#MusicForTheMind - How Music Keeps Us Sane

In 2019, PRS for Music told us about the impact that music can have on our psychological, physical and emotional wellbeing – including sleep, memory, health (physical and mental), identity and social inclusiveness (find out more via PRS for Music here).

With that in mind, we’ve put our heads together to share some of our favourite music-focused activities, paying particular attention to their positive impact on mental health – why not give them a try? 

Sing like you’ve never sung before

While belting out songs in the shower is extremely liberating, it’s probably not something you would be inclined to do with friends...right? 

Bringing karaoke straight to your smartphone (and other devices), Smule transforms the act of singing into a magnificent mood-boosting experience you can share with people all over the world.

You can perform duets with your favourite artists, LiveJam with friends (and strangers) and share your cracking creations all over social media. And if you’re not the most vocally confident, there are some studio effects to help you sound like a pro. 

More than enough to get that dopamine lift, Smule is also ideal to get stuck into during the current nationwide lockdown – find out more and download the app here.

If you’re feeling a little more creative, try Voisey. Perfect for budding singers and rappers, you simply dive right in, pick a beat and whip up a studio quality recording that can be shared far and wide across the social sphere. And yes, there are vocal effects if you’re feeling a little rusty.

What we really love about Voisey is its element of user collaboration – just one recording can lead to more duets than you can shake a stick at, and if you’re feeling antisocial you can create recordings with multiple layers of your own enhanced voice. Find out more and download the app (or submit a beat) here.

Let’s get physical

There’s nothing quite like the endorphin-fuelled positivity we get from jumping around to some great tunes – and Just Dance Now is here to help you unleash your inner dancer through your smartphone. You can even bust a move with up to 1,000 players from all over the world.

Physical health, check! Mental health, check! Find out more and download the app here.

If you’re averse to dancing before you’ve had a few glasses of wine, we suggest going for that classic music and (home) workout combination to get seriously pumped. Ok ok, this is more a sports-focused activity, but you can’t deny that doing 50 squats in a row is much more mentally bearable when you’ve got the Ministry of Sound Annuals from the early ‘00s blaring through your headphones. That’s the music working its magic to get you motivated! 

Catch a great concert, without going to one

In these unusual times, we’ve all proven that we’re extremely adaptable. Not settling with concerts being rescheduled or cancelled outright, we’re flipping the table and bringing them home via social media and the like. 

Some of our team caught a Japanese kawaii metal gig (BABYMETAL) on YouTube, chatting via WhatsApp and doing our best to recreate the live music experience… while snacking on our respective sofas. But it was absolutely bangin’ and really lifted our spirits!

Where do I find out about these live stream concerts you ask? Our best advice is to follow your favourite artists online and they’ll tell you the rest (if they’re partaking of course).

Become more zen

With modern life being so chaotic, it can only do us good to take a break, relax and focus on our own mindfulness – and what better to accompany these moments than music. Spotify and Headspace offer a dual subscription, making it easy to combine meditation with playlists designed to help calm, sleep, study, exercise and more. Find out more here.

Discover something new

We couldn’t finish this post without giving some credit to music discovery. A great way to broaden your musical horizons and stimulate your mind by connecting with something new, it’s sure to brighten up the darkest days. Try Bandcamp, Hype Machine and Playlists.Net – you won’t regret it!

Now we’re asking you to submit your #MusicForTheMind song picks, along with a quick explanation of what those songs mean to you – please let us know here. 

We’ll be curating a playlist from all of your submissions and featuring some of the stories behind those songs, via our blog.