A panel during the Take Action x SXSW summit this week in Austin, TX brought together artists, researchers, and execs to speak about music’s role in wellbeing.
It mainly focused on how the industry can play a part in moving past traditional awareness campaigns, and towards proactivity.
The ‘Mental Health in Music: Beyond Awareness panelists included Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos; University of Southern California professor of neurology Dr Assal Habibi; and Calm and Collected Music Group co-CEO Coyle Girelli.
The session explored the positive impact music can have on mental, emotional and social wellness.
“Music changes the brain,” said Habibi. “It strengthens neural connectivity… we’re even seeing it help patients with dementia reconnect with meaningful memories.”
“We’re moving toward a world where physicians may prescribe music in the same way they prescribe exercise — as a complementary treatment that can improve quality of life.”
Music has long been a common supplementary intervention in medical settings. As the American Psychological Association pointed out earlier this month, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords partially ascribes her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head in 2011 — which left her unable to speak — to relearning the French horn.
New research is also supporting the efficacy of the healing benefits of music in social contexts — like family choirs during the perinatal period, and PTSD reduction in veteran patients.
On the panel, Passion Pit’s Angelakos pushed for more research in this direction, and encouraged artists to speak out about their own mental health battles.
“When I started speaking publicly about my bipolar disorder, it created a real connection with people going through similar experiences,” he said.
“Artists can play a role in pushing real research forward, and when people see that support, it helps bring attention and resources to the science.”
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