“Bringing Them Back One Song at a Time”: a Qualitative Program Evaluation Of
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“Bringing Them Back One Song at a Time”: A Qualitative Program Evaluation of Operation Song by Danielle E. Lauber A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human Performance Middle Tennessee State University May 2021 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Steven Estes, Chair Dr. Rudy Dunlap Dr. Hilary Miller DEDICATION I dedicate this to my husband who stood by my side and supported me through all the sacrifices that we made so that I could follow this dream. I would never have started or finished this without you. I also dedicate this to my daughter in hopes that she may be inspired to live boldly and never be afraid to change directions. I also dedicate this to the amazing men and women who have served and currently serve in the military, both in my family and in those I have met through the years. You all give me the drive to keep fighting. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to Dr. Steven Estes, Dr. Hilary Miller, and Dr. Rudy Dunlap for all of your guidance and patience throughout this process. I am incredibly grateful to be finished, but learning from each of you throughout this experience has reiterated my desire to grow as an academic and researcher. I want to also thank my family and friends who are either active duty in the military now or have been in the past. Thank you for endlessly helping me work through the questions and clarification that has helped me make sure this dissertation has as much specific language and clarification as I can possibly create as a civilian. I also want to thank Operation Song for letting me dive deeply into the nuts and bolts of the organization. I hope this dissertation provides research that will help the organization continue it’s wonderful mission. iii ABSTRACT The diversity of today’s military service members and veterans offers a unique opportunity for community-based organizations to be evaluated as complementary and alternative programs. These activity-based services may enhance or support federal programs or may function as a different option when those programs are not effective. Operation Song is a non-profit organization based in Nashville, TN that facilitates songwriting programs for military service members, veterans, and their families. The goal of the organization is “to establish Operation Song™ as a unique and viable enhancement of traditional veteran therapies and opportunities for self-expression. We use creative and integrative methods to help individuals process from their service related issues, injuries and illnesses, to improve the quality of their lives and facilitate successful transitions to civilian life.” This dissertation offers a mixed-methods approach to a qualitative program outcomes evaluation of the veteran specific programs provided by Operation Song. Through an inductive-deductive approach, seven themes of outcomes were discovered from 63 different participant perspectives. The connection between these outcomes and organizational goals was found to be positively related. Overall findings seek to add to the evidence-based literature emphasizing the benefits of activity-based community programs like Operation Song that serve military service member and veteran populations, as well as their families. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES & FIGURES ..................................................................................... VII CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 Operation Song ............................................................................................................... 1 Community-Based Non-Profits & MSMV ..................................................................... 3 Qualitative Program Outcomes Evaluation .................................................................... 5 Research Purpose & Questions ....................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................ 11 Operation Song ............................................................................................................. 11 The Theory of Operation Song ..................................................................................... 20 The Impact of Military Demographics ......................................................................... 22 The Impact of Enjoyable Activity on Trauma .............................................................. 30 CHAPTER III: METHODS .............................................................................................. 35 Qualitative Program Outcomes Evaluation .................................................................. 35 Data Sources ................................................................................................................. 38 Participants .................................................................................................................... 42 Coding ........................................................................................................................... 42 Memoing ....................................................................................................................... 43 Triangulation ................................................................................................................. 44 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................. 44 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS .............................................................................................. 52 Sample Population ........................................................................................................ 52 Research Question 1: What are the outcomes of Operation Song’s veteran focused programs? ...................................................................................................................... 52 Research Question 2: Do these outcomes align with goals as defined by the founders of Operation Song? ........................................................................................................... 80 COMPARISON OF OUTCOMES WITH GOALS ......................................................... 81 Case Highlights ............................................................................................................. 89 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION ........................................................................................... 99 Expansion of Results and Connection with Literature ................................................. 99 Implications for practice ............................................................................................. 107 v Operation Song Program Recommendations .............................................................. 108 Recommendations of future research and evaluation ................................................. 110 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 113 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ 126 vi LIST OF TABLES & FIGURES Figure 1. Operation Song Outcome Themes……………………………………………..79 Table 1. Additional Quotes from Participant Interviews, Questionnaires, & Surveys…………………………………………………………………………...79 Figure 2. Relationship between Operation Song Findings & Organizational Goals…….88 Figure 3. Connections Between QOL & Operation Song Outcomes………………...….89 Figure 4. Connections Between Operation Song Outcomes and Military to Civilian Transition Challenges…………………………………………………………...90 vii 1 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION Operation Song is that warmup, you know. That warmup to create you. To create that comfort zone to get you started talking about what's wrong. It gives you a way to talk about it. .it's a precursor, but it's so much more than that. I mean it. I could walk into my therapist now and talk to her a whole lot more effectively because of Operation Song. – Wyatt Operation Song Operation Song is a non-profit songwriting organization that started in 2012 with a mission “to empower veterans and active-duty military to tell their stories through the process of songwriting” (Operation Song, n.d.). The goals of Operation Song, as defined by the organization, are as follows: Our overall goal is to establish Operation Song™ as a unique and viable enhancement of traditional veteran therapies and opportunities for self-expression. We use creative and integrative methods to help individuals process from their service related issues, injuries and illnesses, to improve the quality of their lives and facilitate successful transitions to civilian life (Operation Song, 2020). The organization was founded by a professional songwriter from Nashville, TN after touring with Armed Forces Entertainment Tours on military bases and installations around the world (Operation Song, n.d.). Inspiration from the stories and challenges of military service members led to the idea that “transforming their story into a song might help them process seemingly random and chaotic events and emotions of their service and give them some order, perspective, and validation” (Operation Song, n.d.). The program originally took place in collaboration with a local Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) music therapy program and has since expanded to retreats throughout the country; however, the majority of services