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Music and wellbeing vs. musicians’ wellbeing: examining the paradox of music-making positively impacting wellbeing, but musicians suffering from poor mental health

A Research Paper by George Musgrave, published by Cultural Trends

This paper interrogates two different perspectives on music and wellbeing. The first positions musical practice as being beneficial for emotional wellbeing and mental health, whilst the second positions musical work – building a career as a musician – as potentially detrimental. This apparent paradox matters because the clinical findings which establish a causal link between music and wellbeing are being disembedded from the contexts in which those links are manifesting by charities, social enterprises, advocacy organisations, educational institutions, governments and international bodies, and fuelling normative sociological prescriptions which encourage participation in music making. For those who go on to develop career ambitions, wellbeing outcomes are far less clear. Therefore, a more sophisticated appreciation of the uses of music and its impact on wellbeing is required. This paper provides a more balanced view of the connections between music, wellbeing and health and reflects on how this paradox might be resolved.

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Photo by Daniel Schludi on Unsplash

George Musgrave

About

Dr. George Musgrave studies the psychological experiences and working conditions of creative careers, with a current focus on mental health and wellbeing in the music industry. He co-led a major research project entitled 'Can Music Make You Sick?' alongside Sally Anne Gross on mental health and the music industry exploring the links between anxiety/depression and precarious work, the book of which was an Amazon Number 1 Best Seller in the Sociology of Work. He has also done work on ethical decision-making by music managers and wellbeing in the gig economy.

Details

Date
12 April 2022
Published By
Cultural Trends
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CAMRI | Music and wellbeing vs. musicians’ wellbeing: examining the paradox of music-making positively impacting wellbeing, but musicians suffering from poor mental health - CAMRI
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