MUSGEN 3011 - Music, Health and Wellbeing

This course provides an overview of the range of benefits that music can offer to the community. Students will gain an understanding of how music programmes in hospitals, nursing homes and schools utilise the unique qualities of music to improve quality of life and general wellbeing for all age groups, from premature babies to the elderly. Recent advances in neuroscience continue to expand our understanding of how music affects the human brain and body. Students will become familiar with ongoing research projects focused on the use of music to alleviate symptoms associated with behavioural disabilities and brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Other topics covered include: music and healthy ageing; music and language development; music and memory; music and early childhood development; music and autism; music and emotional wellbeing and music in the hospital setting. In addition to its health benefits, music also has a valuable role to play in creating community cohesion. The course examines the impact of various participatory music programmes that aim to benefit children from low socio-economic areas; young offenders and prison inmates, and refugee populations.