Over the past year, conversations about overall health and wellbeing have become more prevalent in our news channels, social media feeds and around our dinner tables with family and loved ones. After long periods of social isolation and continued isolation for many, conversations have shifted to include discussions on how to connect or reconnect with others and how to build a sense of resiliency as individuals and members of our communities.

Granting agencies such as the Ontario Trillium Foundation have launched funding specific to helping the non-profit sector build resiliency so they can support and continue to serve communities across Ontario. Organizations such as the Coalition for Music Education in Canada have released impact surveys which  address the need for additional funding and support to help music educators develop a sense of resiliency both within their own practice as professional practitioners and within the broader scope of program development.

In October of 2021, Room 217 launched musiccare LEARN, a hub which hosts 8 core programs designed to help caregivers build their knowledge and skills when using music in care. Through discussions with leading experts in music care delivery, and with members of our LEARN community, it has become clear that we are entering a phase where developing resiliency in both individuals and organizations is a critical emerging theme.

In our recent Webinar entitled Music, Wellness & Young People, Rachael Finnerty (RP, MMT, MA, MTA) discusses how engaging in music with others helps to identify a sense of belonging. When we “share a music experience with others it enhances our sense of community. When we feel part of something, we have elevated confidence.” This sentiment rings true in what we know about both by listening to music and music making. When listening to music, we can see ourselves in the experiences of others and when we participate in music making, we are sharing space with others. Either way, musicking is a known vehicle for wellness.

Community Ambassador and Conductor, Daniel Bartholmew-Poyser, and freelance musician Kathryn Cobbler, recently helped musiccare by Room 217 deliver a workshop for secondary students. This workshop focused on how music can be used to create space for individuals to develop a sense of personal identity, while fostering an overall sense of belonging within their classroom and school.

How can music be used to explore themes of equity within a classroom and how does this contribute to resiliency both for individuals and music programs within schools?

From a psychological perspective, Rachael Finnerty talks about how engaging in music contributes to identity development, creates lasting memories and a develops a sense of belonging.  In all care spaces, including schools, music is a tool that can be used to develop person-centred or student-centred programming.

On May 3rd, CBC News released an article entitled How Music is providing a lifeline to seniors in care during the pandemic. This article focuses on the benefits of music beyond the scope of entertainment and how Concerts in Care, an organization dedicated to bringing music to seniors dealt with program delivery through the pandemic. As an organization, Concerts in Care showed incredible resiliency through adopting virtual and hybrid program models and has expanded their reach into communities not accessible during in-person programming. "We are a lifeline to memories, connections and social interaction – even over Zoom or through our live recorded videos," said Debra Chandler, executive director of CIC.  musiccare by Room 217 is proud to have played a small part in providing education and guidance to Concerts in Care.

Room 217 has been working on a research project with McMaster University and will release a Virtual Learning Studio (VLS) in Summer 2022, providing support using music as a tool for resiliency. In addition to the VLS, the upcoming Music Care Conference was created with an overarching theme of Music and Wellness, scheduled for Saturday Nov 5th, 2022. The conference will be held in New Westminster, BC which will be Hybrid in nature, providing in-person and virtual options to attend. www.musiccareconference.com Registration will begin on June 15th.

For more information on our programming, visit www.musiccare.org