Katia Robert

Eng. 101/108
December 15, 2016

The Effect Of Music

Music...a form of enjoyment, a type of art, a way for one to express their feelings.
Its been described as Mankind's greatest achievement and something the world
would be lost without. But is it true that music also has its part in the medical world or
even the world of education? Well Jeanette Castro Hachmeister author of Music as a
Teaching

Tool and Amy Novotney author of Music as medicine believe so. This is
something i believe 100% because music is a very powerful thing, especially with this
generation. Ive heard stories of people whove gone through depression and then say
that a certain musician and/or their music helped them deal with it. Or when people
whove had to go through chemo say that the music made them feel better, happier
even. So lets find out what different moves the ladies who wrote these articles used
and whether music can really help people in two different ways.
Music as a Teaching Tool is an article written by a woman named Jeanette
Castro Hachmeister. Jeanette is a teacher at
the Learning Center at Childs Voice
School.
Childs Voice School is a school that focuses on listening and spoken language
for children who are deaf or hard hearing. She teaches Pre - k through kindergarten and
she was awarded the 2009 Golden Apple award that recognizes outstanding teachers in
Chicago.

Music as Medicine is written by Amy Novotney a former nurse who now owns
her own editorial business. She went to Northwestern University from 1998 - 2002 and
specializes in Communication, health writing, and psychology.
In Amys article talks about vibrations and method of relaxation that vibrations are
used for, she states that vibrations absorbed through the body can help ease the

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Katia Robert
Eng. 101/108
December 15, 2016

The Effect Of Music

symptoms of Parkinsons disease, fibromyalgia, and depression. A system that Amy

mentions is called Vibroacoustic therapy. It involves low frequency sound - similar to a
rumble - to produce vibrations that are applied directly to the body.

The purpose of these articles is to explain the ways music is effective in the
medical world as well as in the world of education. Both women have very important
roles and want to share the knowledge theyve gained and the ways that they use music
that was found effective. With Music as Medicine Amy is writing about the ways that
music is used in hospitals whether it be before surgery or during treatments. Music is
effective when it comes to people because as i said in my first paragraph its a form of
relaxation. Amy explains how before surgery or during treatment music will be played
because it relaxes the patients Listening to music was also found to be more effective
than prescription drugs in reducing anxiety before surgery also playing music for kids
during painful medical procedures is a simple intervention that can make a big
difference. Jeanette is writing about how using music in her classroom has made a
huge in the speech of the children. She teaches the kids with stories and every story
has a song. Jeanette says Every story has a song and by the end of the semester the
class sings about 10 songs. By giving every story having a song the students
remember the story and she says it gives the students words to express what happens
in these stories and is a tool to help the students comprehend key elements in the
stories.

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Katia Robert
Eng. 101/108
December 15, 2016

The Effect Of Music

The authors both use a ton of moves in their articles, some are similar, and some
are different.Thats one thing I really liked about these articles, that they have their own
unique moves and they have some of the same so theyre easy to compare and
contrast. One move that I found that the both of the authors use is they both quote
other authors a lot. Another move I found that Jeanette made that isnt very common is
she would talk about a certain song and include the song lyrics in the article after the
paragraph. For example of the songs that she includes in the article are The

Gingerbread Man and Blends (Blends are friends (snap, snap), Blends are
friends(snap, snap). Put two letters together. You hear both of them(snap, snap). Dr for
dress Sn for snake. Pl for plant St for star). Amy definitely went a little deeper into the
science of how music helps the patients, she talks about the experiments that have
happened and whats been tested and proven to work. Another move they both used it
they both explained how the music works for them in their careers and with the patients
and students. Amy uses a lot of references in her article to show where she got her
information from. Jeanette also asks question in her article like How does a teacher
reach all five levels within one class period? Amy also gives an example of one of the
experiments that was tested. The experiment was tested was done on 78 preschoolers,
they were divided into two groups with one receiving music instruction. Moves are a
critical thing in writing. They are made no matter what article youre reading, whether it
be about, music, sport, cars, ect. The author of the article with make them. These two
articles have so many moves that i probably left out, and so many more things about

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Katia Robert
Eng. 101/108
December 15, 2016

The Effect Of Music

them that make them different from each other. Like the most blatantly obvious thing is
the topics. Or the way that they were written. One is talking more about the music and
the lyrics and the other is talking more about how the music help people.
The articles have a lot of credibility/ethos. Ethos is basically when you give credit
to those who should be acknowledged when in this case using their original ideas or
their exact words. They both give credit to the researchers they got their information
from. Amy gives credit to Daniel J. Levitin a doctor that has tried out many experiments,
when saying while music has been long recognized as an effective form of therapy to
provide an outlet for emotions, the notion of using song, sound frequency and rhythm to
treat physical ailments is a relatively new domain. Jeanette gives credit to OKeefe &
Nadel two teachers who used the same techniques by saying These systems need to
develop in a stress - free yet novel environment where the learner can pattern current
stimulation into embedded natural spatial memory and their constantly engaged register
of experiences into three dimensional space.
So to compare the articles from my perspective, obviously Amys is a scholarly
article. Not just because it says it at the very top of the page, but because you can just
tell from all of the scientific evidence that she gives when talking about Vibroacoustic
therapy or even about frequency. Jeanette on the other hand, not to say hers isnt a
scholarly article, but hers doesnt give as much evidence. She explains experiments that
have been done on kids that are the same age as the ones she teaches and that has
been proven to work. All she really does is give the stories they read in her class and

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Katia Robert
Eng. 101/108
December 15, 2016

The Effect Of Music

the songs that go with them and then she credits some of the people that give her the
ideas. Both women make strong impacts with their methods.
To conclude, I feel as if these articles are could attract a very large audience. An
audience of different people. Because there are so many genres of music and not just
one type of person listens to one type of music. I chose the topic of the effects that
music has on people because its something Ive loved since i was very young and i
wanted to know just how powerful music was. Once i found these articles it caught my
interest and i thought that other people who shared my love for music would like to read
about it. Amy and Jeanette two different women that have two different life changing
careers neither have a bigger role than the other. I still have questions though. Like is
there a certain type of music that should be played in the hospitals? Or why were only
preschool kids tested with music to see if it helped them learn better? Wouldnt it be
more effective to try it on older kids in grades 4 - 12 maybe? I for sure have to keep
looking for things to answer the questions that are still unanswered.

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Katia Robert
Eng. 101/108
December 15, 2016

The Effect Of Music

Work Cited
1. "Music as a Teaching Tool." Music as a Teaching Tool | AG Bell | Listening and Spoken
Language. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.
2. Novotney, Amy. "Music as Medicine." Http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/11/music.aspx. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

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