Music as Medicine: music-based approaches to Health and Wellbeing
Our research explores how engaging with music can offer innovative care pathways, providing support for individuals coping with various health conditions. We investigate how music can complement traditional medical interventions, enhancing treatment outcomes and improving quality of life. Whether it's reducing pain, enhancing physical recovery, managing stress, or boosting mental health, our studies aim to uncover the therapeutic potential of music and create the conditions for everyone to benefit from them. We are also interested in community-based initiatives that leverage music for wellbeing. We aim to empower individuals to take charge of their health and connect with others. Our research ultimately seeks to demonstrate the transformative impact of music on health and wellbeing. By understanding the mechanisms at play and developing evidence-based strategies, we hope to pave the way for a more person-centred approach to healthcare where music plays a key role.
more than just entertainment
We're delving into the fascinating world of music and its profound impact on our daily lives. Our research aims to uncover the intricate ways in which music influences our emotions, thoughts and behaviours in everyday life situations. We explore how music can be used to enhance our experiences, from boosting our mood and reducing stress to improving cognitive function and fostering social connections. By understanding the underlying mechanisms, we strive to develop practical strategies to help individuals harness the positive power of music. Additionally, we're committed to addressing the potential negative consequences associated with music use. Whether it's about music triggering dangerous driving or affecting concentration levels, our research seeks to identify and mitigate these issues. Our goal is to create a more informed and balanced approach to music consumption, ensuring that its benefits are maximised while its drawbacks are minimised.
beyond the digital surface
Our research in Education & Heritage explores innovative ways to enhance cultural understanding and access through technology. By creating and leveraging digital resources, we aim to bridge the gap between cultural institutions and the public, fostering engaging and personalised learning experiences. Everything starts by mapping and interconnecting musical knowledge from various sources, making it more accessible to researchers, educators, and learners of all ages. By creating structured, interconnected digital representations of heritage resources, we facilitate in-depth exploration and the creation of new knowledge. Imagine tracing the influence of blues music on the evolution of rock and roll, or uncovering hidden connections between artists across different genres and eras. Our research empowers researchers and educators to delve into these intricate relationships, leading to new insights and a deeper understanding of our shared musical legacy. This interconnected web of knowledge also opens doors to innovative educational pathways, where learning experiences can be tailored to individual interests and needs. Whether you're a budding musician, a passionate fan, or a curious learner, our vision is to make music knowledge more accessible and engaging,
music data cloud
A web of music. We are harmonising a wealth of music knowledge and heritage resources – from archives and libraries to museums and online platforms – to create an interconnected web of music. This expands access to a rich tapestry of materials, revealing hidden connections and enriching our understanding of music's past, present, and future.
knowledge discovery
The Missing Link. Using AI, we're uncovering hidden patterns and relationships in music, filling in the gaps in our understanding of cultural trends, influences, and artistic evolution. Uncover the subtle threads that connect seemingly disparate genres and generations, and rewrite our understanding of music's past.
culturally-aware experiences
Digital experiences, reimagined. Building on our interconnected resources, we are crafting personalised and engaging learning experiences. Embark on interactive journeys through music history, where educational pathways adapt to your interests and spark creativity.
AI FOR MUSICAL UNDERSTANDING, PERSONALISATION, AND CREATION
Our research harnesses the power of AI to deepen our understanding of music and enhance the ways we interact with it. We focus on developing intelligent systems that can automatically analyse music to unlock new possibilities in music perception and creativity. Through Music Information Retrieval (MIR), we create machine learning models capable of recognising musical segments, identifying emotional cues, detecting similarities, and more. We also explore the future of personalised music experiences, using human-centred AI to tailor music recommendations based on individual preferences, moods, activities, and goals, allowing users to interact with music in more meaningful ways. Our research also explores responsible AI music, where we design creative systems that are built to respect the role of human creators while composing new musical pieces or assisting with the creative process. By blending cutting-edge AI techniques with a deep appreciation for the human connection to music, we strive to push the boundaries of music analysis, personalisation, and generation. Our ultimate goal is to create tools and systems that not only understand music on a superficial level but also enrich the emotional and creative aspects of music, enhancing the experience for both creators and listeners alike.
information retrieval
Unlocking the secrets hidden within music. Our research in MIR specialises in machine learning models that analyse audio and symbolic music to detect segment and patterns, predict expressed and induced emotions, identify similarity and extract stylistic features.
Music personalisation
Personalised and engaging music experiences. We explore how users can naturally search, navigate, and generate playlists based on their individual preferences, moods, and activities.
ReSponsible generative ai
AI that empowers, not replaces. This research explores the ethical frontier of music generation, developing AI tools that assist and augment artists, sparking new creative possibilities while respecting artistic agency and ownership.