At a glance
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Active Versus Passive Piano Intervention for Dexterity in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Piano training (Active) and Piano Training (Passive) for Aging and 2 related conditions. Completed, enrolled 20 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
Does active piano practice help recover hand dexterity in older adults, or does social interaction and music-listening alone affect motor performance? Researchers hypothesized improved dexterity after active piano playing, but not after passive piano listening. 15 residents of a retirement community were partnered together and completed 2 two-week piano training modules. In module 1, one partner played piano exercises and songs while the other listened. In module 2, partners switched roles. The Purdue Pegboard Test and Box and Block Test assessed fine and gross motor dexterity, before, between, and after the training modules. A repeated measures ANOVA showed a main effect of time on overall fine and gross motor function, but there was no main effect of playing versus listening. Results did not support the hypothesis, but indicate that piano-based therapy requires greater than 2 weeks to begin improving dexterity and may influenced co-occurring socialization.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
Piano Curriculum. Participants were all trained on one of four 88-key pianos located in the assisted living facility. Piano instructors were 6 undergraduate Music Education and Music Performance majors. Each lesson of the week had a different focus: right and left hands separately, bimanually coupled, and bimanually uncoupled (Loehrer et al., 2016). Each week of the module had a different focus as well: notes played one step apart, notes played multiple steps apart (intervals), and tones played together (two-note chords) (van Vugt et al., 2016; Villeneuve et al., 2014). Each session began with skill exercises and ended with learning a simple, recognizable song. Two participants with extensive piano experience progressed to playing duets with the instructor and hymns out of a hymnal after mastery of the study curriculum. These training protocols were based on those of Schneider and colleagues' 2007 study.
Participants listened to their research partner complete 8 active piano training sessions across 2 weeks.