Designing Sound for Health and Wellbeing: Composing Electroacoustic Compositions for a Hospital Emergency Department David Brown Diploma of Art, Preston Institute of Technology, Melbourne Master of Arts, RMIT University, Melbourne An exegesis/ADR submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Art. RMIT University, Melbourne. June, 2012. ! i! Declaration I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work is that of the author alone; the work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to qualify for any other academic award; the content of the thesis is the result of work which has been carried out since the official commencement date of the approved research program; and; any editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged; ethics procedures and guidelines have been followed. David M. Brown ! ii! Acknowledgements. I would like to acknowledge my supervisors at RMIT University, Dr Philip Samartzis for his keen ear, guidance and recording assistance both historically and for the duration of this project, and Dr Keely Macarow for her support and feedback during the compositional stages of the project. In addition Dr Macarow’s engagement with my written work and attention to detail was invaluable. I would also like to thank Dr Tracey Weiland at St Vincent’s Hospital for her assistance with data management and for easing my engagement with the Emergency Department. I am also grateful to Dr George Jelenik for his guidance in the Emergency Department and for his encouraging and evocative responses to my compositions. Thanks also to Tim Catlin for encouragement and technical assistance, Philip Brophy for fortifying my approach to writing, Adam and Vicki Simmons for emotional and practical support and John Billan for his generosity of time and excellent photographic contribution. I am also indebted to my partner Leanne McLean for her continual loving support, which always ranges way beyond the call of duty. ! iii! Abstract. Designing Sound for Health and Wellbeing is a three phase research project designed to firstly ascertain Emergency Department patients’ preferences for a range of purposely composed electroacoustic and soundscape compositions and secondly, to determine whether subsequent compositions developed from these preferred electroacoustic and soundscape components have the ability to effectively reduce emergency patient levels of stress and anxiety. I was recruited for Designing Sound for Health and Wellbeing as a musician with a significant history in composition, improvisation, extended instrumental techniques and the use of recording technology. My role was to research, develop and produce electroacoustic compositions designed specifically for the project. The resultant sound compositions were delivered through headphones and iPods® to patients at the St Vincent’s Hospital Emergency Department. In addition the participating patients were provided with questionnaires employed to gauge their responses to the sound compositions. For the Designing Sound for Health and Wellbeing project the research focused on a number of key areas where I investigated the sonic effects of hospital and Emergency Department architecture and infrastructure upon the working, clinical and listening environments of medical staff and patients. The research concentrated on the functions of the human brain in regard to music and, in particular how the brain deciphers sonic and musical information. I also investigated the use of extended instrumental techniques throughout various musical genres to determine how these techniques influenced the project historically and explicitly during the composing stages. The project also examined how literature, Sicilian culture and Asian instrumental sounds influenced the compositional contribution to the project. The outcomes of Designing Sound for Health and Wellbeing illustrate the ability of electroacoustic compositions and soundscape compositions to significantly reduce the stress and anxiety levels of Emergency Department patients. In addition the composing process for this research project encouraged me to work outside my usual musical abilities and add new sonorities and instrumental techniques that broadened my musical ! iv! palette. These outcomes demonstrate that rigorously composed and refined musical and sound compositions can be used in public forums to encourage engagement between areas of community life not traditionally seen as intertwined. ! v! Table of Contents. Page. Title page i Declaration ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Table of contents vi PART ONE: Exegesis. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 1 CHAPTERS. 01 INTRODUCTION. 4 1.1 Introduction. 4 1.2 Outline of the exegesis. 6 1.3 Aims of the research. 9 1.4 History of the research partnership. 10 02 INFLUENCES AND CONTEXT. 16 2.1 Music and the brain. 16 2.2 Music and environments. 21 2.3 The effect of constituent musical elements on composition. 24 03 THE INFLUENCE OF INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUES, LITERATURE AND SELECTED MUSICIANS. 28 3.1 Development of my Instrumental and Compositional Techniques. 28 3.2 Fragmentary borrowing and titling. 37 3.3 Palermo. 39 3.4 Musical influences on my instrumental and compositional techniques. 42 ! vi! 04 THE PHASES OF THE STUDY. 51 4.1 Outline of Phase One. 51 4.2 Phase One development of the one-minute compositions. 51 4.3 The Ambisonic listening session. 59 4.4 Outline of Phase Two. 67 4.5 Testing of the one-minute compositions. 68 4.6 Phase Two patient responses and results of testing. 73 05 FURTHER RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES. 77 5.1 Outline of Phase Three. 77 5.2 Phase Three development of the twenty-minute composition. 78 5.3 Testing of the twenty-minute compositions. 82 5.4 Clinical outcomes of Phase Three. 92 06 INFLUENCES ON THE FINAL ELECTROACOUSTIC COMPOSITION. 95 6.1 Literary and Sonic Influences on the twenty-minute electroacoustic composition. 95 6.2 Direct compositional influences on the twenty-minute electroacoustic composition. 98 07 OUTCOMES AND CONCLUSION. 104 7.1 Compositional outcomes of the study. 104 7.2 Other outcomes of the study. 105 7.3 Recommendations. 108 REFERENCES. 111 Bibliography. 111 Discography. 119 ! vii! APPENDICES. 121 1 Complete list of 28 one-minute compositions developed during Phase One of the research project. 2 Publications, conferences, seminar presentations, awards and reports. 3 Weiland, Tracey. Et al. Original sound compositions reduce anxiety in emergency department patients: a randomised controlled trial, Medical Journal of Australia 2011; 195 (11/12): 694-698. 4 Macarow, Keely. Et al. Designing sound for health and wellbeing in emergency care settings, Journal of Applied Arts and Health 2011, 2/3: 207-219. 5 Designing Sound for Health and Wellbeing Phase 2 questionnaire. 6 Designing Sound for Health and Wellbeing Phase 3 questionnaire. (Speilberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory). 7 Composition recording notes from composition diary for all one-minute electroacoustic compositions. 8 Composition recording notes from composition diary for the final twenty- minute electroacoustic composition. ! viii! PART TWO: Appropriate Durable Record. CD documentation of the compositions. CD one: Twenty-minute electroacoustic composition (David Brown) Twenty-minute soundscape composition (Dr Philip Samartzis). CD two: Twenty-minute soundscape composition with Binaural Beats (Dr Philip Samartzis) Twenty-minute Emergency Department ambient sound composition (Dr Philip Samartzis and David Brown) CD three: 10 X one-minute electroacoustic compositions (David Brown) 10 X one-minute soundscape compositions (Dr Philip Samartzis) CD four: 18 X one-minute preliminary electroacoustic compositions (David Brown) RMIT University publication: No author, (2009). Extending care: Health and community services, Alleviating anxiety through sound innovation (Global Business Development, RMIT University, p. 11). Designing Sound for Health and Wellbeing publication (due for publication July 2012): Brown, D., Grierson, E., Jelinek, G., Macarow, K., Samartzis, P., Weiland, T. & Winter, C. (2012). Designing Sound for Health and Wellbeing. Melbourne, Australian Scholarly Publishing. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ix! List of Illustrations. Figure. Page. 01 Artwork, waiting area, St Vincent’s Hospital, Fitzroy campus. Photo: John Billan, 8 November 2011. 10 02 Artwork, Emergency Dept entrance courtyard, St Vincent’s Hospital, Fitzroy campus. Photo: John Billan, 8 November 2011. 10 03 Artwork and machinery, Emergency Department, St Vincent’s Hospital, Fitzroy campus. Photo: John Billan, 8 November 2011. 11 04 Ukrainian Bandura used for the electroacoustic compositions. Photo: David Brown, 15 April 2012. 28 05 Eukolin used for the electroacoustic compositions. Photo: David Brown, 15 April 2012. 29 06 Stomp boxes used to transform sounds derived from electric guitar. Photo: David Brown, 27 February 2005, Horti Hall, Melbourne. 30 07 Utensils used to extract sounds from semi-acoustic guitar. Photo: David Brown, 21 November 2008. 31 08 Utensils used to extract sounds from semi-acoustic guitar. Photo: David Brown, 15 November 2008. 31 09 Instrument preparations used for extended instrumental techniques. Photo: David Brown, 23 May 2008. 35 10 Utensils used for extended instrumental techniques. Photo: David Brown, 23 May 2008. 35 11 Details of instrument preparations developed for semi-acoustic guitar and other acoustic instruments. Photo: David Brown, 21 November 2008. 36 12 Details of instrument preparations developed