Does Music Reduce Stress and Enhance Aesthetic Mindset? Investigating the Impact of Neuroarts-Informed Concert Design

The field of neuroarts is rapidly growing its understanding of the impact of art on well-being. This conceptual design aims to apply the neuroarts in a musical concert with the aim of lowering stress levels and increasing aesthetic mindset for the concert performers. The conductors of the Hendrix College Chamber Orchestra, Choir, and Wind Ensemble chose a program of music intended to promote well-being. Then, conductors and ensemble members co-designed a concert experience that would educate performers and audience members about the field of neuroarts, while collecting pre- and post-concert data on measures of performers’ well-being. The preliminary results suggest likely decreases in measures of stress and anxiety, and likely increases in measures of social connection, confidence in problem-solving, and aesthetic mindset. As a result, this conceptual design suggests that active participation in a musical concert could improve well-being along these five measures.