ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of stepping as a group music therapy intervention on group cohesion and oral statements of female adolescents attending an educational treatment center. Adolescents were identified as being at risk for dropping out of school, engaging in violent and risky sexual behaviors, and developing a psychological disorder. Stepping is described as a series of body percussive movements paired with chanting or singing, and is traditionally performed a cappella. The experimental group (n = 7) and control group (n = 6) were surveyed pre and post intervention on a sociometric survey instrument designed to assess group cohesion. During the eight-week stepping intervention, the experimental group learned a series of step routines which included foot stomping, hand clapping, and body tapping paired with chanting. During the intervention phase, the number of prompted/spontaneous positive and
spontaneous negative oral statements was recorded for each session by two trained observers. Results indicated that participation in the stepping intervention significantly increased the step group’s degree of group cohesion and the number of positive oral statements made by group members. Results also indicated that there were significantly more prompted positive oral statements than spontaneous positive oral statements. These results suggest that stepping may serve as a useful intervention for promoting the positive social behaviors of adolescent youth.
