The Effectiveness of Piano Therapy vs. Piano Listening on Manual Dexterity in the Elderly
Completed · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Aging, Manual Dexterity, Piano Therapy
In brief
Does active piano practice help recover hand dexterity in older adults, or does social interaction and music-listening alone affect motor performance? Researchers hypothesized improved dexterity after active piano playing, but not after passive piano listening. 15 residents of a retirement community were partnered together and completed 2 two-week piano training modules. In module 1, one partner played piano exercises and songs while the other listened. In module 2, partners switched roles. The Purdue Pegboard Test and Box and Block Test assessed fine and gross motor dexterity, before, between, and after the training modules. A repeated measures ANOVA showed a main effect of time on overall fine and gross motor function, but there was no main effect of playing versus listening. Results did not support the hypothesis, but indicate that piano-based therapy requires greater than 2 weeks to begin improving dexterity and may influenced co-occurring socialization.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT03372031
- Run by
- Westminster College
- People needed
- 20
- Starts
- 2017-08-30
- Expected to finish
- 2017-12-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2017-12-15
Who can join
Age: 70 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Able to physically and cognitively withstand 30 minute piano training sessions
Where it is running
- Shanango on the Green — New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.