What direction can music education take outside of school, or even within an educational or institutional setting? A professor and arts manager at the Faculty of Music of the University of Debrecen seeks answers to these questions even at youth concerts organized by the Arts Management Office. Her doctoral dissertation was also about this topic. She had already summarized her pertinent experiences in a comprehensive study published a few years ago, which she since synthesized to incorporate new information and best practices that have emerged in the meantime. The results were presented before a distinguished body of representatives of the music education profession at the latest International Society for Music Education (ISME) World Conference in Montreal, Canada, which she attended together with her colleague, István Szabó. This prestigious event attracted as many as fifteen thousand applications from potential presenters, out of which only 10 percent were given the opportunity to deliver their papers to the public. Judit Váradi had a chance to talk about two of her research projects to the audience.
Music education seems to be gaining prominence in a steadfastly growing number of societies in the world by playing an important part in the improvement of mental health. Judit Váradi told hirek.unideb.hu about how policymakers at the ministerial level in several European countries are exploring the role of music activities in mental health education. It appears that music is now being used not only with children but also with adults and the elderly as well. It serves as a tool for, among other things, the prevention and treatment of dementia, and for the socio-emotional learning (SEL) of children. Research projects probing the effects of music on mental health are also strongly present in the United States. This, according to the professor of the Faculty of Music at UD, clearly indicates the scientific and social significance of this topic.
- Apart from citations by European researchers, there are also references to my publications in many other parts of the world, yet it came as a huge surprise to me that representatives from Australian and American universities greeted me as an old friend at the conference in Canada. These academic initiatives have the potential to reach out as far as possible and, where appropriate, can influence the development of music education and the widespread sharing of experiences. Active music education for children is also an important and timely topic at a number of workshops, since the emotional benefits of music have been scientifically proven. Through music, it is possible to learn how to experience and recognize emotions more intensely than we usually do. Countless studies have shown that a shared musical activity can strengthen the desire to help one another, or even demonstrated the high level of empathy experienced by those who are regularly exposed to music. What’s more, in their case, their expressive abilities can also be further developed as a result. Since the publication of the study in 2022, my objective has been to create a kind of systemic impact summary that provides a framework for musical thinking and the effective implementation of these exercises- she added.
The research aims to determine how music can be made into an engaging experience even for children who have no prior exposure to it, so that they could fully immerse themselves in what they hear by simply focusing on rhythm. The basis for all this is a summar and synthesis of practical experiences and the conclusions drawn from them. The research applies not exclusively to children but equally so to college students. The framework for studying the latter groups was primarily provided by concerts organized by the Arts Management Office of the Faculty of Music at the University of Debrecen. It was based on these performances, the video recordings made at the events, and the related research activities that the initial study on this topic was completed several years ago, while now a summary of the period elapsed since then has also been prepared.
- The methodology of music education is undergoing a change in several European countries, by involving a greater focus on listening to music, active musical activities and the recognition of emotions. Sadly, this approach is not yet fully established and accepted in Hungary. There is an urgent need to put theoretical findings into practice and to recognize that Western societies are increasingly turning toward prevention and support. At the same time, due to artificial intelligence, even greater attention must be paid to mental health challenges. I believe that it is the arts and music that can be one of the best tools for supporting our mental well-being- said Judit Váradi.
A professor at DE ZK added that, based on practical experience, concertgoers found themselves in a mentally refreshed state. As he noted, the impact of music on mental health is still a relatively unexplored area for science; in Hungary, it represents a completely new direction for research and raises the question of how these findings can be incorporated into school curricula.
The Q1 article on best practices related to youth concerts was published in the American scientific journal *Sage Open*.
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