Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of music therapy on speech rehabilitation in hard of hearing young adults. Repeated-measures experimental and qualitative research designs were employed to examine the experiment before, during, and after receiving music therapy by collecting the data from 9 participants with 10 sessions, twice a week. Music interventions included aural training, vocal warm up, and singing activities. Hard of Hearing' Speech Test Manual, Interview, and Observational Protocols were used to collect and measure the data. For data analysis, Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare the quantitative data, and inductive analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Results revealed that average scores of posttests after receiving music interventions were statistically higher than pre and mid test at .05 in 3 indicators: Vocalizations are of clear tonal quality; Vocalizations are of appropriate volume; and Verbalizes single words. The qualitative results showed that: 1) singing with clear rhythm could enhance speaking louder; 2) singing with hand signs could support intonation of vocal production; 3) singing in slow tempo could increase vocal production clearly; and 4) singing call-response song by using easy music elements and repetition could enhance speech rehabilitation joyfully