Listen Up - A guided listening experience
I’m excited to be involved in Listen Up, a focused-listening music event presented by The Indigo Project, a mental health organisation based in NSW, Australia. The event is run by clinical psychologist Mary Hoang, who provides live guidance during the event, and multi-disciplinary artist Rich Lucano (a.k.a. Phondupe). I was fortunate enough to mentor Rich for the release of his ambient piano album Torso.
Listen Up was researched by Dr Amanda Krause et al.(2024), who found the event provided evidence of the emotional and mental health benefits of focused-listening.
The finding that surprised me most was that participants’ emotional responses were positive and negative, including experiences described as therapeutic and emotionally challenging. However, participants characterised their experiences as a cathartic journey resolving into a positive state.
It’s amazing that focused listening may allow us to reflect on and process our thoughts and feelings, including those surrounding negative experiences.
Details and tickets here.
Reference
Krause, A. E., Pardon, M., Hoang, M., & Lucano, R. (2024). Listen Up: A case study examination of focused listening. Musicae Scientiae, 28(2), 254-272. https://doi.org/10.1177/10298649231203628