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PaSTY talk by Helen Thomas (Newcastle University): Is singing good for you?

Date: 13 March 2013 Time: 4.00-5.00 pm

Venue: Bowland North, Seminar Room 1

The therapeutic and healing use of the creative arts (e.g. music, poetry, dance and painting) has a long history in human development. Recent studies have explored the benefits of older groups of people engaging in creative arts and have reported improved physical health, social interaction and vitality for participants.

Within an increasing focus on wellbeing for older people, it then follows that we could, even should, develop a creative arts intervention that, if suitable, be prescribed by GPs as part of a patients' healthcare. However, engagement in creative activities is a complex process that if developed into a robust medical intervention requires that we understand any potential adverse effects as well as the benefits.

This research paper presents an analysis of twenty semi-structured interviews with a group of participants in a singing project at Newcastle University. Recurrent expressions of orientational, motional and container metaphors suggest a conceptual journey metaphor in which singing is experienced as a vehicle for both creativity and wellbeing. Concepts of wellbeing and creativity are notoriously difficult to define. Obstacles and tensions emerge from the information gathered in the interviews that can enrich our understanding of the relationship between these difficult concepts. Recognition of the obstacles and tensions must be a pre-requisite for the management of potentially adverse effects. Therefore metaphor analysis may be used to inform good practice in complex medical interventions such as creative arts workshops.

For further information see http://research.ncl.ac.uk/ageingcreatively/

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Who can attend: Anyone