Striking a chord: Using music to change lives

Iona Joy & Adrian Fradd

November 2006, 24 pages

Music is an instrument of change. From opera to hip hop, music can be a powerful tool across all sectors, helping to tackle both disadvantage and disability.

NPC's report, Striking a chord, explores how music can transform the lives of those in need as well as examining the impact music can have on education, health and and the wellbeing of communities.

 

Did you know?

• In cases of severe brain damage or degeneration, musical abilities are often the last to be lost.
• Around 40% of homeless participants who took part in a charity’s opera production used the occasion to get back in contact with long-lost family or friends.

The report highlights areas where donors can make a difference including:

• enabling people with dementia to connect with their families through music
• increasing the self-esteem of people with severe mental health problems, and
• reducing bullying in schools—a problem that affects more than one in four children in Britain.