Introductory Lecture: Music, Health, and Musicking
Welcome, Context, and Personnel
The session is an introductory lecture for a breadth subject on how music can support health and well-being across life. It integrates theory and practice to explore why and how music might be useful for health, with a focus on lived experience and scholarly literature.
Land acknowledgement: Living and working on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people; acknowledging and paying respects to elders past, present, and future.
Speaker: Associate Professor Grace Thompson, subject coordinator, affiliated with Fine Arts and Music Melbourne; a qualified music therapist, therapy practitioner, and researcher.
Course structure: The subject uses Zoom and in-person components; weekly guest lecturers; Sunny Wong (PhD student in music therapy) assists across seminars; Dr. Cindy Lai runs the office hours on Tuesdays for assignment help.
Guest lecturers: A curated set of experts whose research aligns with weekly topics; purpose is to provide depth and current research insight alongside the online material.
Sunny Wong: A constant across seminars; will co-present with Grace and lead a weekly interactive musical activity.
Course materials and access: Seminar recordings and PowerPoint slides will be posted on Canvas; students encouraged to take their own notes.
Numbers and scale: 1,300 students enrolled in the subject; materials and LMS pages are designed to be clear and comprehensive.
Early logistics: Today is Week 1 (even if dated Friday); Sunny will open Week 1 content (Padlet link, etc.) next; the seminar recording will be uploaded after Zoom processing.
What is the subject aiming to do?
To explore what music can contribute to health and well-being across life stages.
To connect lived music experiences with underlying theories and literature.
To show how theory translates into practice through activities, discussions, and weekly seminars.
Emphasis on the relationship between individual experience and social/educational context in music and health.
Core Theoretical Framework: Musicking, Affordances, and Key Terms
The subject covers several theoretical lenses to understand music and health:
Evolutionary theory: Why is music ubiquitous in human life? Potential roles in romance, social bonding, parental bonding, and social cohesion.
Social context and affordances: How social setting and relationships with music shape its health effects.
Musicology: A discipline for thinking about music in cultural and contextual terms; introduces the concept of musicking.
Music King (musicking): A term coined by Christopher Small to turn music into a verb, emphasizing participation in music in any capacity.
Music psychology: A scientific lens focusing on how music as a stimulus affects brain and body responses.
Music therapy: The clinical application of music as part of therapeutic processes guided by a therapist.
Medicine: Examining the physiological and health outcomes of music experiences.
Today’s focus includes an introduction to these theories and the idea that they will be explored over the 12 weeks of the term.
Christopher Small and Musicking
The term musicking (the verb form of music) was introduced by Christopher Small in 1998 to broaden the concept of music beyond the concert performance.
Core definition: to music is to take part in any capacity in a musical performance, including:
Performing
Listening
Rehearsing or practicing
Providing material for performance (composing, arranging, etc.)
Dancing
Expanded inclusivity: Musicking also includes people who contribute to the event indirectly (e.g., ticket staff, roadies, instrument technicians, cleaners) because they participate in the musical experience and its context.
Rationale: Music is a communal event; audience and performers influence each other; the energy of a performance is shaped by all participants.
Visual: Musicking is a holistic, participatory activity rather than a single act of making sound on stage.
Practical takeaway: When thinking about health and well-being, all participants in a music event have affordances and contribute to the health outcomes of the experience.
The Affordances of Music
Affordance: A property of an event or object relative to an organism that represents its potential for action. In other words, music’s effects depend on the relationship between the music and the listener.
Music as an object vs. music as a relationship:
As an object: music has physical properties (rhythm, tempo, timbre) that can drive responses, e.g., a strong beat may induce movement.
As a relationship: individual preferences, memories, associations, and social context shape how music affects each person.
Important nuance: The same piece of music can affect different people in different ways, due to personal history and current context.
Application in music therapy: Therapists recognize that there is no universal “magic song”; effectiveness depends on the listener’s relation to the music and the therapeutic context.
The Plot Diagram of Musicking (Affordances in Practice)
A simple plot diagram helps visualize how people engage with music:
Vertical axis: together vs. alone
Horizontal axis: making music (creating) vs. listening (receiving)
Quadrants help illustrate different ways of engaging with music:
Top-right: musicing together and making music (e.g., rehearsals, group performances, ensemble playing)
Top-left: listening together (shared listening experiences, concerts, choir listening)
Bottom-right: making music alone (instrument practice, singing in the shower)
Bottom-left: listening alone (focused listening, travel listening, solitary study to music)
The key message: There is no single “best” quadrant for health benefits; different quadrants offer different affordances for health and well-being.
Reflective task: Students are invited to plot themselves in one or more quadrants and consider which affordances they personally derive from music.
The Song Exercise: I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers
Sunny leads a recurring interactive moment with a song: “I've Got Peace in My Fingers” by Susan Salidor (written in 1995).
Song context: A simple, repetitive, child-friendly tune used to explore affordances of singing and shared musical activity.
Performance note: Sunny will sing a line and students respond; over weeks, this song will be adapted with actions, body percussion, harmony, and possibly lyric changes.
Engagement principle: Singing is not mandatory for participation; listening and shared presence count as participation too.
Discussion prompts after the song:
What are the music’s affordances in this piece for you and for others?
How do genre, tempo, and familiarity influence its use in therapy or education?
Real-time reflections: Students contributed various ideas about relationship to the song, including nostalgia, shared memory, ease of singing, and potential for teaching or therapy contexts.
Practical implication: The exercise demonstrates how a single song can offer multiple affordances (language development, emotional bonding, social cohesion) depending on how it is used.
Evolutionary Theory and Music in Early Life
Evolutionary perspective asks why music is ubiquitous beyond pure pleasure; it argues against the view that music is merely “auditory cheesecake.”
Proposed roles in evolution:
Romantic relationships: Rhythmic movement, singing, and vocal ability may aid mate attraction and bonding.
Social bonding and cohesion: Music supports group identity and social synchrony.
Early parent-child bonding: Music can facilitate bonding, trust, predictability, and emotional attunement between parent and child.
Activity: Padlet exercise to gather ideas on what song people would sing to a young child and why.
Padlet prompts and results (sample interpretations):
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star: Easy, predictable for the child; nostalgia and cultural familiarity; stability and routine.
Are You My Sunshine? (You Are My Sunshine): Simple, affectionate message; security and warmth; easy for early language development.
Shake It Off (Taylor Swift): Reflects contemporary adult repertoire; potential for engagement with an older child; allows observational learning and identity sharing; repetitive structure supports language development; easily paired with movement.
Edelweiss (The Sound of Music): Nostalgia and calm; classical repertoire; can have a calming effect; demonstrates cross-cultural and cross-genre affordances.
Online comments highlighted key affordances observed in the exercise:
Language development and vocabulary expansion
Motor development through movement and rhythm
Social bonding and identity expression (sharing parental/guardian musical preferences)
Observational learning: children imitate what they see/hear adults do
Repetition and ease of learning (especially for young children)
Takeaway: There are diverse affordances for singing to children, and adults may choose repertoire to support different developmental and relational goals. Music in early childhood can be both therapeutic for the child and enriching for the family system.
Practical implication for practice: Music therapists often use a mix of traditional nursery rhymes and adult repertoire to support health and well-being in early childhood settings, recognizing a broad range of affordances beyond the child alone.
Communicative Musicality and Practical Implications
Communicative musicality theory: Focuses on nonverbal communication through music (eye contact, movement, dynamics) as a core mode of interaction.
Key distinction:
Musicality: Innate ability to respond to music; not dependent on formal training.
Musicianship: The deliberate cultivation of musical skills (instrumental training, voice, dance).
Musicking: Universal participation in music, whether on stage or in the audience, backstage, or as part of the audience’s response.
Core insight: Health and well-being benefits arise from active, relational engagement with music, not merely from listening to music passively.
Practical examples from the session:
Eye contact during singing and shared gaze strengthens bonding and relational cues.
Pairing singing with movement (clapping, dancing) shifts the character of a song and enhances social connection.
Engaging in music through communal activity (even with a recording) can create a stronger relational bond if consciously paired with shared attention.
Takeaway for practice:
The health properties of musicking derive from relational engagement, not just the music itself.
Therapists and educators should consider how to foster communicative musicality in interactions with clients and students.
Housekeeping, Assessments, and Policies
Assessments:
Weekly quizzes: Ten quizzes across weeks 2–11; MCQ format based on online materials.
Week 1: A practice quiz (not graded) to familiarize with technology and format.
Scheduling and deadlines:
Week 1 content open now; Week 2 seminar introductions and material open; quizzes due on each following Friday at 2:00 PM.
Seminar recordings expected to be uploaded within roughly 12 hours after seminars for Canvas access.
Canvas and LMS:
The LMS page has extensive information; students are encouraged to check Canvas first for answers before asking questions.
Final assignment and AI policy:
Final assignment: Build a playlist of 10 songs that you would actually use in your life, and trial them before submitting.
An official AI declaration form exists: AI use for copyediting is allowed with declaration; AI use for generating ideas or content is not permitted for the final essay.
The policy emphasizes demonstrating personal engagement with music and life-long applicability rather than relying on AI-generated content.
Support and accessibility:
Office hours: Tuesdays, 4:00–5:00 PM via Zoom; led by Dr. Cindy Lai.
Sunny and Grace are available to support online and in-person participants; additional guest lecturers each week provide expert insights.
A support video accompanies the assignment to guide students through the process.
Communicating with the course team:
If questions arise, check the Canvas page first; if unresolved, contact the subject team; office hours are an accessible option.
Final take on course structure:
The subject is designed to be comprehensive and student-centered, with materials accessible on Canvas and a strong emphasis on practical, real-world application of music for health and well-being.
Real-World Relevance, Ethics, and Inclusive Practice
The course foregrounds ethical and cultural considerations:
Respect for land and Indigenous communities is integrated from the outset via the land acknowledgment.
The music choices and examples emphasize diverse repertoires and contexts, supporting inclusivity across cultures and life experiences.
Practical implications for health and well-being:
Understanding affordances helps tailor music interventions to individuals' preferences and contexts.
The musicking framework emphasizes participation and social connection as central to therapeutic outcomes.
The evolutionary perspective situates music in how humans form bonds and nurture relationships, highlighting the relevance of music in education, family life, and clinical settings.
Ethical use of AI:
The course explicitly discourages relying on AI for generating ideas or content in final submissions; AI can be used only for copyediting with explicit declarations.
Preparation for the Next Sessions
Expect weekly seminars with guest lecturers and continuous opportunities to engage with the material.
Continue exploring the concept of musicking and affordances in your daily life and in potential therapeutic settings.
Prepare for week-by-week quizzes and the final playlist assignment by staying engaged with the Canvas materials and recommended readings.
Quick Reference: Key Terms to Remember
Musicking: to participate in any capacity in a musical performance (Small, 1998).
Musicking quadrants: co-music-making vs. listening; together vs. alone.
Affordance: a property relative to an organism that indicates potential for action; music’s effects are mediated by listener relationships.
Musicology: academic study of music in culture and context.
Evolutionary theory of music: proposes roles in romance, bonding, and social cohesion.
Communicative musicality: nonverbal musical communication (eye contact, movement) as a basis for social interaction.
Musicality vs. Musicianship vs. Musicking:
Musicality: innate responsiveness to music.
Musicianship: cultivated musical skills.
Musicking: universal participation in music in any form.
AI policy (course): no generation of ideas for final assignment by AI; AI allowed for copyediting with declaration.
12 weeks of content and activities planned, including the weekly rotation of guest lecturers and practical music-based exercises, with ongoing opportunities to reflect on how music contributes to health and well-being across life.