The effects of a music program on the self-concept of moderately retarded individuals in a community setting

This study investigated the effect of a music program on the self-concept of moderately retarded individuals who reside in a community setting. The subproblem of this study addressed the question of what effect a music program has on self-concept. A pre-test/post-test design was utilized using the Fisher Self Concept Test developed at Pennsylvania State University in 1977. The twelve subjects were students ranging in chronological ages between 7-13, at the Knoxville Adaptive Education Center located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Both the experimental and control groups were determined after pre-testing to ensure similar base self-concept scores between the two groups. The experimental group received a music program utilizing movement as the vehicle to teach musical concepts and skills for a period of six weeks, three sessions per week, for thirty minutes a session. The control group functioned normally without change in the academic curriculum. An independent t-test with an alpha level set at p > .05 was used to analyze post-test scores for between-group comparisons. Omega squared (w²) was calculated to account for the degree of change in self-concept. Based on the data collected, it was concluded that subjects in the experimental music program benefitted by positive self-concept gain. Omega squared (w²) suggests that the 60 percent positive self-concept gain was due to the experimental music program.