The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of singing activities, part of music therapy, on the depression and verbal expression of elderly people. The subjects in this study were nine elderly people who were hospitalized in a geriatric hospital in the city of G, Gyeongbuk Province. The instruments used in this study were a senior depression inventory and a verbal expression checklist.
The findings of the study were as follows:
First, the singing music therapy affected the depression of the elderly people. Their depression was alleviated in general. Among the elderly people, F and D showed the best improvement in that regard, and A and B underwent the least change.
Second, the singing music therapy impacted on their verbal expression. G, A, F and H made the best progress in positive expressions, and A showed the most decrease in the use of negative expressions.
Key words: music therapy, depression, verbal expression