Project Reflection

  The 20% project has left an impact on me in many ways. Not only was I learning more about my major, but I was also exploring information about my passion of singing. Presenting my product to many people was very nerve-wracking. However, I was so comfortable and loved my topic so much that my presentation felt very natural. I was comfortable answering all kinds of questions about singing and speech. I presented my product to my mom when I arrived home for the weekend, and she was so proud of me and so interested.
  I created a Prezi to present my product and research. It can be found here. I learned so much about Singing and Speech through my time researching for this project. Through the 20% project, speech pathology has become a passion of mine, much like singing. I learned about methods such as Melodic Intonation Therapy and because very familiar with how it works. Methods for speech therapy using singing are things such as repetition, fill in the blank, and imitation. It is also all about trial-and-error. What works with some patients might not work with others. I also learned more about patients going through speech therapy through music, like my inspiration Gabi Giffords. During the showcase, I was so proud of my work as people watched my presentation with such interest.
  The only difficulties I faced during the 20% project were deadlines. Being busy with other classes, working out of the classroom tended to be difficult. However, I got the project done and was very happy and satisfied with my product.

UPDATE

I have decided to create a Prezi to more effectively present my product to my audience.

Progress Check

I am in shock that this is my fourth post for my 20% project. I have become so inspired by the stories I have read about the power of music and its impact on speech therapy. Through rehabilitation methods, adults and children alike are capable of finding their voice again. Specifically, Gabrielle Giffords's story is so incredibly inspiring. I sent the video to my mom who is a occupational therapist. I said "This is what I want to do with my life" in the subject line. She said "And I think you will be great at it! Go for it!" As cheesy as that was, it is amazing how this project has helped me find a very specific career path that I'm interested in.

I plan to create a website that explains methods of speech therapy though music. The first page will be a biography page all about me and how I fell in love with music and combining it with speech therapy. Another page will be my inspiration page. I will retell the story of Gabby Giffords in my own words. The next page will have methods and potentially videos of me singing the methods and explaining them. This website is targeted to parents of children with speech disorders and families of adults looking into speech disorders. Those who have been in horrible accidents like Gabby Giffords, their families can look into speech therapy and see what their options are. This website will be available for those families to understand what lies ahead and the very possible positive outcomes. It is always better to be educated about a loved one's treatment.

Research

 As I learn more and more about how music and song impact speech therapy, I am becoming more interested in my major and future career path. In my last post, I discussed how music and singing can affect a child in speech therapy. In this post, I will be discussing different information that I'm finding about my research question and how singing and music in speech therapy is helping adults.

  I have begun to look at other SLP's blogs to see what connections they have discovered between music and speech. Many of them have links to health articles about music therapy. This article discusses how the brain precepts music. It says that there are many connections and overlaps between listening to music and singing songs and listening and producing speech. It also offers tools for speech therapy to incorporate music and song into treatment. This Youtube video offers an example of the "fill-in-the-blank" method and how breathing and rhythm impact speech therapy specifically. Our bodies are very perceptive to rhythm and song, thus creating a great treatment methods for SLPs. The best part is that these techniques can be used for adults and children.

  In 2011, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head during an attempted assassination in Tucson, Arizona. The bullet went through her head and damaged many parts of her brain. She went through serious surgeries, physical therapy, and speech therapy. One of the methods used in her healing process was speech therapy through music. In this video, Gabi is getting frustrated with speaking and saying the word "light". At 3 minutes and 15 seconds, she begins to sing "This Little Light of Mine". I am absolutely amazed by this. A woman who has been through serious head trauma (left brain damage) is learning to speak again through song. It is remarkable and inspiring. This video also offers so much information regarding the connection between music therapy and getting Gabi's language back. This is another way that I'm researching my topic. Youtube videos show great examples and offer fantastic information. Almost all of the methods used in the article above are used for Gabi's recovery. This is a great example of how music in adult speech therapy really works. 

"Makes Me Want to Sing"

http://www.smartspeechtherapy.com/guest-post-makes-me-want-to-sing-improving-your-childs-speech-and-language-skills-through-music/

I found this article to be extremely interesting and very beneficial to my 20% project. This blog post from Smart Speech Therapy LLC describes the correlation between children and singing. It discusses the positive benefits of verbal practice on speech therapy from when a child sings. The act of imitation and repetition helps children to develop their speech skills. Through trial and error, therapists have become able to adjust their methods to help each child individual with their speech through music.

The author gives many tips on how to ensure success through music in speech therapy. Singing whatever your child can already say helps them to learn pronunciation and letter sounds. Singing about what the child loves and repeating it can also help them to increase their speech skills. When they are interested in the topic, they learn the best. By repeating the song, the child is more likely to participate in singing along and learning. They also love singing songs in repetition like "your turn, my turn" so they learn phrases and lines. They are directly imitating what is being said, and in return becoming better speakers.

I found this post to be very helpful to my 20% project. It truly takes my topic and gives direct ways of how singing benefits children. I would like to further this exploration by looking at how it affects adults in need of speech pathology.

What impacts does singing have on speech therapy?

I was blessed with a passion for music since the day I was born. My dad introduced me to his favorite bands and would play them on repeat while I was strapped into my car seat as a child. Now, I have developed my own love for music. I started singing when I was 11 in my middle school choir. My love for singing grew as I entered high school and fell head over heels in love with the beauty of song. I have stopped singing since I arrived at the University of Georgia, but my obsession with music has never ended.

When I was deciding what major to pursue in college, I originally put Social Studies Education. During my senior year, I interned at my middle school with my favorite teacher. I quickly realized that middle school education was not for me. Working as an unpaid intern for 3 hours a day (when the requirement was only 5 per week), I was exhausted and turned off. My mom is an occupational therapist and advised me to look at speech therapy, or more formally, Communication Sciences and Disorders. She knows about my love for music and told me that I could really incorporate my love for music into my major. 

As a freshman, I have not yet been able to fully see what my major has to offer. Through the 20% project, I will be able to see how I can truly incorporate my passion for singing into my future job hopes. Many doctors have seen a correlation between simple melodies and songs with communication and speech. This is mainly seen in stroke patients. This is known as melodic intonation therapy.

I am excited to learn more about this topic and explore how singing and music impact speech pathology.