Repertoire Recommendations by Music Therapists for Geriatric Clients during Singing Activities

ABSTRACT: Little is known about the actual repertoire music therapists use with geriatric clients during singing activities, particularly whether the repertoire choices represent the young adult years of persons categorized as seniors, as previous researchers have suggested. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to: 1) determine specific repertoire music therapists are using with geriatric clients during singing activities in the music styles of popular, patriotic, hymn, folk, and musicals and 2) determine what decades their repertoire choices represented. Surveys were sent to 455 music therapists who worked with geriatric persons. Of these, 151 music therapists returned a survey, creating a 33% return rate. A combined total of songs (N = 1688) were recommended within the five music styles. Results found popular music was the style category with the greatest number of song recommendations followed by folk songs, songs from musicals, hymns, and patriotic songs respectively. A complete list of the repertoire is included. In 2003 the American Music Therapy Association revised the professional competencies that music therapists must achieve during their undergraduate training in order to prepare for successful integration into the profession. These competencies, which include "performing a basic repertoire of traditional, folk, and popular songs" on keyboard, guitar, and with their voice (AMTA, 2004, p. 27) raise the question of whether students acquire adequate repertoire skills necessary to meet future music therapy practice (Prickett & Bridges, 2000). Because students learn and prepare to work with pediatrie, adult, and geriatric clients in a variety of clinical settings, the repertoire instruction music therapy students receive during their training must adequately prepare them to work with clients of all ages. This is particularly crucial when developing repertoire appropriate for working with the geriatric population since much of the music this population knows and enjoys is entirely new to students (Prickett & Bridges, 2000). To date, only one research study was found that investigated the repertoire knowledge of preservice music therapists and compared this knowledge with that of a geriatric population. Prickett and Bridges (2000) examined whether the music therapy students' recognition of folk songs overlapped that of a geriatric population's recognition. Undergraduate music therapy majors and senior citizens listened to a tape of 25 folk songs in which the participants were asked to "name the tune." Results found 80% of the students recognized 16 melodies and 80% of the senior adults recognized 10. All the melodies on the seniors' list were on the music therapy students' list as well. While the results were encouraging, the researchers stated: While deciding whether this level of song recognition demonstrates sufficient mastery of a broad enough repertoire for effective clinical use is an individual matter for each professor and clinical training director, we conclude that efforts to build a strong basic repertoire of simple, widely known songs which span age groups should continue and even increase, (p. 203) Research examining appropriate repertoire for geriatric clients is limited and has focused primarily on music and music activity preferences of seniors. Specifically, singing and listening activities have been found to be most preferred by older adults (Gilbert & Beal, 1982; Hylton, 1983). In regard to listening, older adults preferred popular music of their young adult years, defined as ages 18 to 25 years (Bartlett, 1980; Gibbons, 1977; Jonas, 1991; Lathom, Petersen, & Havelicek, 1982), as well as patriotic and religious music (Lathom et al., 1982). Similar results have been found when investigating senior preferences of repertoire used during singing activities as well. In a study conducted by Moore, Staum, and Brotons (1992), 135 participants between the ages of 60 and 110 were asked to indicate how much they preferred 118 songs, compiled from published songbooks for use with geriatric persons, in the musical styles of folk, patriotic, popular, and religious. …