Trend Music becomes a named modality inside social prescribing systems in over 30 countries

Summary

GWI's Music for Health and Wellbeing Initiative reports that music is becoming one of the strongest modalities within social prescribing. Social prescribing means health professionals linking people to non-clinical community activities to meet their wellbeing needs. It began in the United Kingdom in the 1990s and has grown from a grassroots movement into a healthcare priority practised in more than 30 countries. It is increasingly seen as a cost-effective, evidence-based way to address mental health conditions, social isolation, chronic pain and loneliness. Within it, prescriptions built around music are gaining momentum, from community choirs and music therapy to concert attendance and group music-making. The Initiative sees music moving from the edge of healthcare into its infrastructure.