Listen to your favourite song or symphony; sing or play an instrument: we all know that music affects us. Music can excite and inspire or soothe and relax; it can fill us with awe and move us to tears, with a range of emotional experiences in between.
It also has the power to improve our health and wellbeing. Throughout human history and across cultures, the sounds produced by the human voice in the form of mantras and chanting have been used to calm the mind and help the healing process.
The ancient Egyptians and Greeks knew about music’s ability to heal and used flutes, lyres and other instruments as part of their medicine. Today, Music Therapy is widely used to help people recover from a range of psychological and social conditions.
There is now a great deal of scientific evidence of the general mental and physical benefits of listening to and playing music such as: reducing stress, focusing the mind and improving concentration.
Loneliness and social isolation are a serious issue for many of us today; made worse by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. However, music can play a key role in the post-Covid recovery: it offers us a unique opportunity to rebuild confidence and self-esteem whilst forging new bonds with people from across our communities.
All MFE’s programmes provide opportunities for people to enjoy the benefits of making music with others. Community projects such as Open Voices and Headway are designed to support those with more specific needs. Follow the links below for further information about these programmes.
It’s also great fun…
Music is good for you: come along and take part.
