The Healing Arts – Forging Alliances of Arts & Medicine
The Healing Arts – Forging Alliances of Arts & Medicine
From Hospital Music Workshops to Musical Presence: Expanding Vocal Practices as Relational Mediation in Healthcare Institutions
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This contribution builds upon my Master's research that examined how collective singing within a pediatric hospital context could interrupt processes of depersonalization characteristic of institutional care. Based on those exploratory experiences, this paper introduces the notion of musical presence, conceptualized here as a relational state emerging from embodied vocal attunement, characterized by reciprocal attention between patients, healthcare staff, and singers, affective regulation, and shared temporal coordination. The analysis therefore shifts from outcome-based therapeutic framings toward the relational processes activated through shared musical practice. This relational reframing becomes particularly relevant when considering its potential transferability to institutionalized older adults, who often face profound social isolation and relational deprivation due to the impersonal nature of long-term care, which increases psychosocial risks. Hypotheses emerging from six years of exploratory artistic practice with a Montréal-based vocal ensemble suggest that shared vocal practices may reduce relational distance and enhance emotional well-being. This exploratory trajectory will constitute the conceptual foundation of my doctoral research, which aims to deepen the theoretical understanding of collective music-making and its potential transferability across institutional healthcare contexts. By reframing collective singing as relational mediation rather than therapeutic intervention, this work will contribute to expanding the conceptual vocabulary and arts interventions in health research.



