex
which is the part of the brain that deals with all of the memory and identification of the brain.
This article will be used to show the aid of music therapy in fighting Alzheimers Disease.