Rosie Perkins

Professor of Music, Health, and Social Science
Royal College of Music

Rosie Perkins is Professor of Music, Health, and Social Science at the Royal College of Music (RCM). Part of the Centre for Performance Science, Rosie is a leading researcher in the area of music and mental health, where her research investigates two broad and intersecting areas: how music and the arts support individual and societal wellbeing, and how to optimise musicians’ wellbeing and career development. Rosie has particular interest in how music can support parental wellbeing, and she is co-founder and chair of the Music and Parental Wellbeing Alliance.

Rosie’s research has been supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Arts Council England, British Academy, Dutch Research Council, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and has featured in a wide range of international journals and press. Rosie is an honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London and a Fellow of AdvanceHE (FHEA) and the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH). In 2019, Rosie was elected an Honorary Member of the Royal College of Music (HonRCM), and in 2025, she became an Affiliate Researcher with the Jameel Arts and Health Lab.

Alongside research and knowledge exchange, Rosie teaches across the RCM’s undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programmes. She is the Programme Leader for the RCM’s groundbreaking MSc in Performance Science programme and welcomes enquiries from potential doctoral students working in music and mental health, particularly on topics related to parental wellbeing and to optimal learning and workplace cultures for musicians.

  • 2025

    • Lawson C, Salazar D, and Perkins R (eds) (2025), Inside the Contemporary Conservatoire: Critical Perspectives from the Royal College of Music, London, Routledge. ISBN»

  • 2024

    • Perkins R (ed) (2024), Music and Parental Mental Wellbeing, Oxford University Press. ISBN»

  • 2021

    • Williamon A, Ginsborg J, Perkins R, and Waddell G (2021), Performing Music Research: Methods in Music Education, Psychology, and Performance Science, Oxford University Press. ISBN»

  • Forthcoming

    • Bind RH, Lawrence AJ, Estevao C, Hazelgrove K, Priestley K, Rebecchini L, Laijawala R, Miller C, Healey A, Agwuna J, Sevdalis N, Bakolis I, Davis R, Lopez MB, Woods AJ, Crane N, Manoharan M, Burton A, Dye H, Osborn T, Greenwood L, Perkins R, Dazzan P, Fancourt D, and Pariante CM (forthcoming), Clinical effectiveness, implementation effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a community singing intervention for postnatal depressive symptoms, SHAPER-PND: randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Psychiatry. DOI»

    • Perkins R and Sanfilippo KRM (forthcoming), Arts and perinatal mental health, in N Holt, V Tischler, E Corvo, and S Vougioukalou (eds), Routledge Handbook of Arts and Health, Routledge.

  • 2025

    • Camlin D, Clements H, and Perkins R (2025), Towards the civic conservatoire, in C Lawson, D Salazar, and R Perkins (eds), Inside the Contemporary Conservatoire: Critical Perspectives from the Royal College of Music, London (pp. 205-214), Routledge.

    • Perkins R, Salazar D, and Lawson C (2025), What next for conservatoires?, in C Lawson, D Salazar, and R Perkins (eds), Inside the Contemporary Conservatoire: Critical Perspectives from the Royal College of Music, London (pp. 253-260), Routledge.

    • Perkins R, Sanfilippo KRM, Graham D, Durrant M, Alway P, Anstee L, Corcoran K, East E, Ettenberger M, Knight J, Krause A, Lense M, McCaffrey T, McConnell B, Ortiz T, Spiro N, Swanick R, Tuncgenc B, and The Music and Parental Wellbeing Research Network (2025), Music and parental wellbeing: a position paper, Music and Science, 8, 1-10. DOI»

    • Spiro N, Sanfilippo KRM, Shaughnessy C, Rowles M, Coombes E, Perkins R, and Tredget E (2025), The landscape of musical care during the beginning of life in the United Kingdom: a mixed-methods survey study, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 25 (380), 1-20. DOI»

    • Wistreich R and Perkins R (2025), Cultivating research cultures, in C Lawson, D Salazar, and R Perkins (eds), Inside the Contemporary Conservatoire: Critical Perspectives from the Royal College of Music, London (pp. 140-149), Routledge.

  • 2024

    • Greenwood L, Farquharson Y, Dye H, Perkins R, and Fancourt D (2024), Group singing and postnatal depression, in R Perkins (ed), Music and Parental Mental Wellbeing (pp. 66-91), Oxford University Press.

    • Lisboa T, Santiago D, Fonte V, Shaughnessy C, and Perkins R (2024), Group music-making with families affected by Zika virus in Brazil, in R Perkins (ed), Music and Parental Mental Wellbeing (pp. 262-280), Oxford University Press.

    • Perkins R (2024), A note on the future of music and parental mental wellbeing, in R Perkins (ed), Music and Parental Mental Wellbeing (pp. 307-314), Oxford University Press.

    • Perkins R and Miele M (2024), Music and parental mental wellbeing, in R Perkins (ed), Music and Parental Mental Wellbeing (pp. 3-26), Oxford University Press.

    • Shaughnessy C, Hall A, and Perkins R (2024), Becoming the right musician for the job: versatility, connectedness, and professional identities during personalized, online music-making in hospital maternity wards, Musicae Scientiae, 28, 58-75. DOI»

    • Shaughnessy C, Hall A, and Perkins R (2024), Online personalised music-making with patients in hospital during pregnancy, in R Perkins (ed), Music and Parental Mental Wellbeing (pp. 125-143), Oxford University Press.

    • Shaughnessy C, Perkins R, Spiro N, Waddell G, and Williamon A (2024), Cultivating progressive development in the cultural industries: challenges and support needs identified by the creative workforce in the United Kingdom, Cultural Trends, 33, 487-504. DOI»

    • Shaughnessy C, Santiago D, Donoso PP, Perkins R, and Lisboa T (2024), Creative health in the urban Global South: barriers and facilitators in the cases of Cochabamba and Salvador, Perspectives in Public Health, 144, 297-303. DOI»

    • Spiro N, Shaughnessy C, Perkins R, Waddell G, Campbell A, and Williamon A (2024), The HEartS professional model: a conceptual model for arts professionals’ work and wellbeing, Social Sciences and Humanities Open, 10 (101092), 1-8. DOI»

    • Spiro N, Waddell G, Adediran R, Osmond P, Tredget E, Sharma S, and Perkins R (2024), Online songwriting and postnatal loneliness, in R Perkins (ed), Music and Parental Mental Wellbeing (pp. 92-124), Oxford University Press.

  • 2023

    • Bind RH, Sawyer K, Hazelgrove K, Rebecchini L, Miller C, Ahmed S, Dazzan P, Sevdalis N, Bakolis I, Davis R, Baldellou Lopez M, Woods A, Crane N, Manoharan M, Burton A, Dye H, Osborn T, Greenwood L, Perkins R, Fancourt D, Pariante CM, and Estevao C (2023), Feasibility, clinical efficacy, and well-being outcomes of an online singing intervention for postnatal depression in the UK: SHAPER-PNDO, a single-arm clinical trial, Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 9 (131), 1-16. DOI»

    • Birken M, Chipp B, Shah P, Rowan-Olive R, Nyikavaranda P, Hardy J, Chhapia A, Barber N, Lee S, Pearce E, Lloyd-Evans B, Perkins R, McDaid D, Stefanidou T, Shafran R, Pitman A, and Johnson S (2023), Exploring the experiences of loneliness in adults with mental health problems: a participatory qualitative interview study, PLOS One, 18 (e0280946), 1-22. DOI»

    • Perkins R, Spiro N, and Waddell G (2023), Online songwriting reduces loneliness and postnatal depression and enhances social connectedness in perinatal mothers: randomised controlled trial, Public Health, 220, 72-79. DOI»

    • Spiro N, Sanfilippo KRM, McConnell BB, Pike-Rowney G, Bonini Baraldi F, Brabec B, Van Buren K, Camlin DA, Cardoso TM, Çifdalöz BU, Cross I, Dumbauld B, Ettenberger M, Falkenberg K, Fouché S, Frid E, Gosine J, graham-jackson al, Grahn, JL, Harrison K, Ilari B, Mollison S, Morrison SJ, Pérez-Acosta G, Perkins R, Pitt J, Rabinowitch TC, Robledo JP, Roginsky E, Shaughnessy C, Sunderland N, Talmage A, Tsiris G, and de Wit K (2023), Perspectives on musical care throughout the life course: introducing the Musical Care International Network, Music and Science, 6, 1-18. DOI»

    • Spiro N, Shaughnessy C, Waddell G, Perkins R, Campbell A, and Williamon A (2023), Modelling arts professionals’ wellbeing and career intentions within the context of COVID-19, PLOS One, 18 (e0292722), 1-22. DOI»

    • Spiro N, Yang J, Shaughnessy C, Luo C, Perkins R, Waddell G, and Williamon A (2023), Work and wellbeing among arts professionals in China during COVID-19 (August 2020 and October 2021), Social Sciences and Humanities Open, 8 (100691), 1-9. DOI»

  • 2022

    • Ascenso S, Delle Fave A, Perkins R, and Williamon A (2022), Fostering musicians’ wellbeing, in GE McPherson (ed), Oxford Handbook of Music Performance, Vol 2 (pp. 574-594), Oxford University Press.

    • Bind RH, Estevao C, Fancourt D, Hazelgrove K, Sawyer K, Rebecchini L, Miller C, Dazzan P, Sevdalis N, Woods A, Crane N, Manoharan M, Burton A, Dye H, Osborn T, Greenwood L, Bakolis I, Baldellou Lopez M, Davis R, Perkins R, and Pariante CM (2022), Online singing interventions for postnatal depression in times of social isolation: a feasibility study protocol for the SHAPER-PNDO single-arm trial, Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 8 (148), 1-12. DOI»

    • Perkins R, Kaye SL, Zammit BB, Mason-Bertrand A, Spiro N, and Williamon A (2022), How arts engagement supported social connectedness during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: findings from the HEartS Survey, Public Health, 207, 1-6. DOI»

    • Shaughnessy C, Perkins R, Spiro N, Waddell G, Campbell A, and Williamon A (2022), The future of the cultural workforce: perspectives from early career arts professionals on the challenges and future of the cultural industries in the context of COVID-19, Social Sciences and Humanities Open, 6 (100296), 1-12. DOI»

    • Soukup T, Davis RE, Baldellou Lopez M, Healey A, Estevao C, Fancourt D, Dazzan P, Pariante C, Dye H, Osborn T, Bind R, Sawyer K, Rebecchini L, Hazelgrove K, Burton A, Manoharan M, Perkins R, Podlewska A, Chaudhuri R, Derbyshire-Fox F, Hartley A, Woods A, Crane N, Bakolis I, and Sevdalis N (2022), Study protocol: randomised controlled hybrid type 2 trial evaluating the scale-up of two arts interventions for postnatal depression and Parkinson’s disease, BMJ Open, 12 (e055691), 1-11. DOI»

  • 2021

    • Estevao C, Bind R, Fancourt D, Sawyer K, Dazzan P, Sevdalis N, Woods A, Crane N, Rebecchini L, Hazelgrove K, Manoharan M, Burton A, Dye H, Osborn T, Davis R E, Soukup T, Arias de la Torre J, Bakolis I, Healey A, Perkins R, and Pariante C (2021), SHAPER-PND trial: clinical effectiveness protocol of a community singing intervention for postnatal depression, BMJ Open, 11 (e052133), 1-8. DOI»

    • Perkins R (2021), Group singing to support women experiencing symptoms of postnatal depression, International Journal of Birth and Parent Education, 8, 20-23.

    • Perkins R, Mason-Bertrand A, Tymoszuk U, Spiro N, Gee K, and Williamon A (2021), Arts engagement supports social connectedness in adulthood: findings from the HEartS Survey, BMC Public Health, 21 (1208), 1-15. DOI»

    • Spiro N, Perkins R, Kaye S, Tymoszuk U, Mason-Bertrand A, Cossette I, Glasser S, and Williamon A (2021), The effects of COVID-19 Lockdown 1.0 on working patterns, income, and wellbeing among performing arts professionals in the United Kingdom (April-June 2020), Frontiers in Psychology, 11 (594086), 1-17. DOI»

    • Tymoszuk U, Spiro N, Perkins R, Mason-Bertrand A, Gee K, and Williamon A (2021), Arts engagement trends in the United Kingdom and their mental and social wellbeing implications: HEartS Survey, PLOS One, 16 (e0246078), 1-35. DOI»

  • 2020

    • Araújo L, Wasley D, Redding E, Atkins L, Perkins R, Ginsborg J, and Williamon A (2020), Fit to perform: a profile of higher education music students’ physical fitness, Frontiers in Psychology, 11 (298), 1-18. DOI»

    • Camlin D, Caulfield L, and Perkins R (2020), Capturing the magic: a three-way dialogue on the impact of music on people and society, International Journal of Community Music, 13, 157-172. DOI»

    • Perkins R, Fancourt D, and Williamon A (2020), Making music, in P Crawford, B Brown, and A Charise (eds), The Routledge Companion to Health Humanities (pp. 317-323), Routledge.

    • Perkins R, Mason-Bertrand A, Fancourt D, Baxter L, and Williamon A (2020), How participatory music engagement supports mental wellbeing: a meta-ethnography, Qualitative Health Research, 30, 1924-1940. DOI»

    • Tymoszuk U, Perkins R, Fancourt D, and Williamon A (2020), Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between receptive arts engagement and loneliness among older adults, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 55, 891-900. DOI»

    • Tymoszuk U, Perkins R, Spiro N, Williamon A, and Fancourt D (2020), Longitudinal associations between short-term, repeated, and sustained arts engagement and well-being outcomes in older adults, Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 75, 1609-1619. DOI»

  • 2019

    • Ascenso S, McCormack J, and Perkins R (2019), Leadership in the transition from music student to professional musician: the Civic Orchestra of Chicago Fellowship, in J Rowley, D Bennett, and P Schmidt (eds), Leadership of Pedagogy and Curriculum in Higher Music Education (pp. 18-38), Routledge.

    • Fancourt D and Perkins R (2019), Creative interventions for symptoms of postnatal depression: a process evaluation of implementation, Arts and Health, 11, 38-53. DOI»

    • Heyman L, Perkins R, and Araújo L (2019), Examining the health and well-being experiences of singers in popular music, Journal of Popular Music Education, 3, 173-201. DOI»

    • Perkins R and Williamon A (2019), Creative leadership-in-action through a conservatoire-based MSc in Performance Science, in J Rowley, D Bennett, and P Schmidt (eds), Leadership of Pedagogy and Curriculum in Higher Music Education (pp. 97-114), Routledge.

    • Waddell G, Perkins R, and Williamon A (2019), The evaluation simulator: a new approach to training music performance assessment, Frontiers in Psychology, 10 (557), 1-17. DOI»

    • Warran K, Fancourt D, and Perkins R (2019), The experience and perceived impact of group singing for men living with cancer: a phenomenological study, Psychology of Music, 47, 874-889. DOI»

  • 2018

    • Ascenso S, Perkins R, Atkins L, Fancourt D, and Williamon A (2018), Promoting well-being through group drumming with mental health service users and their carers, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Health and Well-being, 13 (1484219), 1-15. DOI»

    • Ascenso S, Perkins R, and Williamon A (2018), Resounding meaning: a PERMA wellbeing profile of classical musicians, Frontiers in Psychology, 9 (1895), 1-14. DOI»

    • Fancourt D and Perkins R (2018), Could listening to music during pregnancy be protective against postnatal depression and poor wellbeing post birth? Longitudinal associations from a preliminary prospective cohort study, BMJ Open, 8 (e021251), 1-8. DOI»

    • Fancourt D and Perkins R (2018), Does attending community music interventions lead to changes in wider musical behaviours? The effect of mother-infant singing classes on musical behaviours amongst mothers with symptoms of postnatal depression, Psychology of Music, 47, 132-143. DOI»

    • Fancourt D and Perkins R (2018), Maternal engagement with music up to nine months post-birth: findings from a cross-sectional study in England, Psychology of Music, 46, 238-251. DOI»

    • Fancourt D and Perkins R (2018), Singing for mother-infant bonding: the effects of mother-infant singing on emotional closeness, affect and anxiety, Music and Science, 1, 1-10. DOI»

    • Fancourt D and Perkins R (2018), The effect of singing interventions on symptoms of postnatal depression: a three-arm randomised controlled trial, British Journal of Psychiatry, 212, 119-121. DOI»

    • Perkins R, Yorke S, and Fancourt D (2018), How group singing facilitates recovery from the symptoms of postnatal depression: a comparative qualitative study, BMC Psychology, 6 (41), 1-12. DOI»

    • Perkins R, Yorke S, and Fancourt D (2018), Learning to facilitate arts-in-health programmes: a case study of musicians facilitating creative interventions for mothers with symptoms of postnatal depression, International Journal of Music Education, 36, 644-658. DOI»

    • Waddell G, Perkins R, and Williamon A (2018), Making an impression: error location and repertoire features affect performance quality rating processes, Music Perception, 36, 60-76. DOI»

  • 2017

    • Araújo L, Wasley D, Perkins R, Atkins L, Redding E, Ginsborg J, and Williamon A (2017), Fit to perform: an investigation of higher education music students’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health, Frontiers in Psychology, 8 (1558), 1-19. DOI»

    • Ascenso S, Williamon A, and Perkins R (2017), Understanding the psychological wellbeing of professional musicians through the lens of positive psychology, Psychology of Music, 45, 65-81. DOI»

    • Aufegger L, Perkins R, Wasley D, and Williamon A (2017), Musicians’ perceptions and experiences of using simulation training to develop performance skills, Psychology of Music, 45, 417-431. DOI»

    • Fancourt D and Perkins R (2017), Associations between singing to babies and symptoms of postnatal depression, wellbeing, self-esteem and mother-infant bond, Public Health, 145, 149-152. DOI»

    • Perkins R, Reid H, Araújo L, Clark T, and Williamon A (2017), Perceived enablers and barriers to optimal health among music students: a qualitative study in the music conservatoire setting, Frontiers in Psychology, 8 (968), 1-15. DOI»

    • Stahl G, Burnard P, and Perkins R (2017), Critical reflections on the use of Bourdieu’s tools ‘in concert’ to understand the practices of learning in three musical sites, Sociological Research Online, 22, 57-77. DOI»

  • 2016

    • Fancourt D, Perkins R, Ascenso S, Atkins L, Kilfeather S, Carvalho LA, Steptoe A, and Williamon A (2016), Group drumming modulates cytokine response in mental health service users: a preliminary study, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 85, 53-55. DOI»

    • Fancourt D, Perkins R, Ascenso S, Carvalho LA, Steptoe A, and Williamon A (2016), Effects of group drumming interventions on anxiety, depression, social resilience and inflammatory immune response among mental health service users, PLOS One, 11 (e0151136), 1-16. DOI»

    • Perkins R, Ascenso S, Atkins L, Fancourt D, and Williamon A (2016), Making music for mental health: how group drumming mediates recovery, Psychology of Well-Being, 6 (11), 1-17. DOI»

  • 2015

    • Perkins R (2015), Bourdieu applied in the analysis of conservatoire learning cultures, in P Burnard, Y Hofvander Trulsson, and J Soderman (eds), Bourdieu and the Sociology of Music Education (pp. 99-112), Ashgate.

    • Perkins R, Aufegger L, and Williamon A (2015), Learning through teaching: exploring what conservatoire students learn from teaching beginner older adults, International Journal of Music Education, 33, 80-90. DOI»

  • 2014

    • Perkins R and Williamon A (2014), Learning to make music in older adulthood: a mixed-methods exploration of impacts on wellbeing, Psychology of Music, 42, 550-567. DOI»

  • 2013

    • Perkins R (2013), Learning cultures and the conservatoire: an ethnographically-informed case study, Music Education Research, 15, 196-213. DOI»

    • Perkins R (2013), Learning cultures, creativities and higher music education institutions, in P Burnard (ed), Developing Creativities in Higher Music Education: International Perspectives and Practices (pp. 223-233), Routledge.

    • Perkins R and Triantafyllaki A (2013), School and conservatoire music teachers’ ‘vocational habitus’: lessons for music teacher education, in E Georgii-Hemming, P Burnard, and S-E Holgersen (eds), Professional Knowledge in Music Teacher Education (pp. 173-185), Ashgate.

  • 2012

    • Perkins R (2012), Rethinking ‘career’ for music students: identity and vision, in D Bennett (ed), Life in the Real World: How to Make Music Graduates Employable (pp. 11-26), Common Ground.

    • Williamon A, Perkins R, Ritchie L, and Thompson S (2012), Premiers pas en musique: étude de l’engagement des enfants vis-à-vis de la musique [Musical beginnings: a study of children’s engagement with music], in M Richelle and R Wangermée (eds), Musique et Sciences de l’esprit [Music and the Sciences of the Mind] (pp. 123-137). Académie Royale de Belgique [Royal Academy of Belgium].

  • 2010

    • Perkins R (2010), Exploring the one-to-one context at conservatoires through the lens of ‘learning cultures’: the role of student self-documentation, Scientia Paedagogica Experimentalis, 47, 437-462.

  • 2009

    • Burt-Perkins R and Mills J (2009), Pitching it right? Selection and learning at a music conservatoire, British Educational Research Journal, 35, 817-835. DOI»

    • Lebler D, Burt-Perkins R, and Carey G (2009), What the students bring: examining the attributes of commencing conservatoire students, International Journal of Music Education, 27, 232-249. DOI»

  • 2008

    • Burt-Perkins R (2008), Students at a UK conservatoire of music: working towards a ‘diverse employment portfolio’? in D Bennett and M Hannan (eds), Inside, Outside, Downside Up (pp. 49-60), Black Swan Press.

    • Burt-Perkins R and Mills J (2008), The role of chamber music in learning to perform: a case study, Music Performance Research, 2, 26-35.

  • 2007

    • Burt R (2007), Preschool children’s emotional responses to music: a window into learning in the early years, in K Smithrim and R Upitis (eds), Listen to Their Voices: Research and Practice in Early Childhood Music (pp. 126-139), Canadian Music Educators’ Association.

  • 2006

    • Burt R and Mills J (2006), Taking the plunge: the hopes and fears of students as they begin music college, British Journal of Music Education, 23, 51-73. DOI»

    • Burt R, Oakes L, and Mills J (2006), Working in music: the trombonist, Research Perspectives in Music Education, 10, 27-43.

  • 2023

  • 2022

  • 2021

    • Waddell G (principal investigator), with co-investigators R Perkins, S Sharma, N Spiro, and E Tredget (2021-22), Songs from Home: Addressing Postnatal Depression and Loneliness through Online Songwriting, Loneliness and Social Isolation in Mental Health Network, £37,561.

  • 2020

  • 2019

    • Lisboa T (principal investigator), with co-investigators N Manoel da Silva Ribeiro, R Perkins, and D Santiago (2019-21), Managing the Psychosocial Needs of Families Affected by ZIKA Virus: Exploring the Impact of Music as a Social Tool, British Academy, £49,940.

    • Smilde R (principal investigator), with co-investigator R Perkins et al. (2019-23), ProMiMiC: Professional Excellence in Meaningful Music in Healthcare, Dutch Research Council, EUR 699,929.

  • 2018

    • Johnson S (principal investigator), with co-investigator R Perkins et al. (2018-23), Loneliness and Social Isolation in Mental Health: A Network for Cross-disciplinary Collaboration and Capacity Development, Economic and Social Research Council, £1.01 million. UKRI»

    • Williamon A (principal investigator), with co-investigators D Fancourt, K Gee, M Miraldo, R Perkins, R Perneczky, and N Spiro (2018-21), HEartS: Health, Economic, and Social impact of the ARTs, Arts and Humanities Research Council, £809,096. UKRI»

  • 2015

    • Perkins R (principal investigator), with co-investigators D Fancourt and D Roberts (2015-17), Music and Motherhood: The Impact of Creative Interventions on Symptoms of Postnatal Depression, Arts Council England, £199,916.

  • 2010

    • Williamon A (principal investigator), with co-investigator R Perkins (2010-12), Rhythm for Life: Music Making and Wellbeing Enhancement for Older Adults, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, £109,372.

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