Rosie Perkins

Royal College of Music | Imperial College London · Centre for Performance Science

Simulation has been applied as a tool for learning and training in sports, psychology and medicine for some time, but its current use and potential for training musicians is less well understood. The aim of this study was to explore musicians’ perceptions and experiences of using simulated performance environments. Nine conservatory students perfor...

The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial effect on the creative and cultural industries in the United Kingdom (UK), as seen in our first snapshot of the HEartS Professional Survey (April–June 2020, Phase 1, N = 358). By analysing data collected one year later (April–May 2021, Phase 2, N = 685), the aims of the current study are to trace the contribu...

In this paper we report on the inaugural meetings of the Musical Care International Network held online in 2022. The term “musical care” is defined by Spiro and Sanfilippo (2022) as “the role of music—music listening as well as music-making—in supporting any aspect of people's developmental or health needs” (pp. 2–3). Musical care takes varied form...

Background Postnatal depression (PND) affects over 12% of mothers, with numbers rising during COVID-19. Singing groups can support mothers with PND; however, online delivery has never been evaluated. SHAPER-PNDO, a single-arm clinical trial, evaluated the feasibility, clinical efficacy, and well-being outcomes of a 6-week online version of Breathe...

Objective: Loneliness is a public health challenge associated with postnatal depression (PND). This study developed and tested an online songwriting intervention, with the aim of reducing loneliness and symptoms of PND and enhancing social connectedness among women with young babies. Study design: This was a two-armed non-blinded randomised cont...

The beneficial potential for music in hospital contexts is well established, with research showing that music can promote patient well-being and support recovery. However, less attention has been paid to the ways in which musicians’ practices and professional identities are informed by working in hospital settings. As arts-and-health approaches con...

Background Loneliness is associated with many mental health conditions, as both a potential causal and an exacerbating factor. Richer evidence about how people with mental health problems experience loneliness, and about what makes it more or less severe, is needed to underpin research on strategies to help address loneliness. Methods Our aim was...

Background Postnatal depression (PND) affects 13% of new mothers, with numbers rising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this prevalence, many women have difficulty with or hesitancy towards accessing pharmacological and/or psychological interventions. Group-based mother-baby activities, however, have a good uptake, with singing improving matern...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the arts sector, disrupting livelihoods and professional networks and accentuating the instability that is common for creative workers. Gaps in support for grassroots organisations and freelance workers have highlighted structural inequalities within the industry, and the significant challenges for...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has for decades highlighted that health is more than just the absence of disorder. Musicians’ wellbeing has received growing attention over the years, and the music sector seems increasingly engaged in its investigation and promotion. However, initiatives tend to focus on eliminating disorder, with performance an...

Background Many mental health conditions are associated with loneliness, which is both a potential trigger and an exacerbating factor in mental health conditions. Richer evidence about how people with mental health problems experience loneliness, and about what exacerbates or alleviates it, is needed to underpin research on strategies to help with...

Objectives This study investigated how adults in the UK perceived their arts and cultural engagement to facilitate social connectedness at two time points in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Study design The study used the HEartS Survey, a newly designed online survey tool to capture arts engagement in the UK and its associations with soci...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has for decades highlighted that health is more than just the absence of disorder. Musicians’ wellbeing has received growing attention over the years, and the music sector seems increasingly engaged in its investigation and promotion. However, initiatives tend to focus on eliminating disorder, with performance an...

Introduction: Research on the benefits of 'arts' interventions to improve individuals' physical, social and psychological well-being is growing, but evidence on implementation and scale-up into health and social care systems is lacking. This protocol reports the SHAPER-Implement programme (Scale-up of Health-Arts Programmes Effectiveness-Implement...

Introduction: Postnatal depression (PND) affects approximately 13% of new mothers. Community-based activities are sought after by many mothers, especially mothers that prefer not to access pharmacological or psychological interventions. Singing has shown positive effects in maternal mood and mother-child bonding. The Scaling-Up Health-Arts Program...

Background Loneliness is a public health challenge, associated with premature mortality and poorer health outcomes. Social connections can mitigate against loneliness, and there is evidence that the arts can support social connectedness. However, existing research on the arts and social connectedness is limited by focus on particular age groups and...

Evidence on the role of the arts in promoting health and wellbeing has grown over the last two decades. In the United Kingdom, studies using secondary data sources have documented temporal variations in levels of arts engagement in the population, its determinants and its mental wellbeing implications. However, arts engagement is often characterize...

Performing Music Research is a comprehensive guide to research in music performance. It reviews the knowledge and skills needed to critique existing studies in music education, psychology, and performance science, and to design and carry out new investigations. Methodological approaches are highlighted across the book in ways that help aspiring res...

Chapter 14 of Performing Music Research presents the key features of the final written research report. It considers how to get started, the use of appropriate structure and headings, the importance of identifying limitations and further research, and referencing sources. Acknowledging that music researchers need to communicate in many ways, the ch...

Chapter 13 of Performing Music Research outlines a range of statistical approaches designed to identify associations (or “relationships”) between variables. it starts with correlation and regression, which allow the nature and strength of the relationships between two or more variables to be quantified. Next, it considers approaches with specific a...

Chapter 5 of Performing Music Research focuses on three different types of documents, beginning with pre-existing written, audio, and audiovisual documentation. First, the chapter gives examples of pre-existing documents, such as program notes, which can be used in studies as research data in their own right and as stimuli for research. Second, it...

Chapter 11 of Performing Music Research considers the main features of inferential statistics. Statistics describe the characteristics of particular samples and guide the inferences that may be drawn from those characteristics not only to the sample but also the wider population. The use of inferential statistical tests thus enables researchers to...

Chapter 4 of Performing Music Research examines three different types of observation: (1) participant observation, in which the investigator has a dual role, acting as both participant and researcher, thereby placing value on the insights gained through an “insider” perspective on the phenomenon under observation; (2) semi-structured observational...

Chapter 8 of Performing Music Research examines the experiment as a means of assessing new ideas and initiatives, producing evidence that can support crucial developments in the lives and education of musicians. It outlines several key types of experiment, defined by how people are divided into groups, what those groups do, and how those groups are...

Chapter 7 of Performing Music Research describes the main features of surveys and discusses when it is appropriate to use them. It considers the key decisions that must be taken when designing a survey, when and how to choose a questionnaire that has already been validated, and how to adapt or construct a new questionnaire. It highlights different...

Chapter 6 of Performing Music Research sets out the characteristic features of research interviews, introducing four types of interview: open interviews, which often arise spontaneously or informally and which are largely unstructured or explore an overarching topic of interest; semi-structured interviews, an approach often taken in music research...

Chapter 3 of Performing Music Research explores the guiding principles on which ethical codes are based. These can be summarized as follows: people should not be harmed, nor their rights and dignity compromised, and research must be of scientific value and carried out with integrity. These issues must be considered and addressed in the earliest sta...

Chapter 2 of Performing Music Research reviews three methodological approaches: qualitative, quantitative, and multistrategy. While all three approaches can be used to shed light on musical topics, qualitative approaches tend to elicit an understanding of individuals’ idiosyncratic perspectives and experiences, whereas quantitative approaches tend...

Chapter 1 of Performing Music Research considers how to develop effective research questions, outlining ways of formulating them so that they are clear and answerable. Different assumptions about the world underlie different research questions, which in turn seek different kinds of knowledge. Therefore, when designing research, it is essential to u...

Chapter 9 of Performing Music Research introduces the characteristics of qualitative analysis, focusing on the interpretative role of the researcher. Given that large volumes of information are typically collected in qualitative enquiry, the chapter presents ways of organizing and storing data and discusses the strengths and limitations of computer...

Chapter 10 of Performing Music Research sets out the fundamental principles that underpin all statistics. Statistics must be used with care, and strict conditions govern their deployment, many of which have to be considered in the earliest stages of research. The chapter discusses techniques for organizing, describing, and summarizing data. It intr...

Chapter 12 of Performing Music Research considers statistical tests designed for use in experimental, survey, and observational research to compare differences between groups. It describes three kinds of test and their variations: t -tests, which are used to identify differences between two groups on one dependent variable; analyses of variance (AN...

Performing Music Research is a comprehensive guide to research in music performance. It reviews the knowledge and skills needed to critique existing studies in music education, psychology, and performance science, and to design and carry out new investigations. Methodological approaches are highlighted across the book in ways that help aspiring res...

Performing Music Research is a comprehensive guide to research in music performance. It reviews the knowledge and skills needed to critique existing studies in music education, psychology, and performance science, and to design and carry out new investigations. Methodological approaches are highlighted across the book in ways that help aspiring res...

Performing Music Research is a comprehensive guide to research in music performance. It reviews the knowledge and skills needed to critique existing studies in music education, psychology, and performance science, and to design and carry out new investigations. Methodological approaches are highlighted across the book in ways that help aspiring res...

Performing Music Research is a comprehensive guide to research in music performance. It reviews the knowledge and skills needed to critique existing studies in music education, psychology, and performance science, and to design and carry out new investigations. Methodological approaches are highlighted across the book in ways that help aspiring res...

Performing Music Research is a comprehensive guide to research in music performance. It reviews the knowledge and skills needed to critique existing studies in music education, psychology, and performance science, and to design and carry out new investigations. Methodological approaches are highlighted across the book in ways that help aspiring res...

Performing Music Research is a comprehensive guide to research in music performance. It reviews the knowledge and skills needed to critique existing studies in music education, psychology, and performance science, and to design and carry out new investigations. Methodological approaches are highlighted across the book in ways that help aspiring res...

Performing Music Research is a comprehensive guide to research in music performance. It reviews the knowledge and skills needed to critique existing studies in music education, psychology, and performance science, and to design and carry out new investigations. Methodological approaches are highlighted across the book in ways that help aspiring res...

This article reports data collected from 385 performing arts professionals using the HEartS Professional Survey during the COVID-19 Lockdown 1.0 in the United Kingdom. Study 1 examined characteristics of performing arts professionals’ work and health, and investigated how these relate to standardized measures of wellbeing. Study 2 examined the effe...

Participatory music engagement has the capacity to support well-being. Yet, there is little research that has scrutinized the processes through which music has an effect. In this meta-ethnography [PROSPERO CRD42019130164], we conducted a systematic search of 19 electronic databases and a critical appraisal to identify 46 qualitative studies reporti...

Purpose Loneliness in older adulthood is a societal and public health challenge warranting identification of sustainable and community-based protective factors. This study investigated whether frequency of receptive arts engagement is associated with lower odds of loneliness in older adults. Methods We used data of respondents from waves 2 (2004–2...

This article sets out a dialogue on the impact of music on people and society. The perspectives of three researchers, from different experiential and methodological backgrounds, are presented. The article explores: how we define concepts of impact; how we seek to measure the impact of engaging with music, providing examples from our own recent work...

The physical demands of music making are well acknowledged, but understanding of musicians’ physical and fitness profiles is nonetheless limited, especially those of advanced music students who are training to enter music’s competitive professional landscape. To gain insight into how physical fitness is associated with music making, this study inve...

The aim of this study was to explore the experience and perceived impact of group singing for men with cancer. Through the lens of phenomenology, semi-structured interviews were carried out with five patients with prostate cancer, focusing on their experience of cancer, singing, and the perceived impact of the choir. Interviews were transcribed ver...

Objectives: This study investigated whether frequency of receptive arts engagement over 10 years contributes to experienced, evaluative and eudaimonic well-being in older adults. Methods: We used repeated data of 3,188 respondents from waves 2 to 7 (2004/2005-2014/2015) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. We examined longitudinal associ...

This study investigated the health and well-being experiences of professional singers in popular music. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of semi-structured interviews with five professional singers identified three main themes: (1) mental and physical experiences of health and support, (2) positive musical experiences and (3) barriers...

A growing body of work has examined the act of evaluating the quality of a musical performance. This article considers the domain of training evaluative skills in musicians, presenting assessment as a form of performance to be taught and demonstrating a gap in opportunities for trainees to develop evaluative skills within the heightened environment...

An evaluation of the Civic Fellowship programme at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra ascertaining its value towards the optimization of professional development and wellbeing of recent music graduates.

While music has been linked with enhanced wellbeing across a wide variety of contexts, the professional pursuit of a music career is frequently associated with poor psychological health. Most research has focused on assessing negative functioning, and to date, few studies have attempted to profile musicians’ wellbeing using a positive framework. Th...

Background: Previous research has demonstrated that making music can enhance positive emotions as well as support positive psychological functioning. However, studies tend to be limited by lack of comparison with other psychosocial interventions. This study builds on a three-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) that demonstrated that group singin...

音大に入ったらプロの演奏家になるのが当たり前？ どうすれば音大卒の若者は仕事にありつけるのか？ 音楽家が社会で受け入れられ、生き残るための道とは？ 成功とは何だろうか？ 音楽家とはそもそも何なのか？ “――本書がめざすのは、将来演奏家としての活動を続けようという若者たちに、自分たちがなろうとしているのは「どんな種類の音楽家」であるのかを自由に考えてもらうことです。”（本文より） 音楽学生、音大卒業生は音楽家として、あるいは別の職業について、どう自立していくのか。世界中の若い音楽家と音楽教育の現場が直面している問題に、世界の音楽キャリア教育の専門家たちが答える。 文系廃止論が叫ばれ、音楽大学の将来が案じられる状況にある今、音大生そして音大が社会で受け入れられ、生き残るための道をグローバルな視点...

Purpose: Music has been linked with well-being across clinical and community settings. Yet, research has focused on assessment of single dimensions of well-being and on the typical receiver of support services. Acknowledging the burden that a caring role encompasses and integrating recent proposals for a multifaceted definition of well-being, we ex...

Objectives This study explored whether listening to music during pregnancy is longitudinally associated with lower symptoms of postnatal depression and higher well-being in mothers post birth. Design Prospective cohort study. Participants We analysed data from 395 new mothers aged over 18 who provided data in the third trimester of pregnancy and...

There is growing research documenting the effects of arts-in-health interventions on diverse participant groups. However, the impact of interventions on facilitators remains largely lacking. Drawing on a case study project, this article reports on a qualitative study to understand the practices, challenges, enablers and impacts for musicians of fac...

Among mammals who invest in the production of a relatively small number of offspring, bonding is a critical strategy for survival. Mother–infant bonding among humans is not only linked with the infant’s survival but also with a range of protective psychological, biological, and behavioral responses in both mothers and infants in the post-birth peri...

Background This article is a process evaluation of a three-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effects of creative interventions on symptoms of postnatal depression (PND) in new mothers. Methods Analyses of quantitative evaluation data from 91 participants and qualitative interviews and focus groups with 80 participants and 3 membe...

This study assessed whether a novel psychosocial intervention could reduce symptoms of postnatal depression (PND) in the first 40 weeks post-birth. Analyses were carried out of 134 mothers with symptoms of PND randomised into 10 weeks of group singing workshops or group play workshops for them and their babies, or usual care (trial registration: NC...

THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES THE EFFECTS OF composition length, familiarity, and likeability—as well as the location of performance errors—on the process of forming performance quality ratings. Five piano works by Chopin and a twentieth-century composer were chosen to vary by length and familiarity. Three of these pieces were then manipulated to contain p...

There is a growing body of research exploring how music interventions impact on wider behaviours in people’s lives, such as anti-social behaviours, classroom behaviours and consumer behaviours. However, an understudied area is whether engagement in structured music programmes leads to wider changes in musical behaviours amongst participants. This s...

Making music at the highest international standards can be rewarding, but it is also challenging, with research highlighting pernicious ways in which practicing and performing can affect performers’ health and wellbeing. Several studies indicate that music students’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health and healthy living are less tha...

Bourdieu’s rich conceptual tools of habitus, capital, and field continue to be useful in multiple areas of sociological research; however, his tools take many shapes within his own writing and different disciplines. In this article, we reflect on our use of Bourdieu’s tools in order to enhance our understanding of how Bourdieu’s notion of ‘practice...

Bourdieu’s rich conceptual tools of habitus, capital and field continue to be useful in multiple areas of sociological research; however, his tools take many shapes within his own writing and different disciplines. In this article, we reflect on our use of Bourdieu’s tools in order to enhance our understanding of how Bourdieu’s notion of ‘practice’...

Student health and wellbeing within higher education has been documented as poor in relation to the general population. This is a particular problem among students at music conservatoires, who are studying within a unique educational context that is known to generate both physical and psychological challenges. This article examines how conservatoir...