Choral singing elicits a positive response in the chorister across a plethora of domains. This research confirms previous findings on the health benefits of singing but offers evidence from the largest sample of singers to date. However, results are based on self-perceptions of choristers, and findings are, therefore, limited. Results may be used as a base on which to develop further research in this area. It also provides confirmatory evidence to support choral singing as a means of improving wellbeing in many populations, including but not limited to workplaces, schools, nursing homes, communities and churches.

This paper explores the well-being [‘well-being’ and ‘wellbeing’ are used interchangeably in the literature. Well-being is used in this paper (except in the reference list where exact wording is maintained)] benefits of participation in a workplace choir for health service staff. A mixed method study, this project combines quantitative measures of work engagement, perceived stress, resilience levels and work absences with qualitative interviews with choir participants. It is the first study of workplace choirs in Ireland and one of very few studies internationally that research health service staff choirs. There is some preliminary evidence of benefits that choir attendance may increase positive perception of workers’ mental health as well as effect depression rates. However, evidence is limited quantitatively and difficulties in measuring the health benefits of arts interventions are noted. Qualitative data, however, confirms previous study findings, namely that a workplace choir can promote social connectedness, enjoyment at work and staff engagement. Work place choir was also noted to appeal mainly to a limited demographic of work place staff and people with relatively positive health and well-being. Efforts must be made to engage staff from lower socio-economic backgrounds, diverse cultural backgrounds and male staff in work place health promotion activities, as these groups were found less likely to join a work place choir. Given the low cost and low risk of this activity, and the qualitative benefits reported, it is recommended to continue to develop and evaluate health service workplace choirs.

Introduction: Affective reactions frequently reported by adolescents who stutter include embarrassment, frustration, and feelings of anxiety about further stuttering. It is possible that music therapy could enhance stuttering treatment outcomes; however, little is known about how individuals who stutter, and therapists working with this group, view such therapy. The purpose of this study was to explore individuals who stutter and therapist experiences with, and perceptions of, music and music therapy for stuttering. This work is part of a larger mixed-methods project to explore the effectiveness and potential benefit of music therapy with adolescents who stutter.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six clinicians and three individuals who stutter. Interview data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.Results: Four themes emerged from participants' accounts: (1) the experience of living with stuttering, (2) the importance of music in everyday life, (3) the application of music therapy in stuttering, and (4) recommendations for music therapy in the continuum of support services for individuals who stutter.Discussion: Participants in this study perceived music and music therapy to benefit individuals who experience stuttering, particularly within the context of mental health.There is agreement that song writing, improvisation and song singing are most useful when working with adolescents who experience stuttering.

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Abstr Abstract actThe relationship between the quality of parent-child interactions and positive child development is well established in the literature. Nevertheless, parental and familial factors may pose risks to parents' capacity to participate in quality interactions with their children. Families with a child with a disability in particular are more likely to experience social isolation, and higher levels of parenting stress. Early intervention programmes to promote positive parent-child interaction for these families is well recognised. However, there is a lack of literature about the effectiveness of such programmes for these families. This research study explores music therapy on parent-child interaction, specifically focusing on children with a diagnosis of Down syndrome (DS). This case study involves two in-depth cases of children diagnosed with DS and their primary caregivers. The study documents individual music therapy sessions which took place over a six week period. The case study materials were gathered through the researcher's direct observations, fieldwork notes, and reflective journal logs. The music therapy block encouraged the primary caregivers to be more responsive during parent-child interactions. Furthermore, the children involved learned to engage and share musical activities with their mothers. K Ke eywor ywords: ds: Down syndrome, music therapy, parent-child interaction, music and parent-child attachment