There is an expanding field of research into how making or listening to music can improve wellbeing. As a spontaneous, social, creative nonverbal process unfolding in real time, musical improvisation between individuals is a unique psychological phenomenon distinct from other areas of musical activity.
This evidence review covers he value of arts & culture within four major areas: economy, health & well-being, society & education.
There is implicit consensus that the arts play a positive role in most societies, with good reason. They can have positive social externalities by generating events for social gatherings and creative exchange. They enhance our visual and auditory environments. They are as old as human existence and the most notable works far outlast the lifetimes of their creators. But how can we measure the contribution that the arts make to society and to human well-being?
Information about the effectiveness of music from randomised controlled trials will only ever partially answer questions about whether individual patients should try it. Meanwhile the safety, freedom from side effects, and acceptability of music leads us to conclude that we should be encouraging patients to listen to music to try to alleviate their pain.
How art & culture practices can contribute to the health & healing processes of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.
Through the doing of creative arts, people with learning disabilities can transcend the exclusionary landscape (albeit temporarily) and begin to reimagine and transform understandings of learning disability and difference in society.
From 2006-2009, an initiative was developed in Vancouver and
North Vancouver to provide vulnerable and marginalized seniors with community-engaged arts programming and to demonstrate the role that professionally led arts programs can play in the health and well-being of seniors.
This is an important report that describes and evaluates the Be Creative Be Well project and the key role it has played within the integrated, community-led Well London programme.
This research provides a literature-review-based overview of community events and festivals. This report also considers the event categories, their importance and the associated impacts on rural communities. The report reviews examples from Canada and other jurisdictions.
The objective of the present study is to examine the effectiveness of after-school arts programs in increasing the participation of visible minority and Aboriginal youth in life-enriching programs and to identify the processes by which these programs have a positive impact on their psychosocial functioning.