Musical care refers to the role of music—music listening as well as music-making—in supporting any aspect of people’s developmental or health needs: for example, physical and mental health, cognitive and behavioural development, and interpersonal relationships.

Musical care can have changing roles throughout our lives. The multifaceted nature of musical care requires bringing together perspectives and expertise from practice and research, from different fields and disciplines.

We aim to provide interdisciplinary insight into how musical care is understood and provided during different stages of the life course. We prioritise the overlapping areas of practice, engagement, and research that are widely applicable rather than the boundaries between them.