What Has The Last Two Decades Of Research On Singing And Health Taught Us? A Personal Reflection

The last twenty years has seen a remarkable growth of research on the possible health and wellbeing benefits of singing.

This course will chart this development, revisiting the early studies at the beginning of the century and charting progress since then towards the conduct of significant randomised controlled trials on singing for people with serious health conditions, including COPD, mental health, Parkinson’s and dementia.

In addition to such quantitative controlled studies consideration will be given to the essential contributions of qualitative research to understanding how singing works.

The course will help students develop the skills needed for critical interpretation of research studies, and the potential translation of their findings into practice.