A major new report outlines a blueprint to use music to help transform communities and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing.
The publication of ‘The Power of Music’ follows a year-long study by UK Music, the collective voice of the UK music industry, and Music for Dementia, the leading health and music campaign, supported by The Utley Foundation.
The report makes a series of recommendations about how music can be used to improve the lives of those dealing with illnesses such as dementia, depression, loneliness and other debilitating conditions at a time when health services are under unprecedented pressure.
The aim of the study was to fully explore the important role music plays in people’s lives and how it helped them cope during the pandemic and what more we can do with music to help us recover and rehabilitate from COVID-19.
Live Music Now CEO Janet Fischer said,
‘The Power of Music report is a vital synthesis of the work we have been doing to enhance quality of life for more than four decades”
“The recommendations and call to action are needed now more than ever, and we call on our industry partners and the government to keep this at the forefront of the agenda. We believe that access to music is a fundamental human right and know the transformative impact that music can have on people, creating happier, healthier communities. We are delighted to have been part of the discussion and development of this report with our partners UK Music and Music for Dementia, bringing our experience direct from the field, and ensuring that at the heart of this report are the people we serve”
Music for Dementia and UK Music hope the report and its recommendations will pave the way for the Government to work with health professionals, charities, and the music sector to capitalise on the positive changes the power of music can deliver.
The report sets out how music supports the mental and physical health and wellbeing of millions of people. It also outlines how much greater use of music should be made in social prescribing and how it should be considered a key tool in public health strategies.