Concerteenies Director Polly Ives, Dr Freya Bailes and Professor Karen Burland, are delighted to be presenting the findings from our recent Babies Concerts at the Music and Parental Wellbeing Symposium at the Royal College of Music, London.

The Music and Parental Wellbeing Research Network recognises that parental wellbeing is suffering in the UK and beyond, exacerbated by factors such as health inequalities, austerity, conflict, and COVID-19. While there is already evidence that music can support wellbeing, including for parents, there is work required to diversify and extend the knowledge base, and to bridge a translational gap between practice and research on the one hand, and policy and long-lasting implementation on the other. 

This international Network collaboratively addresses this agenda, focusing on three key questions: What musical practices could be used to support parents in a wide range of contexts? How can music practitioners working in this area be supported and cared for? How can music be implemented as a sustainable part of parental wellbeing practices and policies? The complexity of these questions and who they involve necessitates the need for a collaborative approach, bringing together people working at the intersection of music and parental wellbeing to work across and between disciplinary and conceptual boundaries. 

The inaugural Music and Parental Wellbeing Symposium will be taking place at the Royal College of Music London and online on 22-23 July 2025.