Participation in Occupation 2: Third Posting - Aesthetics with the guitar

The Penguin Concise Thesaurus (Dictionary) has the meaning of the word 'aesthetic' given as "tasteful, classic, artistic, beautiful, cultured, refined" (Ferguson, Manser, & Pickering, 2000, p. 17).


There are various styles of guitar playing, some rough and not having much in the form of aesthetics, and some quite melodious and soothing and what I might consider as having "aesthetics."
Compare and contrast the two guitar playing styles below; A & B. I believe the first one is rough and hard and wouldn't fit in the meaning of aesthetic (tasteful, classic, beautiful, cultured, refined). The second one is a mellow and jazzy tune which, according to me, fits the bill in terms of aesthetics. Aesthetics though is subjective and this moreso in playing a musical instrument like a guitar where one person's classic hit is another's most boring tune. Sample these out

A - Hard and rough

http://youtu.be/6jAphZMWAFA


B - Smooth and mellow

http://youtu.be/zb1U6SDffOM


In guitar playing, it is not only the style of play that determines the end product sound, but also, the make or model of the guitar plays a crucial part.
"Any good instrument is far more than the sum of its individual parts, but the design and materials used for each component - and the way they all come together - determine the sound and playability of your guitar" (Hunter ,Bacon, Benedetto, Burrluck, Carter, Chandler & Day, 2002, p. 9).

When I was looking for a guitar to buy, I really concentrated on certain world renowned models because I believe that the kind of music I like playing needs the best designs around in terms of sound production. "Well-made acoustic guitars are like fine wines: they need time to mature, and if taken care of and played regularly, they will develop subtleties in sound and tone that will bring enjoyment to both player and listener for many years to come" (Willis, 2006, p. 9).

Participation in Occupation 2: Second Posting - ERGONOMICS

ERGONOMICS

Ergonomics looks mainly at improving activity productivity "...while minimising the adverse effects of task performance, such as fatigue, repetitive strain, stress, boredom and occupational injuries...The nature of work and its effects on the human body and in the capacity of the individual to respond to these demands" (Hagedorn, 2000, p. 177).

Whether one chooses to play the guitar whilst sitting or standing is mainly a matter of preference. Most playing positions are determined by where and for whom one is playing for (Luttjeboer, 2010). When I am practicing my guitar playing at home for long periods (2-4 hours), I find it less tiresome to do so in a seated position. This automatically changes when I am playing the guitar at Church where I have to be standing as part of worship, but probably play for just about 30 to 45 minutes at a time.

Guitars are also designed with ergonomics in mind using anthropometry in general or specifically for custom made guitars like the example below. The ergonomically designed guitar below is about how an instrument relates to the body when in use during playing/performance or what I would call 'occupation versus ergonomics compatibility.' This ties up with and supports Caulton & Dickson (2007) when they write that ergonomics is about constantly making "... slight invisible adjustments to an activity to adapt to the needs of those taking part and ensure that it continues to work for its intended purpose" (p. 93).

An ergonomically designed custom made guitar

http://youtu.be/gdGp-H47ikg


Other than the ergonomic considerations of the equipment (guitar), ergonomics also involves the environment and the mood of the activity. In guitar playing, the design of the guitar can also affect endurance during a performance (light versus heavy instrument or generic design versus custom made as above). These can have a bearing on conditions such as 'Occupational Overuse Syndrome' (O.O.S) if I play for long periods, especially when playing standing.

Participation in Occupation 2: First posting

MY ACTIVITY

ACTIVITY: Playing the guitar.


Guitar playing is the activity that I will be exploring this time around. It is something I learnt to play during my primary school years in the seventies and have enjoyed playing ever since. I can spend hours on end playing the guitar alone, with my sons or with friends at home, at the beach or out in the country whilst enjoying the scenery.

YOURS TRULY. ME PLAYING AN ACOUSTIC BASS GUITAR AT HOME.

http://youtu.be/ngvHCFmfcfM


Playing the Guitar



http://youtu.be/n7fF_eRYM5k

Key points about what it really means to me.

Two things:

1. Time out alone for me, strumming on the guitar and singing familiar songs, chilling out, relaxing, de-stressing and calming my nerves whilst entertaining myself or friends.

2. Playing with others as a group or band with other additional instruments such as drums, keyboards, bongos, congas, chimes and other guitars. This as part of socialising or at Church as part of religious worship.


Personal experience of doing the activity (include mindfulness).

I sometimes have to listen to a song numerous times before I attempt to play it. Attempting to play it may also take me hours of patient practice until I master it. This helps in building a mind that can concentrate for long periods.

Mindfulness - I can sometimes play my guitar whilst simultaneously having a conversation or watching a TV programme.

As an OT student, what it means to me in terms of occupational activity

Playing guitar benefits in terms of occupation:

1. Cognitive exercise of the mind as a lot of concentration and patience is needed to master just one 3 minute song.

2. Entertaining self and others and helping others in praise and worship in a Church service.

3. Exercising the distal hand muscles and fine motor skills for someone rehabilitating or just strengthening these muscles.

NOTE: The great musician Julio Iglesias first started playing a guitar as rehabilitation after a very bad car accident.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio_Iglesias

Tutorial 8: Assistive Technology

PROVIDE A DEFINITION OF ASSISSTIVE TECHNOLOGY

It is "...any product, instrument or strategy, service and practice used by people with disabilities and older people - specially produced or generally available - to prevent, compensate, relieve or neutralise the impairment, disability or handicap, and improve the individual's autonomy and quality of life" (Pain, McLellan & Gore, 2003, p. 14)

To me, Assistive Technology refers to any equipment/devices that helps disabled people enhance the performance of their activities for daily living, be it personal cares, work, or leisure. This brings into focus items such as wheelchairs (including power chairs), walking frames, talking diaries, Hi-vis keyboards, braille, educational software, etc.

The video below answers a few questions about assistive technology

http://youtu.be/BIxus1IQK6s

Describe one piece of equipment introduced in the assistive technology tutorial.
Talking Diary/Album
Below is an explanation on how the talking photo album could be used

http://youtu.be/gMLV409Sbdw

This is in the format of a photo album. All the pages have a record button with a microphone used to give verbal audio instructions accompanied by an appropriate relevant guiding picture that gives a cue to a person with memory problems on stages of processes such as cooking a meal.

This device can cost a much as $130 and comes in A3 and A5 sizes. Occupational capacity of the user is enhanced because all the client needs to remember is to play it back and follow instructions and all occupations will be attended to. This website http://www.starmobility.co.nz/ has this and other forms of assisstive equipment.

"Talking Photo Album - A3

Level 2 assistive technology device to assist child with morning routine.

http://youtu.be/0UhPyj1asQA



"Combine literacy and ICT with this Talking Photo Album.

Leading on from the popular A5 Talking Photo Album, TTS bring you a bigger A3 sized album with all the same recording features, plus a loud speaker and larger visual area for children to display their stories and work.

The Talking Photo Album supports speaking and listening on the new Literacy framework especially focusing on photo sequences, presentations, hiding and revealing pictures and word recognition.

Record your stories, timetables or messages with the Talking Photo Album. Simply insert drawings or photographs into the plastic wallets and record up to a 10 second message on every page.

Each individual voice message can be played back at any time, simply with a push of a button" http://www.starmobility.co.nz/

OTHER FORMS OF ASSISSTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

Guitar playing for the blind

http://youtu.be/RZuqzoaa_0Q


REFERENCES

Guitar hero for the disabled. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://youtu.be/RZuqzoaa_0Q

Pain, H., McLellan, L., Gore, S. (2003). Choosing assistive devices: A guide for users and professionals. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Talking photo album. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://youtu.be/gMLV409Sbdw

Talking photo album. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://youtu.be/0UhPyj1asQA

What is assisstive technology. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://youtu.be/BIxus1IQK6s

Tutorial 7: Linking blogs of interest and exchanging comments.

Task One: Make a blog feed for your chosen 5 blogs. You can use Google reader and other tools to do this.

Below is a list of my chosen blogs.

1. Occupational Therapy Notes http://otnotes.blogspot.com/

2. ABC Therapeutics
abctherapeutics.blogspot.com

3. Autism Blog leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk

4. Cara Tate carapo1.blogspot.com

5. Medical News Today www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/rehabilitation/


Provide a record of at least one communication you have as a result of your blog postings

Medical News Today Opinion Included

Show Details

Dear Godhelp Nyashanu,

This is an automated email to inform you that your opinion titled 'Mental Food' has been included in the Voice Your Opinion section of Medical News Today.

To view the entire opinion thread, please see the link below: It is titled "DIET LINK TO BI-POLAR DISORDER-VISITOR-OPINION-MEDICAL-NEWS-TODAY"

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/opinions/69582/


Kind Regards

Medical News Today Administration

Tutorial 6: The Internet and online communities.

Introduce a chosen topic of interest drawn from your fieldwork experience, an OT practice area or a personal occupation. Search online for at least three communities that relate to this topic and address the following questions and tasks.

MUSIC

This is my chosen topic of interest from my own personal hobby/occupation. I am a musical instrument enthusiast. I have a passion for learning how to play musical instruments. I also love listening to all kinds of music whilst at home or driving on the motorway. I have known for some time that there is something called music therapy (cognitive), therapy using musical intruments (motor) and music/dance therapy or as occupational fun/leisure used by some health professionals such as us OTs and Music Therapists. This is of interest to me as a student of Occupational Therapy who likes to think in other terms, out of the box.When I was on placement at the Stewart Centre in Hamilton, I became part of the use of music use as  therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury patients. As a guitar and Bongoes player, I was slotted in with a fellow student co-playing and singing together with the patients on Thursday mornings to play a couple of happy sing along songs with all the clients singing along, helped by a group of old people from an Old People's Home close by.

THREE ONLINE COMMUNITIES

1. Australian Music Therapy Association http://www.austmta.org.au/

2. British Society for Music Therapy http://www.bsmt.org/

3. American Music Therapy Association http://www.musictherapy.org/

All these three societies' websites deal with basically the same issues, namely, member discussions on the websites about membership,training, accreditation, linking, funding, diary of events, and publications (Journals and Newsletters)



Provide a brief description of each community

Below is an advertisement/announcement for this year's conference for the Australian Music Therapy Association in Bribane, Australia. This explains about all that they are about.

"Australian Music Therapy Association

Welcome to the 37th AMTA National Conference

We look forward to welcoming you to Brisbane in 2011
for the 37th Conference

Conference: 17 and 18 September 2011
PDS: 15 and 16 September 2011

Royal on the Park Hotel, corner of Alice and Albert Streets, Brisbane

Family, groups and systems: The ecology of music therapy

Programs | Conference | PDS

This year’s conference will put the spotlight on families, groups and systems, exploring how these interact with clients, therapists and interventions to influence the way we conduct and reflect on our work. We will seek to understand and gain new perspectives related to treatment, theory and research by viewing these, our clients, and ourselves through an ecological lense.

Both clients and therapists come from or live within a family of some form and are also part of particular groups – whether they be treatment groups, professional groups, community or cultural groups. Other systems that surround our work include the communities in which we work, the institutions which employ us, and the current policy and governing environments.

This conference will be asking us to consider the following questions. How is the modern family changing and how do societal trends and values impact on the family unit and what does this mean for music therapy and the people who practice and participate in it? How do we best understand family and group dynamics in ways that contribute to our work? What does music therapy mean to families and groups who engage in it and what does it mean for the families of music therapists? How do we see ourselves as a professional group– who are we, where are we headed and what is our function and role in the healthcare system?

This year we have invited two keynote speakers to illuminate this theme.

Associate Professor Jan Nicholson, Principal Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Centre for Learning Innovation, Queensland University of Technology

Associate Professor Jan Nicholson has a background in child and family psychology with post-doctoral training in public health. Dr Nicholson’s research examines the influence of contemporary family, social and organisational environments on children’s healthy development, with a particular focus on vulnerable families. Jan has had significant experience in researching the effectiveness of music therapy with families and so will bring a strong research perspective to the conference.

Lucy Forrest, RMT, MMus (Ethno) BMus (Therapy) Hons

Lucy Forrest has been working in palliative care music therapy for 16 years, and currently works with Mercy Palliative Care in Melbourne, providing palliative and bereavement support to children, adults and families. Lucy is also a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, and her research is examining the experience of music for paediatric palliative care patients and their parents, who come from diverse cultural backgrounds.

To join the conference mailing list please email your details to the AMTA office.

Australian Music Therapy Association"
(http://www.austmta.org.au/)



BRITISH SOCIETY FOR MUSIC THERAPY

"The British Society for Music Therapy was founded in 1958 by Juliette Alvin and her colleagues under the name of 'Society for Music Therapy and Remedial Music' with the object of promoting the use and development of music therapy. This is still, in 2010, our aim. The BSMT is a Registered Charity, Number 260837.

At that time music therapy was scarcely known as a profession, although music had been acknowledged as a means of healing for thousands of years. The BSMT was vital in supporting the work of the early pioneers and in helping the developing profession to gain the respect and status which it now enjoys. The BSMT has grown into an organisation which reaches people with an interest in music therapy all over the UK and worldwide.

The BSMT acts as an advisory body and is a centre of information and dissemination on services, training, bibliography and research, receiving from home and abroad a vast number of enquiries on all aspects of music therapy.

Membership of the British Society for Music Therapy is open to anyone interested in music therapy. The international membership of the BSMT (currently around 800 people) represents many different professions including music therapists, musicians, medical and para-medical personnel, teachers, social workers, parents and students. Since 2000 members of the Association of Professional Music Therapists have automatically become members of the BSMT. Please go to the Membership page for further details.

The Society is run by the Chairperson, Executive Committee members and the administration team in the BSMT Office. The Executive Committee meets regularly in London to plan the future activities of the Society as well as the everyday running of the BSMT. Further committees are set up to deal with other events, such as the successful 10th World Congress of Music Therapy, held in Oxford from the 23rd-28th July 2002 with over 800 therapists attending. This huge event was planned by an Organising Committee of 8 music therapists and an International Scientific Committee of 22 music therapists and the administration team in the BSMT office.

There is also an Advisory Council"
(http://www.bsmt.org/the_society.htm)



"American Music Therapy Association

"AMTA's purpose is the progressive development of the therapeutic use of music in rehabilitation, special education, and community settings. Predecessors, unified in 1998, included the National Association for Music Therapy founded in 1950 and the American Association for Music Therapy founded in 1971. AMTA is committed to the advancement of education, training, professional standards, credentials, and research in support of the music therapy profession.

What is the Profession of Music Therapy?
Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program" (http://www.musictherapy.org/)


Below is a 'Youtube' video showcasing disabled people dancing just like any other breakdancers around town. They Are showing that disability does not mean inability as they partake in their favoured activities for daily living/leisure.


youtu.be/0b_9rhnn1r4

Below, exceptionally talented musicians with autism
Overcoming autism, spreading hope through music

youtu.be/ho18gaNa8Ow


Below, music being used as a catalyst for meditation.

youtu.be/WPvMJ0LMTtY


Below, Zimbabwean Disabled musicians performing in London. Music (performing and recording) is now their livelihood, their main occupation, though it started as a therapy tool to cure boredom. Technology helps a lot in the modifications of their instruments for ease of play.


youtu.be/tWM4ie1qF7E


REFERENCES


Australian Music Therapy Association. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://www.austmta.org.au/

American Music Therapy Association. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://www.musictherapy.org/

Breakdancing of Disabled People. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from youtu.be/0b_9rhnn1r4

British Society for Music Therapy. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://www.bsmt.org/

Liyana @ NAM 2009 Part 1. (2011). retrieved from, youtu.be/tWM4ie1qF7E, on 11 May, 2011.

Master Reiki Meditation Music, Calm Abiding Music. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from youtu.be/WPvMJ0LMTtY

Overcoming autism, spreading hope through music. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from youtu.be/ho18gaNa8Ow

Tutorial Five: Video Production Sessions

Provide a brief summary of the services offered by YouTube

YouTube is a Google owned video hosting and sharing service which lets users view and upload video files. Users can rate, add comments, and subscribe to videos and their favourite producers. It is located on the web @ URL www.youtube.com. A short history of YouTube is given below by wikipedia.

"YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005.[3]
The company is based in San Bruno, California, and uses Adobe Flash Video and HTML5 [4] technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos. Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals, although media corporations including CBS, BBC, Vevo, Hulu and other organizations offer some of their material via the site, as part of the YouTube partnership program.[5]
Unregistered users may watch videos, and registered users may upload an unlimited number of videos. Videos that are considered to contain potentially offensive content are available only to registered users 18 and older. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and now operates as a subsidiary of Google

Video technology
Playback
Viewing YouTube videos on a personal computer requires the Adobe Flash Player plug-in to be installed in the browser. The Adobe Flash Player plug-in is one of the most common pieces of software installed on personal computers and accounts for almost 75% of online video material.[37]
In January 2010, YouTube launched an experimental version of the site that uses the built-in multimedia capabilities of web browsers supporting the HTML5 standard. This allows videos to be viewed without requiring Adobe Flash Player or any other plug-in to be installed.[38][39] The YouTube site has a page that allows supported browsers to opt in to the HTML5 trial. Only browsers that support HTML5 Video using the H.264 or WebM formats can play the videos, and not all videos on the site are available.[40][41]
Uploading
Videos uploaded to YouTube by standard account holders are limited to 15 minutes in duration. When YouTube was launched in 2005, it was possible to upload longer videos, but a ten-minute limit was introduced in March 2006 after YouTube found that the majority of videos exceeding this length were unauthorized uploads of television shows and films.[42][43] The 10-minute limit was increased to 15 minutes in July 2010.[44] Partner accounts are permitted to upload longer videos, subject to acceptance by YouTube.[45] File size is limited to 2 GB for uploads from YouTube web page, and to 20 GB if Java-based Advanced Uploader is used. In December 2010, YouTube announced that holders of standard accounts would be allowed to upload videos of unlimited length, provided that they have a good history of following the site's Community Guidelines and policy on copyright.[46][47] YouTube accepts videos uploaded in most container formats, including .AVI, .MKV, .MOV, .MP4, DivX, .FLV, and .ogg and .ogv. These include video formats such as MPEG-4, MPEG, VOB, and .WMV. It also supports 3GP, allowing videos to be uploaded from mobile phones.[48] Videos with progressive scanning or interlaced scanning can be uploaded, but for the best video quality, YouTube prefers interlaced videos to be deinterlaced prior to uploading. All the video formats on YouTube use progressive scanning.[49]
Quality and codecs"
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube)


Introduce a chosen topic of interest drawn from your fieldwork experience, an OT practice area or a personal occupation.

MY chosen topic is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

"Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined by the Brain Injury Association of America as 'an insult to the brain, not of degenerative or congenital nature, caused by an external physical force that may produce a diminished or altered state of consciousness, which results in impairments of cognitive abilities or physical functions. It can also result in the disturbance of behavioural or emotional functioning" (Atchison & Dirette, 2007, p. 231).


Find five different sources of online video content that help explain, demonstrate or provide personal experience of your topic.

TBI VIDEO ONE
BASIC FACTS ABOUT TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

http://youtu.be/d-TOzS4CWpA


TBI VIDEO TWO
JUSTIN'S PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH TBI

http://youtu.be/lr8yMCAZKoI

TBI VIDEO THREE
CONTACT SPORTS INDUCED TBI - ESPN NEWS BELOW

http://youtu.be/Q8DXiCr3-jE


TBI VIDEO FOUR - FORMER BOXER LIVING WITH PUNCH INDUCED TBI

http://youtu.be/LGz-unNi1dU


TBI VIDEO FIVE

http://youtu.be/SeqrFcS7HFc


REFERENCES

Atchison, B. J., & Dirette, D. K. (2007). Conditions in occupational therapy: Effect on occupational performance (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

Basic Facts About Traumatic Brain Injury. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://youtu.be/SeqrFcS7HFc.

Interview with Gerald McClellan 6 years after Traumatic Brain Injury. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://youtu.be/lr8yMCAZKoI.

Justin's comeback from brain injury. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://youtu.be/LGz-unNi1dU.

Traumatic Brain Injury-ESPN Outside the Lines. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://youtu.be/Q8DXiCr3-jE.

Treating Traumatic Brain Injury wit Neurotopia. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://youtu.be/d-TOzS4CWpA.

Youtube.(2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube