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While popular wisdom considers music to be good for the soul, science is increasingly seeking to better understand how music can affect the body, brain, and spirit, as evidenced by the 2020 release of the first report. of the World Health Organization on health and music.
In response, the new Institute for Research on Music and Health (IRSM) at the University of Ottawa has set itself the main mission of deepening the way in which musical intervention can affect health, by developing knowledge , innovative therapeutic practices and solutions that can help improve the health of populations.
The driving force behind this interdisciplinary initiative, which sits at the intersection of music, health sciences, social sciences, engineering and medicine, is Faculty of Arts professor Gilles Comeau, who has been appointed Director of the Institute for a five-year term. . He is accompanied by the Associate Director of the IRSM and Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Anna Zumbansen, who will bring her own complementary expertise to the management of the Institute.
“We want the Institute to be recognized as a major research center and a benchmark in the field of music and health. A place where academics, clinicians, caregivers and music educators can exchange knowledge and working together to investigate and demonstrate, through a science based on the musical approach, the benefits of musical practice and therapy on physical, sensory, cognitive and mental health, ”explains Gilles Comeau.
Born from Comeau’s vision and leadership, MHRI will launch interdisciplinary, participatory and action-based research initiatives to measure how music learning and practice can affect children with hearing loss, the elderly with disabilities. cognitive and motor skills, as well as people with mental health problems.
The IRSM is the birthplace of interdisciplinary research partnerships that bring together the best talents from the faculties of arts, health sciences and social sciences and the Institute for Professional Development at the University of Ottawa. The Institute has also established partnerships with external organizations, in particular Carleton University; The University of Ottawa’s Institute for Mental Health Research at the Royal, Bruyère Research Institute, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), The Ottawa Hospital (L ‘HO) (Education) and the Lotus Center for Special Music Education. These partners will bring their expertise to a list of avant-garde and scientifically creative initiatives.
Researchers from the University of Montreal and the University of British Columbia will also be among the valuable research partners and members of the Institute’s steering committee.
The creation of the Music and Health Research Institute is innovation in action. The Institute’s multidisciplinary approach to the study of the interplay between music and health is distinctive and strongly aligned with our strategic research goal of promoting health and well-being across the lifespan. The high-caliber partnerships formed by Professor Comeau promise to advance research that will help improve the well-being of all Canadians. “
Sylvain Charbonneau, Vice-President, Research, Institute for Music and Health Research, University of Ottawa
The partnerships and research that have been developed by the Piano Pedagogy Research Laboratory and the Musicians’ Wellness Center, both founded by Comeau and now under the aegis of the Institute, have been instrumental in establishing the synergies of IRSM collaborative research, including the Canadian Musicians’ Health Network. and Wellness, which responds to musicians’ calls for better prevention, better management and better management of physical and psychological problems linked to playing an instrument.
An initiative from the IRSM will advance research on the factors involved in maintaining the well-being, autonomy and health of the elderly, who will represent 25% of the population by 2030 according to Statistics Canada.
“Making music with the elderly” is an important research initiative that the Institute will carry out with Le Royal and Bruyère. It will examine how the brain functions responsible for a patient’s attention, balance, gait, or psychological and mental state can be affected by multitasking musical interventions that combine rhythmic body movements, exercise training and ear, tapping, applause, vocal or instrumental improvisation, and playing percussion. This partnership will give the University of Ottawa project an additional anchor point at the Bruyère campus in Orléans and at the Royal, thus giving the project better access to a larger pool of seniors and patients with whom to work. advance research.
“We are particularly excited to partner with the IRSM at the University of Ottawa to generate and apply new knowledge in the service of people living with mental illness,” says Florence Dzierszinski, who is President of the University of Ottawa’s Institute for Mental Health Research at The Royal and Vice-President, Research, at The Royal. “We are particularly looking forward to our first project, which focuses on music and aging, and will see the creation of a music and mental health research clinic, which will be designed by researchers, clinicians, conductors. program and people with lived expertise, and will be connected to our cutting-edge technological platforms, including our Brain Imaging Center, ”says Dzierszinski.
We are delighted to be a key partner of the new Music and Health Research Institute and to further study the benefits of music in Bruyère, ”said Heidi Sveistrup, CEO and Scientific Director of the Research Institute Bruyère and vice-president, research and university. business in Bruyère. “The science is clear – making music and moving to the sound of music have significant benefits for cognitive, emotional and physical health. “
Studying musical engagement and interest in children and youth with hearing loss is another key initiative for which the CHEO Research Institute will develop innovative clinical practices. This research will measure the effects of learning music on the auditory, cognitive and central neurological systems of children with hearing loss.
Dr. Ryan Rourke, Surgeon in the Pediatric Otolaryngology and Audiology Divisions, Sees Opportunities to Expand CHEO’s Involvement in MMRI to Different Departments to Understand How Music Can Help Children with Various Conditions .
“MHRI is poised to be a pioneering force in the field,” says Erin Parkes, PhD, the founder and executive director of the Lotus Center for Specialized Music Education, a partner organization that helps struggling students. “There has been so little work done in this area, and this partnership has the potential to really change the landscape of special music education.”
The Institute will strive to ensure that its research and knowledge mobilization activities reflect its commitment to increasing access, inclusive and equitable to musical interventions.
Brian Ray – Associate Dean for Research at the Faculty of Arts
“The Faculty of Arts is proud to be a partner of this initiative. Professor Gilles Comeau has constantly contributed to the advancement of research at the School of Music of the Faculty of Arts, as well as in several other fields. Professor Comeau’s scholarship is creative, committed and rigorous; under his leadership, we can expect exciting things from this new center of interdisciplinary research. “
Lucie Thibault – Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and member of the IRSM steering committee
“The Music and Health Research Institute is a prime example of our faculty’s strategic goal priorities to support inter and multidisciplinary research. Music has a direct impact on our health and well-being and the Faculty of Health Sciences is honored to work closely with the Faculty of Arts to participate in the next steps of this valuable research. “
Rafik Goubran – Vice-President (Research and International), Carleton University
“Carleton University is pleased to partner with the University of Ottawa on this important initiative that will study the role of music in society and its impact on health outcomes, particularly on conditions such as as dementia and anxiety. This partnership is a welcome addition to the many successful collaborations between our two institutions and will enhance our ongoing research productivity and shared vision. “
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