‘It’s like a hug’: Examining the role of music-making for the well-being of youth during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This article presents findings from a cross-disciplinary, international project that seeks to understand the importance of music-making for young people (aged 18–35 years) as a source of well-being during the COVID-19 crisis. A key objective of the project is to evaluate whether music-making has contributed in palpable ways to young people’s individual well-being and their sense of connection with others. For the purposes of the project, well-being is defined in relation to both physical and mental health but also by having a sense of social belonging. Given the unprecedented circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, its rapid spread and ensuing disruptions to everyday life, the project findings offer a significant opportunity to examine and evaluate the importance of music-making for young people’s well-being in a time of rapidly shifting and increasingly uncertain socio-economic conditions. The article draws on data collected during 77 online interviews with young music-makers based in different locations around Australia, the UK and Portugal. Participants for the project were recruited through calls posted on social media with additional internal recruiting at one of the partner universities through a monthly call out for volunteers for research projects.