Uncommon music making: The functional roles of music in design for healthcare

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss some uncommon settings and roles for music, demonstrating how music can aid in the design and implementation of socially responsible healthcare products that are encouraging, inclusive, and sensitive to critical contexts. We review three music-inspired design cases (CareTunes: Musical Alarms for Critical Care, Music and Senior Exercise, and We Are All Musicians and the Adaptive Use Musical Instrument) in which the authors took part. The literature review and the analysis of the case studies provide us with the following insights: music enhances sensory experiences, facilitates physical engagement with the world, music can guide medical professionals in critical contexts, and music creates social cohesion. All of these projects demonstrate the importance of involving participants (users or performers) in the process to address their life experiences. Thus, the use of music in design applications is experienced as a positive influence that can facilitate wellbeing for community members, persons with disabilities, medical patients, and healthcare professionals in the workplace.

Acoustic Biotopes, Listeners and Sound-Induced Action: A Case Study of Operating Rooms

“…Tuuri and Eerola [ 2 ] emphasised the role of listening in the trajectory from perception to action and made a distinction between three sound-action couplings (AKA, sound-induced action as referred in our current study): We interpret their ‘action-sound-object’ as sound-induced action learnt by experience; ‘action-sound-intersubjectivity’ as sound-induced action interpreted differently by listeners; and ‘action-sound habit’ as predictable sound-induced actions in familiar situations. Research also highlighted the embodied responses towards heard sounds and thus exemplified reflexive actions such as altering bodily movement (e.g., altering walking sounds improves one’s gait; music guides (elderly) physical exercises) [ 66 , 67 , 68 ].…”

Music, Computing, and Health: A Roadmap for the Current and Future Roles of Music Technology for Health Care and Well-Being

“…Another well-used app, Yousician 3 , offers various ways to learn a musical instrument, such as the guitar, at home through lessons and “serious games.” Mazaam 22 is an engaging and animated app for children that can increase their understanding of music and claims to improve their cognitive and/or motor skills through a range of music games and lessons. Another set of applications, intended to stimulate exercise in the elderly by creating novel instruments that can be played individually or together, was described in terms of the design process by Özcan et al (2019), similarly to the Jymmin’ application mentioned previously (Fritz et al, 2013). As the above examples of music technology are generally not used in the context of a rehabilitation program but rather at the initiative of individual users, many are not developed in an evidence-based manner, and their effects on health are not scientifically supported (although in the case of Jymmin’, a significant reduction of perceived effort is reported; see Fritz et al, 2013).…”

Nature sounds for the win: Influencing the Pleasantness Perception of PICU Soundscapes

“…Accordingly, there is sufficient evidence to use music and nature sounds as design interventions to be overlayed on PICU soundscapes so that these soundscapes are perceived to be more pleasant. The design space with music and natural sounds is vast [17]; yet, we are interested in preliminary findings on the efficacy of our design concept. Thus, we chose the following sounds which were used in earlier studies and shown to have positive effects on listeners: one sample from Mozart's Piano Concerto No.…”