The UK’s National Centre for Creative Health and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing published a major report on 6th December 2023, the Creative Health Review. This report demonstrated that creative health approaches can not only offer significant benefits for individuals but can build social capital and aid in the reduction of health inequalities across multiple spheres. The report makes crucial recommendations to support the UK Government, elected mayors and policymakers in maximising the potential of creative health, advocating for immediate, widespread adoption. It outlines the significance of creative health in addressing the formidable challenges health and social care systems face.

Our conference, Fostering Creative Health, seeks to explore ways in which arts, health, social care and education can collaborate to produce positive results without high costs. It encourages all kinds of submissions from single paper to symposium and panel, and looks for models of excellence as well as ideas to address the following core questions:

How can musicians help to build peace?

This was the question that brought together 20 musicians, songwriters, creative arts therapists, peace psychologists, music psychologists, conflict mediators and members of the Australian Defence Force bands on 27 October 2023 for the first Musicians Building Peace Collaboratory at The University of Melbourne.

Led by Dr. Gillian Howell, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and an authority on music in peacebuilding and post-conflict transitions, this collaborative workshop explored the role of music in promoting peace, justice, and dialogue and building a more just and peaceful world.

There are more Collaboratories planned for 2024-2026 as part of Dr. Howell’s postdoctoral research into music, peace, and dialogue, so watch this space!