The Cup Song Analysis

For this paper, the acquisition of a new skill was analyzed by teaching a participant the movements and words to a popular song featured in the film Pitch Perfect, “The Cup Song (Moore, 2012).” This song employs a motor skill as the rhythmic foundation for the melody and lyrics of the song. The ability to perform the movements and sing the lyrics utilized multiple learning skills and brain functions. The participant is a 47-year-old college student with a history of anxiety and depression. With the age of the participant, it was thought that the attempt would be unsuccessful, due to research findings that older adults with anxiety and depression do not learn as efficiently as those without. This inability to acquire new skills is accredited

Although the participant is not within the age range being discussed in Eells’ research, anxiety and depression are comorbid with cognitive decline that could cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (Breitve et al., 2016). Therefore, the use of music therapy for middle-aged adults with depression and anxiety may delay cognitive decline. The participant in this experiment reported a reduction in anxiety and feeling of wellbeing associated with musical expression, along with prolonged periods of “clear thinking” after performing the song. This may be due to the therapeutic value of

However, there is a possibility that the discovered therapeutic attributes of learning a musical piece and an overall sense of accomplishment and wellbeing that this experience provided, will encourage the participant to explore other types of musical pieces that utilize the acquisition of new language and motor skills. In conclusion, this research shows that the ability to acquire new skills is possible for older adults who have anxiety and depression. It also supports the research by Knowland & Thomas (2014) that the human brain is constantly changing throughout one’s lifetime and “the acquisition of new skills in adulthood can positively affect an individual’s quality of