Making music for mental health: how group drumming mediates recovery

Abstract

BackgroundWhile music-making interventions are increasingly recognised as enhancing mental health, little is known of why music may engender such benefit. The objective of this article is to elucidate the features of a programme of group drumming known to enable mental health recovery.MethodsQualitative research was conducted with 39 mental health patients and carers who had demonstrated recovery following engagement with a programme of group djembe drumming in the UK. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and focus group interviews designed to understand the connection between drumming and recovery and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).ResultsResults revealed three overarching features of the drumming intervention: (1) the specific features of drumming, including drumming as a form of non-verbal communication, as a connection with life through rhythm, and as a grounding experience that both generates and liberates energy; (2) the specific features of the group, including the group as a space of connection in and through the rhythmic features of the drumming, as well as facilitating feelings of belonging, acceptance, safety and care, and new social interactions; (3) the specific features of the learning, including learning as an inclusive activity in which the concept of mistakes is dissolved and in which there is musical freedom, supported by an embodied learning process expedited by the musical facilitator.ConclusionThe findings provide support for the conceptual notion of ‘creative practice as mutual recovery’, demonstrating that group drumming provides a creative and mutual learning space in which mental health recovery can take place.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13612-016-0048-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Promoting well-being through group drumming with mental health service users and their carers

“…Specific characteristics of group drumming may be responsible for potentiating the multidimensional change observed throughout this programme, as described fully in Perkins, Ascenso, Atkins, Fancourt, and Williamon (2016). Indeed, drumming enables an equalitarian setting, where all participants have the same function.…”

Banging the same old colonial drum? Moving from individualising practices and cultural appropriation to the ethical application of alternative practices in social work

“…There have been numerous studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of group drumming with various population groups including: children and young people (Bittman et al, 2001;Branscombe, Chandler, & Little, 2016;Faulkner et al, 2012;Ho et al, 2011;Skewes McFerran, 2017;Wood, Ivery, Donovan, & Lambin, 2013); people accessing mental health services (Fancourt et al, 2016;Perkins, Ascenso, Atkins, Fancourt, & Williamon, 2016); and war veterans (Friedman, 2000) for example. Group drumming practices have also been trialled as a self-care strategy for social workers (see for example, Bittman et al, 2003;Bittman et al, 2004;MacMillan, Maschi, & Tseng, 2012;Newman, Maggott, & Alexander, 2015).…”

“…This study's psychological and biomedical focus was indicated by its methods: standardised psychology questionnaires and collecting saliva samples. Perkins et al (2016) conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews and focus groups with the same study participants as Fancourt et al (2016) to explore specific elements of the group drumming intervention that enhanced mental health. This study found the nature of drumming as a form of non-verbal communication, and as an inclusive space free from hierarchy, was the most significant contributing factor to mental health improvements (Perkins et al, 2016).…”

“…Perkins et al (2016) conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews and focus groups with the same study participants as Fancourt et al (2016) to explore specific elements of the group drumming intervention that enhanced mental health. This study found the nature of drumming as a form of non-verbal communication, and as an inclusive space free from hierarchy, was the most significant contributing factor to mental health improvements (Perkins et al, 2016). This is a valuable finding as QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ORIGINAL ARTICLE these features of group drumming begin to address some of the social dimensions of people's experiences, many of whom may have difficulties communicating due to experiences of inequality and exclusion.…”

Arts, mental distress, mental health functioning & life satisfaction: fixed effects analyses of a nationally-representative panel study

“…Previous research has suggested that arts engagement has beneficial effects for both mental health and well-being [6][7][8][9]. It has been suggested that this could be due to multiple factors including arts activities enhancing self-identity through the pursuit of skills, stimulation of creativity and self-expression [10], facilitating self-esteem and self-efficacy [11], building an individual's social identity [12], reducing psychological and biological markers of stress [13], providing cognitive stimulation [14,15], enhancing social support [16,17], reducing sedentary behaviours associated with depression [18], and supporting coping skills [19][20][21].…”