PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF MUSIC THERAPY AMONG NURSES

Public Perception of Music Therapy Among Nurses: A Survey Study

Jan Briane Astom

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PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF MUSIC THERAPY AMONG NURSES

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Public Perception of Music Therapy Among Nurses: A Survey Study

ABSTRACT
Music therapy is not yet an recognised profession in the Philippines and as such is prone to a
lot of misconceptions. This purpose of the present study is to determine level of previous
knowledge and perception of Filipino nursing professionals - considered one of the largest
professional body in the country - towards music therapy. Gaining understanding of these factors
could provide insights to music therapy professionals on how to best educate the nursing
community about music therapy, its main goals, and its need for a credentialed professional. Fiftysix participants (N=56) were asked to answer a survey that sought to provide their professional
profiles, determine their awareness and knowledge about music therapy, and sought to know their
willingness to undergo awareness seminars on music therapy. The results of the survey shows that a
majority of the respondents are practicing nurses (79%), and that all of them are aware of music
therapy (100%) with a majority learning about it through school. More nurses are inclined to think
that music therapy is just a method to promote client relaxation through music listening (57%), and
that music therapists only need to complete a short course conducted by a certified music therapy
trainer (57%). A majority of the nurses surveyed were interested in attending an awareness seminar
about music therapy (82%). The researcher recommends conducting more awareness seminars and
to repeat the survey with a bigger sample size after increasing awareness efforts.

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Introduction
Music therapy is not yet an established profession in the Philippines, and as such is prone to
misconceptions. Among the 43 Professional Regulatory Board which exercise administrative,
quasi-legislative, and quasi-judicial powers over their respective professions recognised by the
Republic of the Philippines Professional Regulatory Commission (Professional Regulation
Commission, n.d.), music therapy is not included. However, an initial effort towards professional
recognition has been made by St. Paul University through its opening of four-year bachelors and
three-year masters degrees on music therapy (Orosa, 2013).
On the other hand, nursing is an established profession and has been one of the most popular
professions in the country. In 2013, the Philippines was touted by the Philippine Nurses Association
of America as the largest supplier of foreign-trained nurses with 429 nursing schools (Rodis,
2013) and at the time was producing up to 100,000 nurses every year. (Lapea, 2013).
In the United States of America, music therapy is recognized as an allied health profession
(American Music Therapy Association, 2008) and has been gaining more prominence in the
medical setting (Hillmer, 2007). This translates to increased opportunities for collaboration with
other health professionals, including nurses.
Education and exposure to music therapy has led more and more medical staff to recognize
its benefits for patients and become advocates for its inclusion in quality care (Hillmer, 2007) and
as prospective colleagues in the healthcare field, nurses also need to be properly informed on the
definition, uses, and benefits of music therapy as a form of alternative therapy.
This purpose of the present study is to determine level of previous knowledge and
perception of Filipino nursing professionals towards music therapy. Gaining understanding of these
factors could provide insights to music therapy professionals on how to best educate the nursing
community about music therapy, its main goals, and its need for a credentialed professional.
This study aimed to answer the following questions:

What is the level of awareness among nurses about music therapy?

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What are the avenues for nurses to have gained awareness about music therapy?
What is the perception of nurses regarding the main goal of music therapy?
What is the perception of nurses regarding the professional qualifications of a music therapist?
What is the level of willingness of nurses to undergo awareness seminars on music therapy?
The study will involve only Filipinos who have undergone formal nursing education and
passed the Nursing Licensure Examination.
For the purposes of this study, music therapy is defined as the clinical and evidence-based
use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a
credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. (American
Music Therapy Association, 2008)

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Methodology
In order to attain the purpose of this study, a survey concerning level of previous knowledge
and perception of Filipino nursing professionals towards music therapy was distributed to nurses.
The survey was developed by the researcher and comprised of four parts: the first part sought to
provide a professional profile of the respondents, the second part consisted of questions that gauged
basic awareness of music therapy and their sources of information, the third part sought to describe
perceptions of respondents about the main goal of music therapy and the professional qualifications
of a music therapist, and the fourth part determined the willingness of nurses to undergo awareness
seminars on music therapy.
The target population was Filipino registered nurses. Because of the very large number of
professionals in this population of which there is no definitive statistical figure available, a
convenience sample of participants was obtained by recruitment of Filipino registered nurse within
the researchers social network. Out of the 60 prospects identified by the researcher, 56 consented
and accomplished the survey.
Registered nurses were contacted through the social networking site Facebook regarding the
the purpose of the study. The researcher tried to follow the principles of informed consent in
informing respondents, which included explaining to them the purpose of the study and obtaining
their consent before providing the survey form.
Survey form was distributed electronically via an online form created through Google Drive.
The survey should not take over a minute to complete. Respondents answers were recorded in a
spreadsheet to facilitate analysis.

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Results and Discussions

Filipino registered nurses were contacted via the social networking site Facebook and were
given like to the survey instrument. There was a return rate of 93.33% with 56 out of 60 prospects
consenting to and answering the survey. Hence, 56 (N=56) surveys were available for analysis.

Professional profile

Graph 1.1 Graph Showing the Current Professional Profile

of Respondents

Education
5% Not working as a nurse
Private setting
20%

21%

Occupational setting
4%
Rural Health Unit
7%
Hospital
43%

Out of the 56 respondents, 24 (43%) are working in a hospital and comprised the largest
group. Of the other respondents who are still practicing the nursing profession, 11 (20%) are
working in a private setting, 4 (7%) are working in a Rural Health Unit, 3 (5%) are currently in
nursing education, while 2 (4%) are in an occupational setting. Meanwhile, the 12 (21%) remaining
respondents arent currently active in the nursing profession.

PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF MUSIC THERAPY AMONG NURSES

Previous Knowledge of Music Therapy
Graph 2.1 Graph Showing the Number of Respondents Who
Have Heard of Music Therapy

Yes
100%

According to the gleaned responses, an overwhelming 100% of the respondents have heard
of music therapy prior to the conduct of this survey.

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Graph 2.2 Graph Showing the Sources of Previous Knowledge About Music
Therapy

School

Nursing Colleague

Other allied health professionals

Nursing books

Internet

Hospital

Magazines

10

20

30

40

This is a checkbox question, hence giving the respondents the freedom to choose more than
one of the choices. That said, school was a source of information for 34 of the respondents
representing a majority of the sample. This means that nursing schools are largely responsible for
the current knowledge and perceptions of most nurses about music therapy. Nursing books (12) and
internet (11) can also be resources worthy of consideration. At the bottom of most mentions,
however are magazines, with just one mention.

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Perceptions About Music Therapy

Graph 3.1 Graph Showing Respondents Perceptions About
the Main Goal of Music Therapy

43%

57%

To promote client relaxation through listening of classical music

To provide an alternative treatment modality for people with different disorders through the use of music

The researcher asked the respondents a dichotomous question on what they thought the main
goal of music therapy was: relaxation or alternative treatment. Thirty-two (57%) participants representing the majority - viewed music therapy as a way to promote client relaxation through
music listening, while the remaining twenty-four (43%) thought it was a feasible alternative
treatment for people with disorders. While a majority is still inclined towards a misconception about
music therapy, the researcher is glad to note that the disparity between them and those who think it
can be a viable alternative treatment modality isnt very wide.

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Graph 3.2 A Graph Showing Respondents Percpetions on the

Professional Qualifications of a Music Therapist

9%

32%

2%

57%

A person who has completed a short training course conducted by a certified music therapy trainer
Someone who has completed a baccalaureate/graduate degree program focusing on music therapy
Any musician
Anyone

Fifty-seven percent (32) of the respondents believe that for a person to be considered a
music therapist, it is enough that that person has finished a short training course conducted by a
certified music therapy trainer. Meanwhile, 32% (18) thinks that a music therapist should have
completed at least a baccalaureate degree in order to practice. Nine percent (5) thinks that any
musician can be a music therapist, while a mere two percent (1) thinks anyone can be a music
therapist. While the fact that 32% thought music therapists need formal education is a positive sign
about the perception of others about the professional music therapist, theres still a long way to go
before nurses change their perceptions about the professional qualifications of a music therapist.

PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF MUSIC THERAPY AMONG NURSES

Willingness to Undergo Awareness Seminars

Graph 4.1 Graph Showing the Willingness of Filipino
Registered Nurses to Undergo Awareness Seminars About
Music Therapy

No
18%

Yes
82%

An overwhelming majority (82%) of the respondents were willing to undergo awareness

seminars about music therapy, while 18% expressed disinterest. This implies a great interest in
learning more about music therapy.

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Conclusion and Recommendations

The results of the survey shows that a majority of the respondents are practicing nurses
(79%), and that all of them are aware of music therapy (100%) with a majority learning about it
through school. More nurses are inclined to think that music therapy is just a method to promote
client relaxation through music listening (57%), and that music therapists only need to complete a
short course conducted by a certified music therapy trainer (57%). A majority of the nurses surveyed
were interested in attending an awareness seminar about music therapy (82%).
The researcher recommends conducting more awareness seminars to correct the
misconceptions held by the greater public. Moreover, the researcher recommends to repeat the
survey with a wider scope and a bigger sample size after increasing awareness efforts.

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Bibliography
Newspaper article
Orosa, R. (2013). Past, forthcoming events/SPU Music therapy courses/Presence, Passion, Person.
The Philippine Star.
Rodis, R. (2013). Why are there so many Filipino nurses in the US?. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Theses
Hillmer, M. (2007). Survey of nurses' attitudes and perceptions toward music therapy in the
hospital setting (Master). University of Kansas.
Web Sources
American Music Therapy Association,. Becoming a Music Therapist, Working in Music
Therapy. Retrieved 8 March 2015, from http://www.musictherapy.org/careers/employment/
American Music Therapy Association,. (2008). What is Music Therapy?. Retrieved 8
March 2015, from http://www.musictherapy.org/about/musictherapy
Lapea, C. (2013). Despite warnings of nursing glut, PHL still producing too many nurses. GMA
News Online. Retrieved 17 March 2015, from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/
292650/news/nation/despite-warnings-of-nursing-glut-phl-still-producing-too-many-nurses
Professional Regulation Commission,. Professional Regulatory Boards. Retrieved 15 March 2015,
from http://www.prc.gov.ph/prb/default.aspx

PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF MUSIC THERAPY AMONG NURSES

Appendix A
The Survey Form

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PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF MUSIC THERAPY AMONG NURSES

Appendix B
Raw Data in Spreadsheet

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