September 17 Affordances

Music as a whole is something that lends itself to communication. Not verbal communication but instead on a spiritual or emotional level. It allows a communication between people who would otherwise never talk and transcends boundaries we experience on a daily basis.  "[Music] provides a means by which people can share emotions, intentions, and meanings even though their spoken languages may be mutually incomprehensible" (Hargreaves, Macdonald & Miell, 2005)


Walking down the street one chilly afternoon I noticed Mathias Piano Man busking with a piano. He offered to let me play and since then we have become friends.
He recently sent me a link to the video Music, Universal Language showing a number of us busking on his piano. One song I played captured his attention and a number of months later I received a message saying "there you go.. the one you inspired me...is finally a complete song.. and... free to download :) Cheers, enjoy !!"





Music has a unique way of touching the hearts of those around us. It lends itself to solitude and company, listening to an iPod or attending a concert, it knows no bounds to how it communicates with the world around us. "It is through our activities that we…practice skills, express our feelings, experience pleasure…” (Hopkins & Smith, 1983)


From watching a Samoan RWC game at the pub with at least 80 samoan supporters all singing the anthem with harmony to attending a church service allowing you to open your soul as you blend with the voices around you, to simply sitting on a quiet balcony playing to yourself music knows no bounds. Why else would every nation have an anthem? 




Hargreaves, D.J., Macdonald, R. & Miell, D. (2005). Musical communication. Oxford University Press: UK


Hopkins, H.L., & Smith, H.D. (1983). Willard and Spackman’s occupational therapy. In Crepeau E. (2003). Analyzing occupation and activity: A way of thinking about occupational performance. In Crepeau, E., Cohn, E., & Schell, B. (Eds.),Willard and Spackman’s occupational therapy (10th ed., pp.189-198). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

September 10 What the heck are ergonomics?

"Music should strike from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of women" - Ludwig van Beethoven

I was reading an excerpt from the book Performing Matters by Barry Gibson where he talks about the ergonomics of knowing an instrument, the developed familiarity that leads someone to name it, the acute knowledge of where each finger should go on this specific instrument and the size and weight that feel at home nestled in my lap...

Caulton and Dickson (2007) describe ergonomics as the ability to  “constantly make slight invisible adjustments to an activity to adapt to the needs of those taking part and ensure that it continues to work for its intended purpose”.

To me ergonomics include the size of the body of my guitar, the thickness of the neck, nylon vs steel strings, having a pick or a capo, how I'm sitting when I play and all those other things that allow me to close my eyes and play with confidence, not having to look but having what seems to be an innate knowledge of the piece of equipment I'm holding. All that really remains is for me to find the appropriate name for my dear guitar.

I became acutely aware of these factors following a fight between myself, a kinfe and a potato during dinner preparation that led to a nice cut on the tip of the middle finger on my left hand (you should see the other two...). Anyway this incident has impacted on my ability to play the guitar comfortably. Until now I had not been this aware of how important my middle finger is (and not in the sense of a single finger salute). Chords previously played with ease are now played with irritation as my short term memory steps up in all its GLORY and I repeatedly cause myself pain by forgetting to not play with my injured finger!

On the other hand time out from playing allows me time to write without the distraction of trying to fit a tune. Composition of lyrics and composition of melody are two very separate items. The environment surrounding me provides me with inspiration; someone unexpected walking past my window, rain when the sun is still shining bright, clouds lazily drifting by, blank walls, a poster I've had all my life, seeing a friend, receiving a txt or even checking up on facebook are all things that dare me to put them onto paper. Triggers for a physiological or emotional response just waiting to be translated to the language that is music. 

"Music, even in situations of the greatest horror, should never be painful to the ear but should flatter and charm it, and thereby always remain music." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Guitar and my inner creativity

An introduction to the purpose behind this part of the blog is my passion for music. One of the activities that has played a big role in my life so far is music: listening, playing, writing, singing and pretty much any other 'ing' word imaginable. At home growing up teenage angst and the odd occasion of PMS helped develop my passion for music, whenever I was feeling angry or emotional the piano was my best friend. Leaving home and travelling to university was the beginning of a new friendship with a nylon strung guitar in a solid case sturdy enough to deal with any clumsiness I could throw it's way.


One of the goals in my two hours of guitar and (attempted) composition this week was to focus on something else at the same time. It sounds simple enough on the surface but attempting to craft and compose while not focusing on the task at hand is something that creates an internal war of sorts. To create music it needs care and attention, something that is difficult to offer while focusing on not focusing on the topic at hand. Playing absently can be done without focus however as soon as you want to capture what you have been playing your focus shifts.


As much as I enjoy playing for personal enjoyment and as a method of relaxation and stress relief, attempting to purposely compose a piece of music can become a significant cause of stress. The physical issues like the caluses developing on the tips of your fingers, tired fingers from plucking and a stiff back from hunching over. Emotional stresses include realising your lack of co-ordination, trying to find the right words and melodies, trying to capture the essence of a moment or a feeling in words and notes that never seem to match up quite right. However this is only week one and the weeks to follow will give a more complete picture of composition and if i have what it takes. Till next time...

Other OT Blogs

Well in linking to other OT blogs you get to see alot of cool videos made by other groups.
Here are the 5 i chose to link to

Janine's
Amazingly awesome Alice's
A cool blog with relevance to Sensory Processing Disorders
The OT Toolkit blog
And a cool blog on assistive technology

Theres some cool stuff on these and can be worth a look if you're interested

Tutorial Eight and the end is in sight

Assistive technology generally refers to “broad range of devices, services, strategies, and practices that are conceived and applied to ameliorate the problems faced by individuals who have disabilities” (Cook & Hussey, 1995). So in real persons talk it pretty much includes everything used to help overcome challenges that people with disabilities have, or anything that makes it easier to do 'stuff'.

Well I was lucky enough to be in a different city when Dave came to speak about assistive technology. So I apparently missed out on a lot, especially considering all these other blogs have mentioned he happens to be an ex-model... Ah but that is life.

So instead of writing about the technology everyone else mentioned... Im going to link straight back to a wonderful thing i mentioned right at the beginning..... Word Q. This is a program that gets loaded onto your computer and makes typing easier. It predicts words from you typing in the first letter and means for people with reduced hand function they are able to work faster than they can unassisted. Success!

So, scroll down to my earlier posts and you will see all sorts of information (mostly just a video but it sounds better if I talk it up) about Word Q. 

Enjoy

Cook, A., & Hussey, S. (1995). Assistive technologies: Principles and practice. St. Louis: Mosby. 

Tute Six – Online communities and the interweb

So communities come in a number of different shapes and forms. From the people within the area you live, your classmates, your bowling club or other groups you may be involved in, each forms a community with people who have similar interests. Another form of communities are virtual or online. I get to tell you about three online communities of my choice that are relevant to either me or  to OT.

My first placement brought me into contact with a thing called Sensory Processing Disorder so I'm going to introduce three communities that are concerned with SPD. SPD is a disorder where sensory information is not 'normal' examples include being highly sensitive to touch or taste, bright lights may cause children pain that leads to tantrums, others need to feel pressure on their joints to be calm. It's such a broad classification that i advise looking through these communities and having a read to better understand what it is really like.

1. Firstly let me introduce you to www.sensory-processing-disorder.com

This is a website devoted to being a resource center for all things related to SPD from signs and symptoms to picky eaters pretty much everything is covered. Including a section for parents, stories about SPD experiences, a Q & A section and is choc-a-block full of information. This site is interactive and anyone can ask a question and be given feedback from others. This site is primarily to give help to desperate parents.

Heres an example of some of the input from people and it shows the importance of communities such as this, it is a place where other people understand and wont just tell you you're imagining things.

"My son has been diagnosed with Sensory processing Disorder and people are asking if the reason why he is acting like this is maybe it because of having tubes put in his ear is this possible or is it really SPD?"

with a response saying

"..People are constantly suggesting other diagnosis's or telling me he will grow out of it.. or telling me "we don't know yet and we should wait until he is older". Other people jump in to say, "my son does that... or my daughter does that.. why are you so worried". No one seems to get it..."

Ethics and all that

Site management state that they use tracking to moniter the movements and activity of users for the sake of analysing trends and gathering demographic data. There is a lack of identity and accountability but the nature of the site is primarily for the parents and provides information for them. Parents are going there to find other things that might work for their children and abuse of the resources are not overly likely.

2. Just as with everything else that exists today there is a Sensory Processing Disorder group on facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51964841184&v=wall

So, facebook is a very useable resource for members of the community in general to get together and discuss things. This group is providing a platform for parents to discuss and get new ideas and support for their children and how to deal with SPD. The group page is open to the public and it is conveniently located within facebook so for many people who do use facebook it is more conveniet than going to an external site for support. It's a world wide community with input from people from a range of cultures and backgrounds, offering more assistance than one could normally find in their local community. Members give input about everything including products that are useful or camps and retreats.

Here's an example of some of the member content

"Does anyone else's child clear their throat every minute or two? My son has been doing this for 3 days now and it is driving us all insane! He does it more when he is about to put food into his mouth"

"Yes, our daughter does (she has had to do since she was little). Constantly telling her to take a big cough. It got better once we put her on the GFCF diet. Just found out this week that she is allergic to soy, peanuts, and egg whites. So hoping it will get better soon. Hang in there.... it does drive people insane."

Ethical issues with facebook include the fact that your full name will be displayed to other people on facebook and information can be viewed by anyone with a facebook account. There could potentially be cases of people abusing the system however knowledge of SPD is not overly common so it is less likely to be stumbled upon by opportunists.

3. Last but not least is the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation website www.spdfoundation.net

The SPDF's purpose is expanding knowledge, fostering awareness and promoting recognition of Sensory Processing Disorder. The website encourages members to participate in research and members gain a 10% discount on training programs with the foundation. As with the first community i discussed the is plenty of information but the first one had far more detailed and usable information. Membership costs $50 but does provide some added extras for members. There are newsletters and libraries of resources for both the public and for members. Member participation is hidden in the member only section of the website so i'm not entirely sure of what they have to offer but the site does seem seem to be well put together and has lots of useful information.

The ethics surrounding this website are not overly compromising. you have to be a registered member to access member only areas and it protects member information

Tada, this should be the end of a long post. Thankyou for bearing with me!

Tute Five... Videos!

Its really quite difficult to 'provide a brief summary of the services offered by youtube'... It's a place were people of varying levels of talent go and upload videos and some of them end up famous or famously hated. With a few mouse clicks you can see Justin Bieber before he got famous and you can see why most of the world seems to hate someone called Rebecca Black. Asides from 'music' youtube has a wide range of videos from clips off tv shows to people voicing their opinions on current affairs, tutorials on how to do things which i have used including how to hula-hoop and what on earth the newton rhapson method was for my statistics exam. The world is at your fingertips thanks to the worldwide user contribution from youtube.

One topic that is fairly close to my heart is music. I've chosen five different videos that are significant to me.

The first one is a song called Cinderella 

Steven Curtis Chapman wrote this about his little daughters because one night he felt God whisper to savour the time he had with them after a stressful bath time one night. A few months after this song was written his youngest daughter was tragically killed in a car accident involving an older sibling. I've listened to this so many times and have played and sung it on piano and guitar. One of the truly special songs in life that holds extra meaning and reminders.

For the sake of saving space the other four videos are listed as links.

Hillsong Chapel - You'll Come
One of the most memorable songs I've sung at church. Can lead to some rather emotional moments...

On a lighter note... The Lazy Song - Bruno Mars I think this kind of video is pretty amazing and has had me spending a few hours giggling and i have forced all of my flatmates to watch it. If you haven't watched it... trust me its amazing!!

This next one is a little treat "Star Wars" preformed by a choir... I saw a choir sing this at the Big sing in my final year at high school and it reminds me of a road trip with some awesome friends and a crazy teacher.

Finally a dedication to two of the reasons i may or may not be in love with Gerard Butler - I am aware i said five videos but this really warrants two. a scene from P.s. I love you singing Galway Girl, and another from Phantom of the opera, Music of the night. Lets just say I love a man that can sing and my brother banned me from ever renting phantom again as the first time i rented it it may have been played about six times...

My five (six) videos are all indicators of important times in my life and memorable moments.