Our Research
Vigour Projects is a not-for-profit social innovation initiative, which brings music into communities to help address specific health issues.
Music and medicine have been intertwined for centuries. Recent studies have demonstrated the many effects that music can have on individuals. For example, research studies have shown that music lowers stress (Thanh, 2010; Scott 1977/78), improves concentration and motivation (Plosser, 2009; Priest et al, 2008), lowers blood pressure (Zanini, 2009), and improves quality of life (Ramsey et al, 2000; Seath, 1995). However, less is known about music and its health effects for communities. Music can be used as a tool to grab people’s attention and motivate them to participate in programs designed to teach them about healthy behaviors and lifestyles. Taking part in these music programs will also give people a chance to make connections with others and feel as though they are part of a supportive and caring community. As a community strengthens throughout the course of this music program, each member should start to see positive changes in his or her own life, whether it be through greater self-confidence, obtaining new skills, or a more positive outlook on future opportunities. For example, the “El Sistema” music initiative has been an extremely successful national youth orchestra program in Venezuela, which has had a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan youth such as through academic achievement, employability, conflict management/social capital, and socioeconomic statuses (Cuesta, 2007).
How can we socially innovate, create, implement, and evaluate music programs to improve the health of communities? Can music serve to ‘outreach’ and better engage communities into public health awareness issues? Can community music programs have direct effects on the social cohesiveness and fabric of communities? Our research will begin to explore music and its health effects on communities at large. Over the next several years, Vigour Projects will be exploring, understanding, and evaluating the health effects of music programs for communities. We will be examining whether music programs can improve public health and health promotion messaging and whether music creation and performance can improve physical, emotional, and psychosocial factors. We will examine whether community health-music programs can improve psychosocial stressors, social support (i.e., social capital), and social cohesiveness of a community, and whether, in turn, such improvements can result in benefits to the health and outcomes of those populations most medically vulnerable.
Vigour Projects brings the music and medical research communities together. Our team consists of musicians, music therapists, health care providers, and researchers. Our work will not be confined to one region or one country, but rather applied worldwide. Each project will consist of a music-health intervention and an evaluation, so that we can both learn from, and disseminate our knowledge to others. Each project will aim to consist of both a music program as well as a research component. Conducting community health-music research will necessitate an understanding of the health effects of music on both the individual and the community within which that individual resides. Our research will involve using ‘state of the art’ qualitative and quantitative methodological techniques.
Our organization is undertaking several distinct health-music projects, each with a slightly different focus, scope, and design.
Our first project, entitled ‘Meatless Music 4 Mondays’, is a health promotion campaign that is centred around the day of the week associated with the highest risk of cardiovascular death, that being Mondays. ‘Meatless Music 4 Mondays’ brings together the music and health communities, and encourages the creative composition and performance of music with ‘heart-healthy’ messaging. This project hopes to raise awareness about healthy eating, exercise, smoking avoidance and cessation, and other ‘heart-healthy’ behaviours. ‘Meatless Music 4 Mondays’ will not only involve the general public, but will help foster the next-generation of ‘heart-healthy’ music-minded people, through the administration of grants to schools situated in high-cardiovascular risk communities.
Our second project will address the issue of social-health reconstruction following natural disasters. This idea was brought about by the recent earthquake in Haiti and the way that the Haitian people appeared to be using music for healing. While the Haitian people were suffering from personal injuries, loss of loved ones and being left without shelter or food, there was an amazing spirit of resilience among the people who were found to be singing either in groups or individually. As music has historically played a very important role in Haitian culture, and many other cultures, for that matter, it became clear that music was successfully being used by the Haitian people as a way to heal, cope, and reconnect with fellow community members. Communities in developing countries, such as Haiti, are faced with an unimaginable number of mental, physical, and social health issues. Once a disaster strikes, these problems are multiplied. While it is extremely important to take care of all of their immediate needs such as water, food, shelter, and first aid, we have to think of innovative ways to rebuild communities so that they may become healthy and self-sufficient.
As our society wrestles with addressing increasingly challenging global health issues and we are in need of innovative cost-effective solutions. We hope to inform and make a case for building healthy communities through music. We are looking for help and assistance in building our organization. We are excited about partnership opportunities. Please contact Sarah Adamson at sarah@vigourprojects.com if you’d like to learn more about becoming a partner!
References
Cuesta, Jose et al. (2007). Venezuela. Proposal for a loan for a program to support the Centro de Acción Social por la Música, Phase II. Inter-American Development Bank, p. 1-39.
Plosser, L. (2009). 6 Workout Mistakes That Slow Down Results. Prevention, 61(4).
Priest, DL and Karageorghis, CI. (2008). A qualitative investigation into the characteristics and effects of music accompanying exercise. European Physical Education Review, Vol. 14(3): 347-366
Ramsey, D. and Paul, S. Music therapy in a physical medicine and rehabilitation. Australian Music Therapy Journal, 47(3), p. 111-118
Scott, A.J. (1977/1978). Music in the Workplace. Work & People, 4(1-2), p. 20
Seath, L. and Thow, M. (1995). The Effect of Music on the Perception of Effort and Mood During Aerobic Type Exercise. Physiotherapy, 81(10), p. 592-596
Stuckey, H. and Nobel, J. (2010) The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature. American Journal of Public Health, 100 (2), p. 254-263
Thanh, NN et al. (2010). Music Therapy to Reduce Pain and Anxiety in Children With Cancer Undergoing Lumbar Puncture: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, Vol. 27 (3), p. 146-155
World Health Organization. Commission on Social Determinants of Health – Final Report: Measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action. <http://www.who.int/social_determinants/thecommission/finalreport/closethegap_how/en>/index3.html
Zanini, CRD. Et al. (2009). Music Therapy Effects on the Quality of Life and the Blood Pressure of Hypertensive Patients. Arguivos Brasileiros De Cardiologia, Vol. 93(5), p. 495-500
