If music be the food of love…

Music has been used throughout history to evoke emotion. From Cupid holding a lute, the instrument thought to awaken love, through to Shakespeare incorporating language to show music is a force that has the power to enhance emotions, entering into the body and soul. 

As I start to delve deeper into the world of wellbeing through my work as a holistic therapist and working with POINT3 Wellbeing, I realise that this area should be explored more, in particular around children and their wellbeing. As part of my portfolio career, I have had the pleasure of supporting the start-up AudioMango as well as the children’s charity, Coram, with their marketing needs. Through both these ventures, I am seeing how powerful music can be. 

Coram’s Creative Therapies team “work with children, young people and their families, using music and art therapy to empower them to build skills and emotional resilience.”

Madeline Aslan, one of their music therapists comments, “Music therapy can be useful in a variety of ways for children and young people. It is primarily non-verbal and creative musical exchanges between client and therapist can offer support with socialisation, communication, as well as emotional regulation. Music therapy can also provide a safe, boundaried, space for clients; and a trusting relationship with the therapist can be formed.”

Music allows the children and young people to “explore their experiences creatively, and help develop ways of building greater resilience in themselves and in their relationships.”

I have experienced audio being a powerful tool to support my own wellbeing. I remember after a very rubbish day at work, when I was feeling low, walking across Waterloo bridge on my old commute with the sun setting, listening to David Guetta Titanium and feeling invincible! That awesome tune took me out of my ‘funk’ and reinvigorated my self-belief. 

In a recent Culture Report by Spotify, it talks about the ‘DIY Wellness Menu’ that Gen Zs are engaging with. “Audio isn’t considered just entertainment. [Gen] Zs…are tuning into specific auditory experiences to self-regulate, manifest, and heal, whether through positive thinking podcasts, ambient sound, or even silence.” With 72% of Millennials in the UK seeing audio “as a mental health resource”, plus “77% of Millennials and 67% of Gen Zs…[agreeing] that they use audio to reduce their stress levels,” it shows how vital audio is to wellbeing for the younger generations.

I am only just starting to unpick the world of wellbeing in regards to young people and children. Looking to extend my studies to include reflexology and massage for babies and toddlers, I would also love to incorporate the knowledge I have to support young teens too. 

With '“50% of adult mental illness (excluding dementia) start[ing] before age 15 and 75% by age 18”, there is a lot to be done to support children with their wellbeing. Often not enough is happening. Although school anxiety existed pre-Covid, there has been an increase in children experiencing this form of anxiety which leads to absence from school. '“Children with school anxiety may experience physical symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea and headaches before school or have immobilising anxiety, panic attacks or something that seems like a tantrum.” Many parents are being prosecuted and fined under legislation put in place to stop parents taking children on holiday in term time. How can we make sure that the parents of these children are given the right support, as well as the children themselves. 

Sinclairs Law chief executive Mike Charles, a specialist solicitor in education law says "school anxiety and generally the mental health of our children has been a massive issue for many years but it's particularly more pronounced since the pandemic, because the impact this has had on children has undoubtedly affected their mental health in a very substantial way."

This recent research and my knowledge through working with Coram has led me to ask how can we incorporate music, audio or even silence into our children’s lives? Should there be dedicated time as part of the school timetable for mindful silence, music therapy, or even movement by getting everyone up and dancing around the room? I spoke to my 17 year old niece about what her previous school and college do in this space. 

'“My colleague have a drop in session every Wednesday lunch time, access to free counselling and weekly reminders of key contacts and help. Last year a free ‘managing anxiety program’ was available too. All teachers are very aware and there are open comms around it continuously. This was not the case with my senior school. It was not talked about or actively encouraged. We did have PSHE days where some were specific on mental health areas or general wellbeing, but it was not as open from a conversation POV.”

There are some incredible offerings out there to help schools in this area. One is Coram Life Education’s Whole - School SCARF. SCARF (Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience, Friendship) is an online teacher resource - a toolkit to ensure a  “whole-school approach to mental wellbeing, involving teachers, pupils and parents/carers working together [which] can impact significantly on pupils' wellbeing, behaviour and learning.”

Harriet Gill, Managing Director, Education and Wellbeing says “SCARF is a framework consisting of lesson plans, online planning, assessment and Ofsted tools to give busy teachers skills and confidence to embed a comprehensive RSHE, PSHE and Wellbeing programme throughout the primary years. SCARF is a whole-school approach to promoting behaviour, safety, achievement and wellbeing.”

This is brilliant news that services like this are available to schools, but how can we support parents more? “Parents are the first teachers of their children” after all. Personally I know that dancing around the kitchen helps both my own and my children’s wellbeing. It has the physical impact of releasing endorphins and other happy hormones, which helps our bodies to destress, but it is also a great method to connect as a family. 

There is so much more to be done to support the next generation before it is too late. I don’t know what the answer is, but I plan on continuing my research to discover ways.