Alexander Theophilus (RCM) - 2023-24 Students
alex.theophilus@rcm.ac.uk

How music is used by young working-class males to facilitate wellbeing in a post COVID-19 and digital era

The link between music and wellbeing is well-researched, with music viewed as a social determiner of health (Stewart and Irons, 2018). Research has examined engagement with music, such as through the experience sampling music listening studies (Sanfilippo, 2020). Some studies have considered factors within societal groups that characterise engagement, like older adults or adolescence, whereas other cohorts are underrepresented, such as young men under thirty (Papinczak, 2015).

Young working-class males have lower levels of wellbeing, partnered with less successful life outcomes (Rice et al, 2021). How individuals use music has changed because of the Covid-19 pandemic and new forms of technology, but research is yet to establish the complexities of why (Palma et al, 2022). Policy has attempted to address the wellbeing of marginalised groups, with this tending to be decentralised, vague, and relying on a patchwork of organisations (Clonnan, 2016).

My research investigates the lived experiences of how young working-class males use and interacts with music and the effect on their mental wellbeing, acknowledging the possible role COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing use of digital spaces on music engagement patterns and wellbeing. It uses a phenomenological research framework, adopting a digital ethnography using publicly available and private sources provided by participants and semi-structured interviews, with a policy analysis to ground the research in policy. It will explore definitions and impactions of age, gender, and class on music and wellbeing and will focus on intersectionality, exploration of definitions and theoretical perspectives.

Given the potential importance of music to health and the poor life outcomes of young working-class men, we must know how and why they use music and its impact on their mental wellbeing, connecting with their broader lives, norms, and values. Focusing on wellbeing is valuable when considering the effects on public health policy and formulating future music-based interventions.

Primary supervisor: Dr Neta Spiro

Secondary supervisor: Dr Tania Lisboa

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