Article Review #2

Article review assignment: This is the article about the therapeutic benefits of a certain activity and in this case, I chose music.

Name of Article: This article is entitled, "Karaoke for quads: a new application of an old recreation with potential therapeutic benefits for people with disabilities."

Name of Journal: I found this article in the journal called Disability and Rehabilitation.

Name of author(s): A.I. Batavia and M. Batavia were the authors of this article.

When and how did you locate this article? I located this article on Thursday afternoon, February the 22nd whilst searching online through Murphy's Library. I used the EBSCOhost search engine and typed in the words "therapeutic benefits" and "music."

Two paragraph synopsis of what you learned in this article:
This article brought up a lot of potential benefits of using karaoke for people with disabilities, specifically for people who are quadriplegic. It mentioned that there are very few activities that those who are quadriplegic can participate in. The article mentioned that there would be numerous respiratory benefits for someone who chooses to sing karaoke. Since one who has quadriplegia often has trouble breathing on their own, karaoke would be a huge area where therapeutic recreation could possibly increase those physical functions. Batavia talked about the fact that "pulmonary function" reduces with age. Singing karaoke could possibly increase the lung capacity and build respiratory strength/endurance, as well as help keep respiratory problems under control.

Not only would there be definite physical improvements, there would also be the chance to socialize with others, since karaoke is mostly done in groups. Singing karaoke is a great way to meet people and interact with them. It could either be done in a group or alone. It is a way that people find personal enjoyment and "emotional relief." Another thing that karaoke addresses is speech therapy. This would be a great way to have someone sound out the words, even if they wanted to read through the song first and then sing it. It also is beneficial for those with cognitive disabilities and would improve their reading skills. Overall, karaoke is a very cost effective hobby and potentially addresses many different aspects (functional goals) of someone with a spinal cord injury.

How will you apply this knowledge to your professional development?
This article about karaoke makes me aware of all the things that we do every day that might be therapeutic. I forget about all the different things that can have very practical, physical, or emotional goals. As a future CTRS, this article enables me to keep my mind open to all the different opportunities that our world and culture offer us. It also helps me to realize (as I'm sure I will continue doing throughout life) how much we are blessed and how much we take for granted the situations we're placed in.

Would you recommend this article to a fellow TR student? Why/Why not?
I would definitely recommend this article to a fellow TR student. It is great to get others thinking about what activities could benefit certain populations. I think if anything, this article would make a TR student excited about the options that we have at our fingertips. It also would make him/her aware of all the social, physical, and emotional benefits one activity can have. One activity can fit a number of populations and have a number of different benefits with the right design and mindset.