Abstract:

The effectiveness of certain musical practices such as singing or music and movement as part of music therapy has been demonstrated in many profiles (geriatrics, degenerative diseases, etc.). In the Faculty of Physiotherapy of the University of Valencia, we have experimented since the academic year of 2016/2017 with innovative projects based on musical elements designed specifically for application in Physiotherapy. All of these projects have involved role-playing to help students learn to adapt vocal technique and body expression (movement) exercises to the needs of the physiotherapeutic space. After two years of applying these training programmes, we decided to take another step to verify their effectiveness in real patients. During the academic year of 2018/2019 we implemented a project (UV-SFPIE_RMD18-839813) with the aim of building bridges between the classroom and the geriatric care setting. It was based on the module “Music and Geriatrics” from the subject “Music Therapy”, optionally taken by fourth year students as part of their Bachelor’s Degree in Physiotherapy at the University of Valencia. As well as allowing students to develop and apply music-based therapeutic tools, this project created a new space beyond the classroom where patients, students and teachers could interact to provide feedback and reflect on their experience.

Keywords:

Music, physiotherapy, innovation project, seniors.