UCLA Library

“Ethnomusic therapy” and medical ethnomusicology are emerging subdisciplines in the field of ethnomusicology that explore issues of music, health, medicine, education, and culture. Drawing from methodologies in the arts, humanities, and sciences, researchers in the field come from a variety of disciplines and examine different aspects of music and health research. While clinicians such as music therapists, nurses, and doctors tend to focus on improving patient care and treating diseases, fieldworkers such as ethnomusicologists and anthropologists generally investigate issues pertaining to music and culture. Collaborative efforts, while currently limited, have the potential to address public health issues in cost-effective and culturally sensitive ways.