Educational innovation project: songs for life

doi:10.15406/mojgg.2019.04.00182

MOJ

eISSN: 2574-8130

Gerontology & Geriatrics

Research Article Volume 4 Issue 3

Educational innovation project: songs for life

Ana M Vernia Carrasco

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Department of Education and Specific Didactics, Jaume I University, Spain

Correspondence: Ana M Vernia Carrasco, Area of Didactics of Musical Expression, Department of Education and Specific Didactics, Jaume I University, 12071 - Castellón de la Plana, Spain

Received: February 17, 2019 | Published: May 9, 2019

Citation: Carrasco AMV. Educational innovation project: songs for life. MOJ Gerontol Ger. 2019;4(3):74-75. DOI: 10.15406/mojgg.2019.04.00182

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Abstract

This project that starts in a small town of Castellón (L'Alcora, Spain), includes a sample of 30 seniors between 60-90 years of age, who meet once a week to sing together. The participants do not have musical knowledge, the psychomotor control is varied, because this is also the difference in age, counting on one participant in a wheelchair, another with an injury to the left arm, two more with habitual deconcentration or forgetfulness. However, our proposal is aimed at the prevention of dementias, such as Alzheimer's and provide a better quality of life, therefore, although the benefits of music are multiple and varied, we collect a small sample related to our interests

Conclusion: the instruments showed a strong or moderate correlation and can be used to evaluate the postural balance in the nursing home residents.

Introduction

Music can be a powerful tool for education, social relationship, can even help in concentration, relaxation or to know the emotions, these would be some of the benefits that we see today with greater growth in society. Hars et al.¹ to address their research, they start from the fact that music is beneficial for multitasking training, influencing both cognitive functioning and mood. In their research they have older adults from 65 years of age. The conclusion reached after six months of intervention, one hour per week, was that the use of music from Dalcroze¹ methodology improved cognitive function and decreased anxiety compared to control groups.

In the opinion of Dalcroze, the nervous sensibility (sensibilité nerveuse) allows to recognize and experience all the qualitative nuances of motor activity, establishing connections between artistic and muscular ideas. For this reason, Dalcroze says that the objective of the animated plastic is to achieve the balance between the corporal actions, allowing to feel and express the music corporally. It is not strictly achoreography but rather to express or interpret a music through the body.²

Music interventions have been widely adopted as a potential non-pharmacological therapy for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) to treat cognitive and/or behavioral symptoms of the disease. In spite of the prevalence of such therapies, evidence for their effectiveness report mixed results in the literature.³

In this line, Prickett and Moore⁴ showed that patients with Alzheimer's can be stimulated through songs that are familiar to them and with constant practice they can even learn new songs, despite not being able to remember recent conversations. In their study, these authors addressed different aspects of verbal memory with and without music, with verbal material from their childhood associated with a music, that is, words that had always been associated with a melody or cantinela. As say Leggieri et al.³ music listening may act as a relaxation technique and therefore provide a long-term impact for the patient.

¹ Musical pedagogue, whose methodology starts from the corporal and rhythmic expression, to intellectualize music, use the body as a learning tool.

Methodology

We understand our proposal as a case study, in which we will use several tests, to assess the sample before and after (sociodemographic, Pfeiffer Test, Mini-Mental). In addition, we take into account that, Meredith Belbin developed a methodology to achieve a high performance teamwork. This author defines role as our individual, personal way of behaving, of contributing to the task and of relating to other people at work.⁵ Group activities, therefore, presuppose that all its components are necessary, creating a bond that will be reinforced if emotions are also shared.

Proposal of musical activities

Based on the fact that Dalcroze's pedagogical method was originally designed for its students of higher education in the conservatory and seeing its potential since the game was applied to children, it is necessary to remember that not everyone learns in the same way, since it is necessary to have Consider the age. Our proposal is aimed at people over 60 to 90 years of age:

Music for the improvement of the quality of life

Pre-select a small repertoire according to the tastes and preferences of the students.

Listen to the repertoire and try to chop the pulsation of each song.
Walk the pulse and beat the rhythm with your hands.
Walk the rhythm and chop with the hands the pulsation.

Introduction to music and its education

Sing the DOM (CM) cale by imitation (with accompaniment to the piano or other instrument).

Place the notes on the staff.

Start with small exercises: do, mi / fa, re / do, re, mi, fa / do, mi, sol / sol, la, sol, mi, do /
Sing each little written exercise.

Enter the different simple measures (4/4, 3/4, 2/4)

Highlight the strong time of the weak through body movement.

4/4 walk and chop with your hands a strong blow to the fourth step.
4/3 walk and chop with your hands a strong blow to the third step.
2/4 walk and chop with your hands a strong blow to the second step.

Expected results and discussion

We still can not talk about results, but we do start from the potential that musical activity can represent in older people, and we hope that their concentration and quality of life, as well as their motivation for music and social and personal relationships, will improve. We estimate that, after active musical activities, such as singing while applying musical expression and body movement, they can reveal improvements in psychomotor skills and a greater capacity for concentration and memory. We hope to apply our proposal and verify that our hypotheses are confirmed positively. In addition, we hope that this proposal is implemented in other geographical areas to be able to contrast music activities and participant profiles, to know if the proposed activities have the same effects in all participant profiles.