Musics, selves and societies: the roles of music in effecting change

A Workshop at the Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge, 25-26 June 2018

This workshop brought together researchers and practitioners to explore theory, research and evidence on whether, and how, music can effect individual and social change. It considered the following three questions:

1. Can music effect individual and/or social change, and what evidence is there pro or contra?
2. What types of beneficial changes can it generate and how durable are those changes?
3. How can we harness music's powers for change?

Over the two days of the workshop, there were panel presentations and intensive discussions involving a wide range of world-leading practitioners and researchers centring on music's effects and roles in the domains of education, therapy and social action, concluding with a session on how public policy should and might be developed in the light of the evidence and preceding discussions.