Making music

This chapter focuses on how and why making music supports health. It concentrates not on music therapy, but on music use in everyday life, in communities and clinical settings, or via specially designed interventions. The chapter begins with an outline of current evidence for the impact of music on both psychological and physical health, before turning to two case examples of recent research conducted by the authors. These examples include group drumming for mental health service users and group singing for women experiencing symptoms of postnatal depression, and both include a summary of the context, music, and people involved, the health outcomes of the music engagement, and the reasons why the music appeared to be effective. The chapter concludes with practical examples and tips for engaging with music for health