Metric Outcome Measures
Using facial analysis software to measure impact and changes throughout music therapy
In the field of Music Therapy there are a number of measurement techniques that can be used in the work that we do. We recently recognised that while these techniques are helpful in a number of ways, we wanted to take a more empirical approach. By utilising a facial analysis tool and visualisation tools we created a system that uses hard data to support our clinical perspectives. To this day this technique is being used alongside other measurement scales to support the work that we do.
Facial Analysis software is comparably accurate and is able to generate vast amounts of data from video clips, still images or webcam feed.
How it works
The facial Analysis toolkit allows clinicians to process video footage from our music therapy sessions. The footage obtained is processed through the software and this measures the changes of a clients facial points. The measurements are saved in a folder and this data is then ready for processing by the dashboard that represents the data in visual forms.
A picture tells a thousand words… or numbers
The data that is generated by the facial analysis software is processed and calculated to show the important measurements in a readable form. The dashboard uses footage taken both in and out of music therapy and benchmarks the measurements created in percentage changes. This is a powerful tool for us as music therapists because it reflects empirical, non-biased computer data that is completely objective. We calculate particular aspects of the changes in a client face to show powerful emotions such as joy or happiness. In addition we are also able to customise the dashboard to calculate client-specific outcome measures such as engagement.
Using facial analysis to support outcome measures is a world first in music therapy and this groundbreaking way of working is also flexible as it supports current systems of reporting currently available in the field of music therapy.