Music and Parental Wellbeing

The Music and Parental Wellbeing Research Network recognises that parental wellbeing is suffering in the United Kingdom and beyond, exacerbated by factors such as health inequalities, austerity, conflict, and COVID-19. While there is already evidence that music can support wellbeing, including for parents, there is work required to diversify and extend the knowledge base, and to bridge a translational gap between practice and research, on the one hand, and policy and long-lasting implementation, on the other.

This international network collaboratively addresses this agenda, focusing on three key questions: What musical practices could be used to support parents in a wide range of contexts? How can music practitioners working in this area be supported and cared for? How can music be implemented as a sustainable part of parental wellbeing practices and policies? The complexity of these questions – and who they involve – necessitates the need for a collaborative approach, bringing together people working at the intersection of music and parental wellbeing to work across and between disciplinary and conceptual boundaries.

Network activities include a series of online and hybrid events over 2024 and 2025. Network activities are being disseminated through a resource bank, sharing exemplars of work and practice, and through an agenda article and accompanying policy briefing that lays out progress to date and the key questions and policy implications needed to advance the field. The network is also being developed into an Alliance for Music and Parental Wellbeing that raises awareness, facilitates ongoing collaborations, and hosts network outputs.