Music and well-being: a transformative consumer research perspective

While much is known about the therapeutic qualities of music, less is understood about its impact on well-being from a holistic perspective. To address this limitation, this study examines how music is used as a resource to manage all aspects of well-being: physical, mental, intellectual and social. Adopting a transformative consumer research perspective, the researchers partnered with community organisations and participants in the design of the research. This study explores experiences of older adults (60-81) and adolescent teenagers (15-17) in Ireland over a seven-month period, using interviews, participant observation of intergenerational music workshops, and participant music diaries to explore this phenomenon. Findings place emphasis on the role of intergenerational social well-being in addition to the role of music in pain management, structuring the everyday, providing purpose, confronting death/uncertainty, and the management of identity formation/loss. Suggestions for social policy and future research are also explored.