The Effect of Bass Guitar-Playing Music Therapy on t he H and Functions of A dolescents w ith Cereb ral Palsy

Abstract

This study determined the effect of bass guitar-playing music therapy on the hand functions of adolescents with cerebral palsy. The subjects of this study were four adolescents who receive social welfare program in a center located in city S. Half-hour individual music therapy sessions were conducted two or three days per week for five weeks, consisting of 15 sessions in total. The music therapy program based on playing bass guitar was aimed at improving dexterity, grasping, and coordination of both hands of adolescents with cerebral palsy. The music therapy sessions were consisted of twanging the guitar string and practicing chromatic scale, accompaniment, as well as applied practices of accompaniment. In order to assess the hand functions, Purdue Pegboard Test and Box & Block Test were carried out by an occupational therapist, before and after the music therapy intervention. The researcher also designed modified Functional Independence Measure (FIM) to measure the differences of performance skills between dominant hand and non-dominant hand, and both hands during chromatic scale performances, by setting up lists of observed criteria. This modified FIM test was estimated by comparing and contrasting the total scores of dominant, non-dominant, and both hands, based on the analysis of six recorded sessions, once per week. The results showed that the four adolescents with cerebral palsy who participated in this program displayed the significant improvement in dexterity of dominant hand, in both Purdue Pegboard Test and Box & Block Test. Moreover, the subjects' performance skill of playing bass guitar enhanced, as evidenced in FIM assessment. Results suggested that bass guitar playing based music therapy could be a useful intervention in rehabilitating hand functions of adolescents with cerebral palsy.