Music for Health Care and Well-Being

Dear Colleagues,

Since ancient times, music has been acknowledged as a therapeutic medium for humans, providing diverse benefits which affect human emotion, cognition, and behavior. Through different stages of human history, music has served as an essential medium that has ensured good quality of life and well-being, adding to the scientific evidence of its efficacy with research development. Rigorous and integrative discoveries of the neural mechanisms underlying complex music-related behaviors have further promoted new advancements across multidisciplinary research and approaches.

Music is a common asset that provides both collective experiences, bringing people together, and personal connections through emotional resonance and empathy.

During the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the therapeutic benefits of music have become clearer, filling in the physically distanced space emotionally. Many studies have reported the positive effects of music on relieving and alleviating negative emotions, anxiety, and unmotivated thoughts, leading to functional behaviors and social integration. Communities have promoted various virtual music programs in which music could be a common interest, promoting listening, singing, playing, and moving, despite limitations on physical interactions, and combining visual, auditory, and kinesthetic experiences.

The scope of this Special Issue is to share, exchange, and advance ideas on how music brings about positive changes in people’s thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors from therapeutic, recreational, educational, and medical aspects. The included information will intrigue researchers, academics, musicians, and health-related professionals seeking to learn how music can be used as a healing medium, catalyst, prompt, and therapeutic tool in various fields of practice.

Prof. Dr. Hyun Ju Chong
Prof. Dr. Ga Eul Yoo
Dr. Amy Clements-Cortés
Guest Editors

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