11 ways playing music with others can boost your wellbeing

From feeling more confident to improving your mood, being part of a youth orchestra can work wonders for your mental and physical health.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is an essential part of general health: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

A recent study by Music Minds Matter, which explores mental health and the music industry, also found that 71.1 per cent of respondents believed they had experienced panic attacks and/or high levels of anxiety, 68.5 per cent said they had experienced depression, and 55 per cent believed they were “gaps in the provision of services for musicians.”

At Orchestras for All, we understand just how comforting it can be to play music with others during tough times. If performing with other musicians is completely new to you or music education has been limited in your school or local community, joining a large group like National Orchestra for All might not be something you’ve ever considered doing.

But when you’re part of the Orchestras for All family – or any youth orchestra for that matter – the benefits to your health and wellbeing are endless. Here are just a few of the ways this magical musical experience could give you a boost…

Read more: ‘I’m a busy young carer – but National Orchestra for All is a place just for me’, explains violinist >

1. You’ll meet new friends

We’ve all been there: turning up to your very first orchestra rehearsal and not knowing a single soul. But stick with it and soon enough, you’ll be boosting your social skills, forging lifelong friendships and building happy memories with fellow musicians over forgotten pencils, funny stories shared during the break and of course, the conductor’s dramatic facial expressions.

2. Music enhances your memory

Although music affects people in different ways, previous studies have shown that musicians tend to have a better working memory and show less brain activity while carrying out a task than those who haven’t received any form of musical training. Listening to music or practising your instrument could even increase your alertness and improve your focus – if you’re revising for an exam, why not give it a try?

3. You can express yourself

When you’re part of an inclusive group like National Orchestra for All, you’ll always be encouraged to express yourself and your emotions in a way that works for you. Whether that’s showcasing your passion for woodwind with a pretty flute solo, enjoying a witty moment with your neighbour in the brass or trying something entirely new on your instrument, musical expression is truly for everyone.

4. Music is good for your heart

Did you know that listening to music can lower your blood pressure? According to Harvard Medical School, a nurse-led team at Massachusetts General Hospital found that patients who listened to music for 30 minutes had lower blood pressure, slower heart rates and showed fewer signs of distress than those who hadn’t listened to music. Better protect that ticker and pick up your oboe…

5. You’ll feel more relaxed

It’s been scientifically proven that listening to music can promote a sense of calm and lower levels of cortisol, also known as your stress hormone. If you’re a young person and struggling with symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma or grief, music-making can be a powerful tool to aid your recovery and help you cope in difficult times.

6. You’ll develop your communication skills

Some of you may find communication to be a challenge in your daily lives – especially if you’re low in confidence or living with spectrum conditions such as autism – but music is a universal language. From learning how to read a conductor’s visual cues to connecting with others through pitch and rhythm, youth orchestras can teach you one of the most powerful forms of communication and enrich your life as a result.

7. Music improves your mood

This may come as little surprise to you, but hearing your favourite song can evoke feelings of happiness – and especially if it gives you the chills! When you’re performing a beautiful selection of repertoire in an orchestra, your brain actually releases more dopamine, the feel-good chemical. If you’re having a rough day and are in need of some uplifting music, there’s only one thing for it: head straight to that orchestra rehearsal.

8. Music can alleviate physical pain

Although the biological reason behind this remains relatively unknown, a study has shown that listening to music can ease the symptoms of people living with chronic pain. Plus, music therapists often use techniques such as playing instruments, improvisation and composing to help patients experiencing pain. Performing in a youth orchestra can be just as effective – immersing yourself in stunning sound can work wonders for your health.

9. You’ll sleep like a dream

While soothing melodies can make you feel more relaxed, they can help slower your breathing and improve your sleep quality too. By taking a breather and enjoying a moment of music and togetherness with your orchestra pals during those weekly afternoon sessions, you might just find yourself nodding off more easily at night.

10. Music boosts your emotional development

From leadership skills and emotional intelligence to self-regulation, music-making with others can develop all kinds of vital skills that you can take forward and apply throughout your life. Higher levels of empathy, higher academic achievement and higher social competence have all been connected with healthy emotional regulation.

11. And finally, you’ll grow in confidence

At Orchestras for All, our friendly team are always on hand to support you through each and every stage of your journey with us. We know that music heals – and for us, building your self-esteem and growing in confidence as a performer are equally important. So, what are you waiting for? Join our musical family!

Please support the wellbeing of young musicians across the UK and donate today >

‘A more equal world is a safer place for everyone,’ says visually impaired composer, Xia-Leon

‘It’s rare to find a space where people’s differences are celebrated – and yet I have found that Orchestras for All is such a space.’

According to disability equality charity, Scope, there are currently 14.6 million disabled people living in the UK. That’s 22 per cent of the total population, with 9 per cent being young people – and yet, one in three disabled people feel that disability prejudice exists.

At Orchestras for All however, we fully embrace equity, diversity and inclusion. This means celebrating each and every one of the young musicians or staff members that we work with regardless of the daily challenges they might be facing.

Ahead of International Day of People with Disabilities on 3 December 2022, we caught up with one of our Wellbeing Tutors, Xia, to find out more about their firsthand experience of living with a disability and why raising awareness of disability is vital in today’s world.

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do.

Hello, I’m Xia-Leon. I’m from Cambridge, non-binary (trans-neutral) and my pronouns are they/them. I like to compose music that responds to the beauty and fragility of the living Earth, reflecting on issues of spirituality and identity. I’m also autistic and have been blind for almost all my life. In future I hope to train as a therapist, exploring how listening, creative practice and embodiment could form part of healing processes.

What does music mean to you?

Music has played diverse roles in my life. At times, it’s been a safe place that I could retreat to, away from the clamour of the world and complex social dynamics of my peers. It’s also been a vessel for social connection – a space where I could meet others who share this part of my identity. Most people I tend to engage with are either musicians, composers or music creators.

Read more: Vulnerable young musicians supported nationwide as Orchestras for All secures new Arts Council England funding >

Pictured: Xia-Leon (left) enjoys a ‘rise and shine’ wellbeing activity at NOFA’s summer course in Nottingham

One of my earliest memories is of my dad handing me stones to throw into the ocean. I felt so much joy and fascination at the sounds that emerged from the different shapes, weights and sizes of stones as they hit the water. Although it’s not strictly ‘musical,’ it was undoubtedly part of the early explorations of sound that ultimately birthed my later passion.

In terms of my listening preferences, I love Morton Feldman’s late music as well as the jagged beauty of Pauline Oliveros’ accordion improvisations. Laurie Spiegel’s evolving soundworlds and Salvatore Sciarrino’s luminous, fragile timbres fascinate me and have influenced my own work. I also love the harmonies of traditional Bulgarian vocal music, the lyrics and music of Scottish folk singer, Karine Polwart, and I was recently introduced to Malian artist, Oumou Sangare, whose beautiful and versatile work I look forward to exploring further.

How did you first find out about Orchestras for All (OFA) and what’s been your involvement with the charity so far?

After completing a Masters, I was looking for positions that would prepare me for my future training as a therapist and allow me to hone my existing skills. I came across the opening to work with OFA as a Wellbeing Tutor and the role seemed perfect: I would be supporting people from a huge range of backgrounds in a musical setting. I was successful with my application and attended my first National Orchestra for All (NOFA) course in July. It was a privilege to work alongside my fantastic colleagues to support a group of amazing young people, seeing the brilliant culmination of their work together over those four days.

Watch NOFA’s summer concert >

On 3 December 2022, OFA and many others worldwide will be celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Could you tell us why raising awareness of disability is so important and what it means for you?

As someone who interacts with the world free from ‘visual dependence’, I am very lucky to have grown up in a culture where perceptions of accessibility have come a long way. I had tactile and Braille resources throughout my education and in the UK, it’s not unusual to see someone out walking with a white cane. Most people I know make me feel that blindness is only one aspect of who I am – one node in our connection to be acknowledged and supported, which infuses the relationship in multiple ways.

‘We must move away from the paradigm of ‘inclusivity’ to one that strives towards equality,’ urges Xia-Leon

We have a long way to go before we reach complete equality in the world. It would mean radically reassessing what we value, both individually and collectively, and reshaping our existing frameworks to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, so they can contribute fully and meaningfully. We need to recognise that change is needed, with the fierce yet compassionate desire to come together and make it happen. All too often, raising awareness is framed as an end point. I think it’s far from that but it’s a crucial first step.

Spending a lifetime moving through a world that simply isn’t made for you is exhausting – especially when articulating who you are and your needs isn’t something many of us have been taught to do. With the help of allies, I hope that those of us who do have the resources to raise awareness can offer others the tools to join us and together, we can learn to use them. An equal world is a safer, happier place for everyone.

Could you tell us about some of the barriers visually impaired people face in music?

During a rehearsal I played in as a 13-year old, I remember a conductor saying: ‘You have to look at me. Your ears are not enough.’ This is a common barrier I’ve encountered throughout my musical training and despite the stereotype of blind people as exceptionally gifted musicians, often there is still a perception in this ocular-centric society that it’s not possible to engage in musical practice without the visual sense.

Other barriers are much simpler and easier for me to accept as ‘just one of those things’. Although I no longer sing in choirs or play instruments, there was very little music available in Braille notation when these were still integral parts of my life, so I learned almost everything by ear. Even when I did have access to Braille scores, I had to memorise them, since I couldn’t read the music with my fingers and play at the same time.

NOFA’s Wellbeing Tutor, Xia, attends a sectional rehearsal with diverse young musicians from across the UK

As a composer, my music has also been impacted by only being able to read up to two lines of music at once (by reading one line with each hand), rather than having an overview of the page as sighted music readers do. It means my musical structures – the shape of the path a particular piece traces through time – are often much simpler than those of my peers. However, the intimate relationship I form with my work by processing it through touch is a dimension many stave-notation users are missing.

Why do you feel it’s important for an inclusive charity like OFA to exist?

It’s rare to find a space where people’s differences are celebrated rather than viewed as tragedies or challenges to overcome – and yet, I have found through personal experience that OFA is such a space. During my time with NOFA, I taught Braille as part of a wellbeing challenge and connected with neurodivergent members who previously, may not have had many role models they could relate to like their neurotypical peers. At OFA, I felt the very aspects of my lived experience were not a burden; they became an entry point for meaningful contribution to the charity’s work, which is empowering and invaluable.

Read more: 13 ways you can be kind to others in an inclusive youth orchestra >

How can arts organisations better support young musicians and staff members with disabilities?

Arrange for music to be transcribed into Braille in advance, and be sensitive to who is in the room when giving instructions. The most important thing for me is to move away from a paradigm of ‘inclusivity’ to one that strives towards equality. ‘Inclusivity’ means allowing people into existing frameworks, often created by those in positions of power, and giving them the tools to be there without changing the frameworks themselves.

National Orchestra for All musicians, orchestral tutors and wellbeing tutors team up for group activities

But you could go further: maybe follow Daniel Barenboim’s example and conduct from memory, if this is open to you, and lead a rehearsal where everyone has their eyes closed or faces away from you. Explain on your public platforms that these are the approaches you take, so that no member is singled out. Connected with this, ask all members, disabled and non-disabled, to share their needs with you, for example through OFA’s ‘PEN profiles’ (as written in the young person’s own words). This will help to convey that you are serious allowing these to shape your organisation alongside each of your members’ strengths.

If you could give three top tips to disabled young people who are considering starting out on their musical journey, what would they be?

1. Listen as widely and as deeply as you can, discover what you love and spend time with like-minded people or communities that value you and make you feel excited about music-making.

2. There may be times when things get tough. Know you’re not alone. These troughs or valleys don’t make you any less of a musician. Stay connected with that initial spark: go back to that person if you can, listen back to that piece, relive that experience if it’s possible and safe to do so. Keep listening and nourishing your creative fire in any other ways that have meaning for you. It might take some time to reignite but it will happen, even if your musical practice changes radically in the meantime.

3. Stay connected. Go back to that person, replay that piece or relive that experience. Keep listening and nourish your creative fire in a way that has meaning for you.

Finally, please complete the following sentence. Orchestras for All is…

…a vibrant, invaluable community shaped by the diversity of its members’ strengths and needs, which dissolves the barriers that so many young people face and welcomes their skills and passion into an industry that is enriched and enlivened by those gifts.

Please support our life-changing musical programmes and donate today >

‘We need to support the next generation of change makers’ – arts expert explains why wellbeing is vital for young musicians

From singing in Elvis tribute bands to nurturing creative young minds across the country, meet our inspiring new Wellbeing Lead, Elli…

Tell us a little about yourself.

Hi, I’m Eleanor Chapman (also known as Elli!) and live in Lancaster. I’ve always loved singing, performing and the theatre. Working behind the scenes wasn’t something I had originally thought possible, but I landed my first paid job in the arts at my local theatre as a box office assistant. It was seasonal and part-time. I was 17 and felt like I had won the lottery.

That same summer, I could be found most Sundays playing the trumpet on Morecambe prom as a member of Baybeat Street Band – run by music education charity, More Music. But it was about so much more than technical skill: it gave me spirit. I was a young, single parent who was now part of a community of drummers, instrumentalists and dancers. These creative experiences got me out of the house, developed my confidence in social situations, helped me find my tribe and unlocked my full potential.

I became hooked on the transformative power of the arts and followed a career path in culture participation for 25 years. I’ve worked as a lead facilitator for BBC Blast on Tour, Super Mentor for Youth Music, and Arts Award Regional Coordinator, among other roles. It’s been varied, but has always involved young people and using the arts to help them progress. 

What does music mean to you?

It’s a continuous mixtape that provides the soundtrack to my life – from my daily routine to important rites of passage. (On cassette, of course – I am a ‘90s girl after all.) It’s the track that goes off with my morning alarm to help me achieve the impossible and get out of bed, or the playlist that motivates me to get a report over the line. It’s my go-to for every emotion – whether that’s a dance track for feeling jubilant, or music to reflect and evoke memories.

Read more: Music teachers and students invited to join classrooms nationwide in ‘joyful’ music-making programme >

Pictured: Wellbeing Lead, Elli (middle left), enjoys an afternoon of music-making at NOFA Festival 2021

Music has afforded me so much opportunity. As a teenager I performed and sang wherever I could. In my 20s I took on the role of Cath Westmoreland (an opera-singing backing vocalist) in a tribute band that played for different Elvis’s across the UK – I loved travelling around in a bus with other musicians! I’ve also taught musical theatre to college students and held community vocal sessions for young people in village halls, prisons, travellers’ sites and skate parks.

While music has taught me a trade, it’s also been about experiences, friends, colleagues and learning new skills. It has got me through the best of times and the worst of times. It’s consistent. Wonderfully non-judgemental. For me, it’s about wellbeing and has always been the one area of my life where I do not come with predefining or assumptive labels – the care leaver, school refuser, in a wheelchair. I’m just Elli, a musician and performer.

Have there been any standout moments in your career so far?

In 2012, I was awarded the Natwest EveryWoman Gaia Award for social entrepreneurship and became a Clore Fellow in 2017. I am deeply proud of these moments and think that’s what people might expect me to pick, But actually, it is often the most discreet of times that others might pass off as fairly meaningless that are my standout moments. Tiny shifts that are crucial to individual success and development.

My work has always been about creating a space where young people can produce and grow creatively. Opportunities that allow them to be curious, explore and nourish their unique capabilities. That could be enabling a young person to make and screen their first film, like when I was regional project director for BFI Film Academy, or watching a young artist respond to their first professional commission at Latitude Festival, where I produced the Inbetweeners Area. Young people never fail to inspire me. They are like chicken soup for the soul.

“Young people never fail to inspire me,” says Elli. “They are like chicken soup for the soul.”

You’ve just joined Orchestras for All (OFA) as Wellbeing Lead. That’s unique in the sector – what are your ambitions for it?

My vision is for deep-rooted, long-term change, using the arts as a means of encouraging young people to progress, develop their interests, sustain newfound skills and flourish in all aspects of their lives. To be ambitious and unapologetic about demanding the absolute best for the young people we work with – and bold about the ways in which we do it.

OFA members must be shown how to manage their own wellbeing and understand what they need in order to be the best they can. As OFA staff, we are responsible for removing any barriers to participation and will offer both high challenge and high support.

We have a golden opportunity to refocus the lens on what talent and intelligence can look like – not based on linearity or conformity, but organic process. This is particularly important for young people who might not follow traditional rites of passage. Instead of hiding behind readily available clichés and stereotypes, we should consider how their life experiences or challenging circumstances give them a unique skill base to offer the world of work.

Read more: 5 of the best ways to protect your wellbeing >

Why is wellbeing so important for young people today?

Young people literally have the weight of the world on their shoulders. An increasingly fast-changing and interconnected world, where many of the jobs of today will be obsolete by tomorrow. Most people currently living on the earth are under the age of 30, so why doesn’t this huge source of talent, innovation and energy for change translate into a stronger and more productive workforce?

It’s imperative that we equip them with the skills, confidence and aspirations to tackle some of the biggest problems facing our human family. As a sector, we need to support and develop the next generation of change makers.

I utterly believe in their capabilities. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of creating too big a distinction between ‘young people’ and ‘adults’. A common perception is that experience can only come from age and therefore only older people make good leaders. Are we collectively disregarding the impact of having leaders start early? We need to step up to the plate and support young people to run the world.

If you could share three top tips on wellbeing, what would they be?

1. Take a moment to breathe and be present in the moment.

2. Try and do five things every day that are just for you. These could be small things – playing your favourite tune on the piano, painting your nails, talking to a friend or family member, or spending time with your nose in a book.

3. Make a gratitude jar and fill it with moments (written on post-its) about things you have done that made you happy or proud, or other memories you want to keep. Take them out whenever you need a reminder or are having a bad day.

And finally, please complete the sentence. Orchestras for All is…

…a diverse base of talent, not a singular conception of what equals ability.

To fund a life-changing programme for young musicians, please donate today >