World Mental Health Day 2021 - The Benefits of Outdoor Music On Mental Health

To recognize World Mental Health Day on October 10th, Percussion Play is highlighting the benefits of music, particularly outdoor music, for improving people’s well-being and happiness.

It has long been scientifically proven that listening to and creating music lifts people’s moods and creates a powerful sense of well-being. Outdoor activity has also been shown to enhance our mood, proven most recently during the pandemic when many embraced outdoor adventures for a little respite from their enclosed spaces.

By combining both music and the ‘great outdoors', we believe our instruments can help create fun and laughter, helping support good mental health and offering an alternative way to connect with the world around us.

As the world-leading manufacturer of outdoor musical instruments, we are seeing an ever-increasing interest in these inclusive outdoor instruments, with more and more organizations recognizing the remarkable mental health benefits of playing music with family or friends outside.

Percussion Play has recognized research into music therapy outlining the benefits of music for people’s mental health. This research includes:

• Rolvsjord in 2001 and Solli in 2008, who proved music therapy to have “unique motivating, relationship building and emotionally expressive qualities”
• Geretsegge Mössler et al in 2017 showed there is evidence that musical interaction increases the quality of life of people living with mental illness.
• Playing music can help to re-establish and re-balance our circadian, physiological, and psychological internal rhythms. When we play musical instruments, our brains are subconsciously responding to the patterns in the sounds trying to predict the music. This encourages our internal rhythms to begin to re-establish themselves and harmonize with the rhythm of the music.

Our range of outdoor musical instruments - which are played across the world in schools, libraries, parks, hospitals, and senior living communities - are designed to bring people together to create uplifting music.

Jody Ashfield, Founder, and CEO of Percussion Play said: “We are proud to recognize and support this year’s World Mental Health Day. As world leaders in the manufacturing of outdoor musical instruments, we aim to champion the impact outdoor music can have on individuals and communities, helping relieve stress and anxiety. We encourage everyone to get outside this year to create and listen to music”.

Find out more on the benefits of music on mental health by reading our whitepaper Hitting The High Notes - The Benefits of Music for Mental Health