Can music serve as a “cultural immunogen”? An explorative study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore how people in contemporary society may apply music in their everyday life to improve their health and well-being. Through a series of qualitative interviews, informants gave their narratives about how music had become a part of their health practice. Six narratives concerning this type of everyday musical self-care are presented, and the following questions are sought to be answered: What kinds of musical practices do people apply in order to regulate their health and promote their sense of well-being? What kind of generative health mechanism can we observe or theorize when people use music to enhance their well-being? What kinds of rituals, contextual circumstances and personal health beliefs are operating in these situations? The findings suggests that some people may sing, participate in a choir, dance to music, compose songs, play precomposed music, or play in a band as part of a reflexive strategy to improve their health and well-being. Further analysis also identified six generative factors that may contribute to the immunogen functions of music: A pragmatic concept of music, music as a social and emotional resource, music as a supportive self object, musical competency, rituals, and locus of control. These findings may have implication for the field of music therapy as it will fill the gap between the clinical use of music done by professional music therapists and the everyday “musicking” performed by people outside the institutional practice.

MAMBRA's Impact on IPV Symptoms of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women

“…The use of music for self-care in everyday life has demonstrated effectiveness to positively impact mental and physical health and well-being. Music is one of many strategies people use for affect regulation, exploration of life situations, and social context, and to heighten social awareness and critical consciousness (Batt-Rawden, DeNora, & Ruud, 2005;Bonde, 2011;Davis, 1998;DeNora, 2007;MacDonald, 2013;Ruud, 2008Ruud, , 2013Skanland, 2013). Additionally, music activities in groups have potential to foster interaction, enhance socializa-tion, and build a sense of community through shared experiences (Craig, 2008).…”

Korsang som recovery-fremmende tiltak for personer med psykiske helseplager [Choral singing as a recovery-promoting intervention: A qualitative study]

“…Ruud (2013) (Almvik, Sagsveen, Olsø, Westerlund & Norvoll, 2011;Cooper, O' Hara, Schmidt & Bohart, 2013).…”

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“…Of the latter, most recently for example, De Nora [68] draws on the work of Goffman and Foucault, and suggests music is used as a 'technology of the self'; a very brief encounter and aesthetic experience through which individuals can work on themselves -in that moment and thereafter -to reinforce their actions, identities and capacities in a ever institutionalised world. Notably, both within this particular post-structuralist understanding and more generally, listeners' emotions are known to play an important and intricate role, [69][70][71][72][73] as do their specific listening situations and practices [52,[74][75][76][77][78][79] in facilitating positive memories, feelings and outlooksincluding empowerment, hope and utopian desires for a better way of being.…”