The effect of music education in auditory perception of dancers

• Grant number: 11/13781-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2011
• End date: August 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Liliane Desgualdo Pereira
• Grantee: Mariane Richetto da Silva
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Central auditory processing (CAP) is the group of specific abilities that enables the subject to interpret what He or She hears. (ASHA, 2005). Recent studies suggest that a formal musical education not only reinforces the specific musical knowledge but also substantially affects the development of basic behaviors and neural processes in a series of dominions and modalities. (Hannon, Trainor, 2007). People with a music education can detect sounds faster and of diverse durations in music and speech in a faster and more precise way then those people who do not have this kind of education. The music training facilitates the capacity to extract temporal patterns during the shorter periods of time or longer sound sequences what is necessary to identify the music melody. (Wenjung et al., 2009). Studies show that adult musicians that started their training before the age of seven presented a better performance in visual-motor tasks than those that began studying music after the age of seven. (Bailey, Penhune, 2010). Dance combines many resources besides being a physical activity, combines emotion, social interaction, a sensorial stimulation, motor coordination, and music, therefore creating the environment conditions that enrich the individuals. Dance promotes a vast number of beneficial effects that are not limited to motor development, posture and equilibrium, but also involves cognitive abilities. (Kattenstroth et al., 2010). Dance steps are always accompanied by music. In dance individuals work with motor, spatial and temporal abilities, motor coordination, memory, and is continually exposed to music. The present study proposes to investigate if dancing could have some influence in the auditory processing abilities. The sample Will be comprised of two groups, the dance group (DG) with 20 subjects and the control group (CG) with 20 subjects, paired in gender, age and years of formal education. The selection criteria for the dance group are: basic audiologic evaluation within normal limits, without any evidence of neither neurological problems nor learning concerns, and with a minimal dance education of eight years. The criteria for the control group (non dancers) are: basic audiologic evaluation within normal limits, without any evidence of neither neurological problems nor learning concerns, and without any education in the dance or music areas. Each individual will complete a hearing screening, a cognitive assessment (NEUPSILIN) and will answer a general questionnaire. The Gaps in noise Test - GIN test -and the SSI test will also be completed. The Gaps in noise (GIN) assesses the auditory ability of temporal resolution, and it determines the gap detection threshold, that is the minimal time in milliseconds, that was identified as an interruption in the sound stimulus (Musiek et al., 2004). The SSI is a close message test that requires the listener to identify one of many sentences presented associated to a competitive message that works as background noise. (Anastásio, Santos, 2005). (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MARIANE RICHETTO DA SILVA; KARIN ZILIOTTO DIAS; LILIANE DESGUALDO PEREIRA. Estudo das habilidades auditivas de resolução temporal e figura-fundo em dançarinos. Revista CEFAC, v. 17, n. 4, p. 1033-1041, 2015-08-00. (11/13781-5)