Music and health

There is a wealth of information supporting the benefits that experiencing music can have for our health and wellbeing in this constantly evolving field.

The power of live music:

Live music has a deeper impact than recorded music – studies show this especially among cancer patients in hospitals.[1]
Music affects the body – it can lower blood pressure, reduce cortisol (the stress hormone), and slow heart rate.[2]
A systematic review of 97 clinical trials found music can reduce pain, distress, and the need for medication in patients.[3]
410,000 people live in care homes in the UK – yet only 5% of the 20,000 homes offer high-quality music or arts activities.[4]
The World Health Organization reports music helps people with dementia feel happier, communicate better, and may reduce the need for medication or hospital stays.[5]
A Cochrane review found music therapy significantly improves mood, reduces anxiety and depression, and helps daily functioning in people with mental health conditions.[6]
In critical care, live harp music can reduce pain by 27% and promote recovery by positively affecting heart rate.[7]
Music has been shown to help patients on breathing machines relax, reduce their need for sedatives, and improve sleep – potentially shortening ICU stays and recovery time.[8]

Partner organisations

Explore some of the organisations we have partnered with to explore the impact of live music on health and wellbeing for people in hospitals and care:

Edinburgh Centre for Research on the Experience of Dementia

Edinburgh Centre for Research on the Experience of Dementia is an interdisciplinary group of dementia researchers, people with dementia, dementia practitioners and representatives from a range of dementia organisations.

Music in Hospitals & Care has a long-standing relationship with Deputy Director Dr Katey Warran and is currently working with ECRED and a range of other organisations on a two year research project titled IMAGINED to explore meaning-making processes in participatory arts for dementia activities, and how to evaluate these meaningful experiences.

Salford Institute for Dementia

We have also worked with Salford Institute for Dementia on a study into how regular live music can enhance wellbeing and participation both for people living with dementia and their families.

Music in Hospitals & Care musicians provided 12 monthly live music experiences at our specially created memory café. The study found that people living with dementia who regularly attended the live music experienced reduced isolation, increased wellbeing and improved peer support.

Rights Made Real

Rights Made Real is a project working with care homes in Scotland to improve quality of life and support staff to not only recognise, but embed, human rights in their everyday practice. Room For Music, one of seven pilot programmes funded by the Life Changes Trust and delivered in partnership with Scottish Care and the University of the West of Scotland, saw Music in Hospitals & Care musicians sharing live music at two dementia care homes in Glasgow, trialling both group and one-to-one live music over a two hour period.

The success of the project has led to further pilot sessions in this format for care homes across Scotland as part of our regular live music delivery.

Music for Mental Health and Wellbeing

In 2023 we completed a 12 month Music for Mental Health and Wellbeing pilot funded by the Peter Sowerby Foundation in hospitals across England, Scotland and Wales.

This impact report details the key findings of the project, which involved an external researcher commissioned to evaluate the immediate and longer term impact on patients at five partner hospitals: Bowmere Hospital in Chester, Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, Gartnavel Royal Hospital in Glasgow, Southleigh Community Hospital in Croydon and Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.

Music and visual arts

Following on from the Music for Mental Health and Wellbeing pilot, we have continued regular live music at the Princess of Wales Hospital’s Ty Llidiard CAMHS inpatient unit funded by the Arts Council of Wales to explore visual arts activities alongside live music for young people with mental health problems.

Other examples of organisations we have collaborated with:

So Many Beauties

So Many Beauties works co-creatively with health and social care communities to compose new pieces of music, showcasing its work at public events to challenge stigma and break down barriers. Music in Hospitals & Care is privileged to be a partner for the So Many Beauties Dementia Friendly Music Festival held at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. Other partner organisations include Manchester Camerata, Together Dementia Support, Royal Northern College of Music and Shared Harmonies.

NAPA (National Activity Providers Association)

NAPA (National Activity Providers Association) represents and supports professionals and practitioners providing activities in health and social care and in the community. Music in Hospitals & Care takes part in NAPA’s National Day of Arts in Care Homes annually. In 2023 we produced this fun guide to make your own percussion instrument with help from the NAPA advisory group.

Playlist for Life

Playlist for Life, founded by our former Scottish Patron Sally Magnusson, wants everyone living with with dementia to have a unique, personal playlist and everyone who loves or cares for them to know how to use it. Music in Hospitals & Care has worked with Playlist for Life Help Points in Wales to bring live music to people in care homes and sheltered accommodation to bring personal playlists to life.

Music for Dementia

Music for Dementia is a national campaign led by The Utley Foundation to make music available for everyone living with dementia. Music for Dementia shares scientific evidence for the benefits of music experiences for people living with dementia and the Power of Music Consortium brings together organisations organisations working to achieve shared goals of awareness raising, advocacy and delivery of services related to the benefits of music for health and wellbeing. Music in Hospitals & Care featured of Music for Dementia’s ‘Musical Map’ to signpost and connect people living with dementia to music activities.

Age UK

Age UK provides a range of services for older people across the UK and campaigns for older people’s rights, as well as providing support to national and local Age UK Partners. Music in Hospitals & Care has worked with Age UK to deliver live music in many of their regional centres, including as part of the Campaign to End Loneliness.

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is part of Birmingham City University and provides education in music, acting, stage management and performance up to postgraduate level. Our Vice President Julian Lloyd Webber OBE was Principal from 2015 to 2020. Music in Hospitals & Care’s partnership with Birmingham Conservatoire has seen students learning from our musicians during their Music, Community and Wellbeing module. The exchange has now come full circle, with graduates who previously studied the module before working with Music in Hospitals & Care mentoring their peers.

Research papers

Dr Nigel Marshall (University of Sussex) and Prof Kagari Shibazaki (University of Huddersfield) began a research in 2013 on the benefits of live music to older people in healthcare and those with dementia. Dr Marshall and Prof Shibazaki produced a paper Exploring The Impact of Music Concerts in Promoting Wellbeing in Dementia Care.

Dr Marshall and Prof Shibazaki then widened their focus to produce valuable information on the impact of our work for various groups of adults and children, family members and other visitors as well as clinical and care staff. Other papers produced during the project include: