Music and the Arts: Can They Transform Mind, Body and Spirit?

Newswise — If music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, as William Congreve once wrote, how else can the arts impact our lives?

The inaugural conference of Temple University's Arts and Quality of Life Research Center will draw together scholars and practitioners in the arts — architecture, music, film, dance, and the visual arts — to share their innovative programs, research and observations. The two-day event will take place Friday and Saturday, March 17—18, at Temple's Rock Hall, 1715 N. Broad St.

"The conference will focus on the elements of the arts that go beyond what we know happens in a performance or any arts experience," said Cheryl Dileo, director of the Arts and Quality of Life Research Center and professor of music therapy in Temple's Boyer College of Music and Dance, which offers the only Ph.D. program in the nation in music therapy.

Dileo's own research is examining the effects of music on medical patients at Temple University Hospital, specifically, those seriously ill with heart disease or cancer, and how music therapy affects them physiologically as well as emotionally, as well as how it might influence their satisfaction with their hospital experience.

"How can a song or an experience with music inspire, bring hope, bring people together? We're gathering data that will demonstrate the effect of music therapy." Next year, Dileo will conduct music therapy interventions with the medical staff with the goal of reducing absenteeism and burnout, and increasing job satisfaction. In their presentation on "Architecture as a Curative Power," Brigitte Knowles, architecture professor and associate dean of Temple's Tyler School of Art, and architecture student Jessica Zivkovitch explore how architectural space can create a sense of comfort at a time of crisis. They will introduce their design for a hospice for terminally ill patients and their families.

"As architects, we've lost the sense of what we can do through emotion, memory and imagination," said Knowles, who studied with the legendary Louis Kahn. "Most of us are probably extremely uncomfortable inside the icons of architecture. Contemporary design is based on functionality and beauty, but we don't design for the soul of a human being.

"I have always respected the poetry of Louis Kahn's words when he spoke of searching for the intangibles of architecture. How can architecture tantalize the senses? How can light and shadow, acoustical intimacy, the texture of materials impact the soul of a person who is suffering?

"The emotion of the space is frequently missing from what we create."

Other conference presentations include: ? "A Prescription for Musical Performance Anxiety," a look at techniques to assist musicians in channeling the feelings and behavioral responses of performance anxiety;

? "Singing the Songs of Life: Exploring the Benefits of Choral Singing for Elderly Persons with Illness or Disability," measuring the short- and long-term outcomes for members of a performing choir in a nursing and rehabilitation facility;

? "The 'Let's Dance!' Project," a 10-week experimental dance program for homeless residents of St. John's Hospice in Philadelphia;

? Carolyn Adams, professor of geography and urban studies at Temple, and doctoral candidate Josh Freely will present the findings of the Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project, a database measuring housing, education, health, arts and culture and other dimensions of neighborhood life in 353 urban and suburban communities and how arts and cultural activities and organizations can contribute to the quality of life in a community.

The conference begins on Friday, March 17, at 9 a.m., with opening remarks by Kenneth Soprano, vice president for research at Temple; Robert Stroker, dean of Temple's Boyer College; and Dileo. Delivering the conference's keynote address is president and CEO of Artist Tribe Michael Greene, who served as the first president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which presents the Grammy Awards.

For information on the Arts and Quality of Life Research Center at Temple or to view the full conference schedule, go to: http://www.temple.edu/boyer/ResearchCenter/index.htm

An online version of this release is available through the Office of Communications at: http://www.temple.edu/news_media/hg0306_200.html.