Beatriz Ilari (University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA) saapuu Jyväskylän yliopistolle pitämään avoimen vierailijaluennon aiheenaan musiikillinen osallistuminen ja hyvinvointi. Luento on englanninkielinen.
Luennon sisällöstä tarkemmin englanniksi:
In the last few decades, there has been a renewed interest in the connections between music, mind and wellbeing, As Gouk and colleagues (2019) have articulated, music can be “viewed as ‘the language of emotions’ with an almost magical link to our state of mind” (p.1). The COVID-19 pandemic with its devastating effects on the human psyche catalyzed this research trend even further. A solid and ever-growing body of knowledge on music, mind and wellbeing has emerged, from both individual disciplines and multidisciplinary research teams, oftentimes drawing implications for educational and clinical/therapeutic practices. Yet, a large portion of this research stems from health-related areas, most of which based on studies with adults. Fewer studies are found on music and wellbeing in childhood in educational settings and in the “difficult-to-reach” home environment.
In this talk, I will share data from two recent studies on music and wellbeing in childhood and adolescence. Wellbeing is defined here as a complex construct that generally includes “the presence of positive emotions and moods, the absence of negative emotions, satisfaction with life, fulfillment and positive functioning (CDC, 2023).
In the first study (Cho, O’Connell, Mack, & Ilari, in preparation), we used an experience sampling paradigm to gauge musical participation in North American homes with children under the age of 5 (N=562) over the course of one week. Parents answered questionnaires and were offered curated music playlists to explore with their children. Over the study week, we asked parents to offer information about their music selections, activities, and mood and wellbeing (their own and their children’s). In the second study (Ilari & Cho, 2023), we examined the associations between musical participation, positive youth development (PYD), and hopeful future expectations in Angeleno middle school-students (N=120). Qualitative data were also supplied by 12 students. Taken together, our data not only corroborates the idea that there is a link between musical participation and wellbeing in childhood and youth, but also brings nuance in terms of repertoire selection and children’s agency. Implications for educational research and practice will be presented.