Music to our ears: Boosting mental health through music

Music can make us feel a lot of things. A loved one who has since passed away’s favorite song might inspire feelings of sadness or melancholy, while an upbeat song might help you perk up when you’ve been having a bad day. 

Research has shown that playing or listening to music activates and stimulates the brain in several beneficial ways, including causing the release of dopamine, which boosts feelings of well-being, and activating the limbic system, which is responsible for functions such as memory and emotional processing. 

Even from a young age, music can help children’s mental and emotional wellbeing. For very young children, who may still be learning how to self-regulate, slow, soothing music can be helpful in calming them down if they are feeling hyperactive or extremely upset. 

For older children, music can help them articulate thoughts or feelings that they’re struggling to put into words; a child or adolescent who is feeling a lot of anger and stress may listen to fast, heavy music as an outlet for their feelings. 

Music is also an important tool in empowering Indigenous children to overcome trauma, build resilience and emotional wellbeing, while amplifying their voices, stories and perspectives. 

Cat Lake First Nation – a fly-in Ojibway community of approximately 700 people in northern Ontario – has been dealing with a public health and housing emergency for more than a year. For many children living in Cat Lake, the crisis has had a serious impact on their physical and mental health, including low self-esteem and poor academic performance. 

Through NRP’s arts-based Hurt and Healing Program, children from Cat Lake have increased their ability to express their thoughts and feelings through lyric writing, musical creativity and singing. 

Working with Indigenous artists N’we Jinan – and with support from longstanding partner GSK – NRP facilitated a music workshop where children aged 8-14 from Cat Lake wrote and produced a music video called “Run Free,” a song about love, togetherness, family values, and connection to nature. 

About NRP: 

The National Reconciliation Program (NRP) is a national Indigenous and child rights program at Save the Children in Canada. Our approach to partnerships and programming is informed by the Wi-Mino-Kisikat Relationship Framework, meaning “it is going to be a good day – a new beginning” in the Saulteaux language.  

Through collaboration, cultural safety, and a commitment to reconciliation, we operate as an additional resource that Indigenous communities and organizations can use to enhance and strengthen their cultural safety, programming, services, and initiatives aimed at supporting First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children, youth, and communities.