Music, Health and Wellbeing: Exploring Music for Health Equity and Social Justice

This book explores the power music has to address health inequalities and the social determinants of health and wellbeing. It examines music participation as a determinant of wellbeing and as a transformative tool to impact on wider social, cultural and environmental conditions. Uniquely, in this volume health and wellbeing outcomes are conceptualised on a continuum, with potential effects identified in relation to individual participants, their communities but also society at large. While arts therapy approaches have a clear place in the text, the emphasis is on music making outside of clinical contexts and the broader roles musicians, music facilitators and educators can play in enhancing wellbeing in a range of settings beyond the therapy room. This innovative edited collection will be of great interest to scholars and practitioners of music, social services, medical humanities, education and the broader health field in the social and medical sciences.

Naomi Sunderland is Senior Lecturer in the School of Human Services and Social Work at the Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre, Griffith University, Australia.

Dan Bendrups is a Lecturer in the Research Education and Development team at Latrobe University, Australia. He has produced numerous publications on music and heritage, performance research theory and practice.

Natalie Lewandowski is the editor of Screen Sound Journal – The Australasian Journal of Soundtrack Studies, she teaches in screen sound, public and media relations and Australian contemporary art.

Brydie-Leigh Bartleet is Director of the Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre Griffith University, Australia and Co-Chair of the International Society for Music Education’s Community Music Activities Commission.