Why should we be concerned?

Transcription

1 Gaga or Gershwin? What every psychiatric nurse needs to know about the influence of music on emotion, cognition, and behavior. APNA 25 th Annual Conference Anaheim, CA. David Horvath, Ph.D, PMHNP-BC (The speaker has no conflicts of interest to disclose) Why should we be concerned? Psychiatric nurses are natural listeners Music s potential as a therapeutic modality Music s potential as a detriment to healing Knowing what music our patients are ingesting Teaching opportunities Good music? Bad music? The ingredients of music Ingredient Rhythm Melody Timbre Harmony Effect Energy, pulse Signature, identity Texture Feeling, emotion Horvath 1

2 How do human beings develop musical intelligence? Brain is hard wired/forward compatible 2 months: express preference of consonance over dissonance 6 months: categorize consonant/dissonant sounds 5 years: melodies recognizable 6 12 years: sensitive to harmonic structures (Trainor, 2004) Harmony Primary affective component of Western European music Basic harmonic unit is a chord (3+ notes) More notes in a chord = greater complexity Chords provide the textual foundation for melody Can convey a wide range of moods and emotions; the vocabulary of music Happy music? Sad Music? Major = happy Minor = sad What about everything in between? I love you = happy I don t love you = sad I loved you =? If I loved you =? Horvath 2

3 The power of music Articulates feelings without being wedded to them A key change may convey a new worldview The formulation and representation of emotions and moods presented directly to our understanding so that we may grasp and comprehend them Musical forms are audible metaphors of human feeling/emotion (Langer, 1968) Psycho musical dynamics (mainly classical/jazz) Tension Resolution Motion Rest Agreement Disagreement Preparation Fulfillment Sudden Change Dissonance/Consonance What about Pop Music It s purpose? To entertain 3.5 minutes to tell a story about love or why someone should be dancing Length puts limitations on thematic development Still, unlimited options are open to the song craftsman Does the music serve the story?, i.e. You ve Got a Friend (C. King) Horvath 3

4 Lady Gaga Born this Way : Gaga s answer to 3 years of questions about who she really is (NYT, 5/11) An anthem for our generation 3 chords (F# major, E major, B major) repeat throughout entire song for 4:20. George Gershwin Accomplished pianist, composer, orchestrator Songwriting approached as a serious endeavor Moved to SC to compose Porgy and Bess Differences Gaga (pop) Limited emotional feeling due to rudimentary song structure Harmony, melody, irrelevant to purported meaning of song Dynamically, static Gershwin (classical/jazz) Expanded harmonic templates allow for introspection/ interpretation t ti Harmony, melody evoke emotion, lament, as appropriate Dynamically, fluid Horvath 4

5 Characteristics of Pop Music, Avg. chords /song drop from 8 (1980) to 2.8 (2010) Emphasis on bad boy, bad girl persona, sexuality, Glorification of felonious life style, rebelliousness, and nihilism. Idolatry. Amateurish music used as an aural conveyor belt for crude lyrics. TV jingles have deteriorated into kindergartenlevel compositions. The effect of constantly repeating rhythms and harmonies Unchanging tones and rhythms signal a stuck approach to life Anger, sadness, or fear often predominates Reinforces a negativistic ii i world view Little hope of change you re going nowhere Some visuals promote social contagion of selfinjury Catharsis and healing through violent or dark imagery? Not necessarily so. Listening to angry, violent music does not provide cathartic release (Anderson, 2006) Adolescents exposed to hours of rap videos/week 38% developed new STD in within 12 mo. 38% developed new ST in within mo. 5% had struck a teacher 12% had been arrested 15% had promiscuous sex 44% consumed drugs or alcohol Adverse consequences increased with viewing time Horvath 5

6 Destructive behaviors Between 2004 and 2008: E/R visits for suicide attempts rose 15% E/R visits for drug abuse rose >20% 161% increase in adolescent psychotropic prescriptions from over previous years Violence among adolescent girls continues to escalate: 26.7% engaged in serious fights with intent to hurt (Males =33.6%) (SAMHSA, 2010; DAWN, 2010; Thomas, 2006) What to do. Find out what your clients are listening to Keep abreast of current trends and performers: restrict objectionable media as possible. Play alternate music within listening range 70s 80s R+B, MOR is a good place to start. Classical music on your unit, in office, car radio Support live classical or jazz in your area. Music lessons Think of your life as a symphony. What would it sound like? In summary: Humans develop musical acquisition skills early in life, peaking in adolescence and maturing in later life. Popular music has traditionally facilitated this process. However, Most current Top 40 songs lack the musical ingredients to establish a solid musical foundation for young people. Many promote negative behavior. Psychiatric nurses are encouraged to provide diverse and rich musical experiences for clients to help them enhance mental health. Thank You and Good Luck! <dhorvath08@gmail.com) Horvath 6