Supporting health and wellbeing

This research theme investigates how arts engagement can support health and wellbeing and contribute to human flourishing. For example:

Outcomes of creative arts interventions 

Boy drumming, Siloė Drums, Cali, Columbia. Photo: Tambores de Siloé Facebook page. This project involving building instruments from recycled materials is supported by Fundasidoc with whom we collaborated on an Academy of Medical Sciences funded project evaluating the social impacts of music and sports engagement.

Other projects in this area include a collaboration with Arts in Health, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. We are examining whether participation in group workshops including a range of singing-related techniques, relaxation and breathing exercises and multivoice singing can support people with long term health conditions, in particular people with conditions affecting respiration and the voice. We work with local health specialists and singers specialised in singing for lung health. The work focuses on safe delivery of singing workshops that are inclusive and accessible, and understanding how accessibility and positive outcomes of enjoyment, social inclusion, and coping with symptoms are best achieved. This research is part of a WRoCAH funded PhD network on ‘Singing in Balance: tuning socio-musical dynamics in group singing’, which also involves collaborative projects between University of Leeds and Choir with No Name and University of York and Shared Harmonies. 

Selected publications:

Cespedes-Guevara, J., & Dibben, N. (2021). Promoting prosociality in Colombia: Is music more effective than other cultural interventions?. Musicae Scientiae, 25(3), 332-357.

Cooper, E., Timmers, R., Bonshor, M., Esposito, K., Jansen, M., & Bevan, C. (2024). Group Singing-Related Technique Workshops for People with Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction: A Feasibility Study. Music & Science, 7, 20592043241251991.
 

Music for sleep and relaxation

In collaboration with the company BrainTrain2020, we work on what subjective and objective properties of music make music suitable as a means to facilitate sleep. This was investigated by doing a large scale analysis of music tracks from Spotify categorised as for the purposes of sleep, relaxation or activation. Selected tracks from each group were subsequently presented to listeners for their subjective evaluations on relevant dimensions. Finally, the efficacy of music for sleep was tested as part of a bedtime study. The results show the distinction and overlap between music for sleep and relaxation, and the importance of subjective qualities of music, which better predict whether music will be experienced as sleep inducing than objective properties of music. They also show that participants may not always be aware of what music works for them, if they have not actually tried it at bedtime. Resources illustrating the procedures used in this research and music recommendations that can be made on the basis of it can be found in the open access data repository. 

Selected publications:

Kirk, R., & Timmers, R. (2024). Characterising music for sleep: a comparison of Spotify playlists. Musicae Scientiae. DOI: 10.1177/1029864924126901