Health perspectives and health musicking

CoMT perspectives reject the medicalized view of health and perceive health as a biological, psychological, social, and cultural phenomenon

(Stige, 2003/2012). Influenced by Antonovsky's (1987) salutogenic orientation, health is understood along a continuum whereby the state of health is a measure of how a person is coping. Being free from disease does not imply health; health is a state of ecological wholeness (Bruscia, 1998, cited in Stige, 2003/2012). To have health is to have the capacity and opportunity to participate in social and cultural activities. Therefore, health extends beyond the individual and is also dependent upon the resources of the community and the relationships between them (Stige, 2003/2012). Building on this premise, the primary aim of CoMT is to stimulate health-promoting relationships, and build the resources in both the individual and the community to ensure that those who are disadvantaged have access to social and cultural activities that promote health and healthy relationships (Stige, 2003/2012).

Musicking (Elliott, 1995; Small, 1998) is a term that describes music as a process, not an object. Small states: 'To music is to take part in any capacity, in a musical performance, whether by performing, by listening, by rehearsing, or practicing, by providing material for performance or by dancing' (p. 9). It is a music-making in action (Stige et al., 2010). Musicking is inherently a social process, an activity where relationships are performed and meaning is derived. It is through this idea of musik- ing that the concept of 'situated health musicking' (Stige, 2003/2012) emerged. Stige (2002, p. 211) conceptualized health musicking as 'the appraisal and appropriation of the health affordances of arena, agenda, agents, activities, and artifacts of a music practice'. Here, through planned musical participation that is inclusive, people can participate in an ecology of situated activities that promote health (Stige, 2003/2012).