Movin' and Groovin' for Wellness
Students across different faculties of NUS came together for a stress-relieving session of dancing and drumming, which took place on four separate evenings. Movin’ and Groovin’ for Wellness (MGW) was designed as a music and dance-based approach to support students’ mental, social, and emotional health, with no stigma attached. Improvisation was the main mode used to guide participants in engaging with the art forms. Research by MacDonald & Wilson has found that improvisation is associated with improvements in mental health conditions, reductions in stress and anxiety, and improved communication. Through the sessions, participants cultivated their creative expression through these two artistic mediums.
In recent years, a mental health crisis has spread around the world. Research by Harish et al. has found that even before the pandemic, young adults were found to have the highest incidence of mental illness in Singapore, and recently, students have also been grappling with pandemic-related anxiety, depression, and the fallout of social distancing measures. Both music and dance programmes have been shown to be effective for supporting mental health, and as Singapore emerges from the worst of the pandemic, in-person arts activities are once again a viable option for supporting health and well-being.
A Jam Session with both drumming and dancing groups coming together
At the start of each session, students were first introduced to the programme before they were divided into two groups - half with the drumming facilitator, and half with the dance facilitator, after which the groups switched. At the end, both groups came together for a combined drumming and dancing “jam session” with together with student musicians from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST). The mood and expression started out light and calm, and as the students beat their drums in sync, the musicians caught on and started breaking out into livelier grooves of latin music. Before leaving, the students completed a questionnaire about their experiences, impact on their mood, sense of social bonding, what they liked most and least about the programme, and suggestions to further improve the programme.
100% of the 124 students surveyed reported an improvement in mood. They highlighted that through improvising, it felt freeing to express themselves in a relaxing and non judgmental space. Two of the sessions took place during exam weeks, and students still showed up despite their busy schedule. When asked what their least favourite part of the programme was, many responded that it was that they wished it could be longer - they hoped that there would be more such sessions and suggested having an MGW series to learn more about the different dance and drumming techniques.
We are happy to announce that with support and funds from the NUS Mind Science Centre, we are launching a 10-week MGW in the form of a randomised controlled trial to measure the effectiveness of the programme. Participants will be compensated for their involvement and their contribution of their time will help benefit future communities in need of interventions to support wellness.
Additionally, a special instalment of the MGW will take place at National Gallery Singapore as part of the Gallery Wellness Festival on 23 June 2023, 2.00-4.00pm. The event is open to members of the public aged 16 - 70 - do register and join us!