The various music projects are been highlighted in this research demonstrate the sparsity of research and music projects involving UK veterans and although there are many support groups for veterans such as the RBL Bravo 22 company, the Drive Project/BLESMA Limbless Veterans Organisation, and the Soldier’s Arts Academy, that have undertaken some arts-based projects with veterans and studies such as that have included veterans and drama such as that by Ackley and Wilson-Menzfeld (2021), there is little to find when looking specifically at music-based support projects with veterans. At the Forces in Mind Trust, Research conference in March 2022, where presenters from all parts of the UK shared the research and projects that were being conducted in their region there were reports of intervention projects and research including reading groups, clay modelling groups, Lego modelling groups and horticulture groups, no presenters were reporting on any music projects taking place. So, what research has taken place involving music and veterans? In the main, the research has been undertaken in other counties and has been mainly conducted with the focus on the treatment of PTS symptoms using music therapy.
Bensimon et al. (2012) conducted a study involving soldiers from the Israeli defence force that had experienced trauma and were diagnosed with suffering chronic PTS. The soldiers participated in a sixteen-week program where they took part in active music-making activities in group sessions. The programme was split into phases including improvising the trauma, where the participants were encouraged to talk about how the various sounds made by the played instruments made them feel and how this related to their trauma. Drumming out the rage session with drums was used to let out frustrations. Group discussions were held at the end of each session. The sessions were recorded on video and analysed by independent researchers. The participants also took part in an in-depth interview at the end of the program. The study found that all felt that they talk less about their trauma and more about general things, they felt an improvement in well-being and increased feelings of belonging. All gave positive feedback about the group sessions and their positive effect on their daily lives and that these improvements could not be made by just talking. (Bensimon et al., 2012.
The Bronson et al. (2018) review of Music Therapy Treatment of Active Duty Military examined four programs that included group music sessions, songwriting, improvisation, and performance with US military personnel, aimed at reconnection with the sense of self and increased socialization. The programs were conducted at different facilities, the main location being The National Intrepid Centre of Excellence (NICoE). One facility ran group sessions where they worked in groups of 4-6 members and received 1 x 90 min session of therapy per week for four weeks including week 1, music and movement, week 2, pleasant & unpleasant sounds, week 3, song wring / jam session, week 4, improvisation. At another facility group and individual sessions targeted goals specified by patients. Working in 5 per group they also had 1 x 90 min session for 4 weeks with a different focus each week: week 1, music listening, week 2, active music making, week 3, music for relaxation, and week 4, songwriting. The review also describes a creative arts café, a performing arts venue that patients and staff can access to share creative expression allowing patients to grow in their recovery process and is used as the first step for creative engagement outside of therapy sessions. The evaluation of the sessions was through the number of participants returning for follow-up sessions with an uptake of 79%.
Bradt et al. (2019) conducted a retrospective analysis of fourteen songs created by military service members while in therapy at NICoE and claims to be the first study to examine the therapeutic benefits of songwriting in a military population. The 14 songs were written by 11 service members over 2-3 individual music therapy sessions. The lyrics of the songs created four main themes, personal struggles, barriers to recovery, moving forward, relational challenges and positive relationships and support. The lyrics expressed positivity and resilience despite the individual's struggles. The study found that in veterans, collaborative songwriting can address, shame, depression, social isolation, and difficulty communicating along with the questions revolving around Identities - who was I? who am I now? Abilities - what can I do now? And survival guilt - why am I still here? (Bradt et al., 2019).
Balfour (2018) describes two projects with Australian military communities, one with serving members in Afghanistan in 2013 called ‘Going Home’ this was a part of a larger project focused on supporting ex-military and their families through arts-based projects, where a song and video were produced to aid a veteran’s charity. The song was written by a diplomat and songwriter who wrote the song over four months while working at a military base in Afghanistan. The song was based on the conversations and observations with the personnel at the base. The song was performed at the base and released on Youtube and to date, it has had 61,200 views. Another project Balfour (2018) describes is ‘The Soldiers Wife’ and it involved widows of ex-servicemen in aid of their veteran’s widows ‘Laurel Club’. In this project, a team of songwriters visited the widows club to talk to and engage with the veteran's widows to gain material to write songs to create a CD that could be sold, and the proceeds go to the club. The team found it difficult at first and it took eight weeks for the club members to engage effectively. A CD was eventually produced, and a second volume has been released.
Dhokai (2020) describes a project to engage US military veterans through guitar workshops. This was decided by interviewing veterans to investigate the kind of music that they would engage in. The focus of the guitar workshops was to re-engage or maintain a lasting connection to music. The program started with 20 participants in the workshop for a 10-week series. Due to varying skill levels, a levelled learning approach was used where the individual could choose the difficulty of their approach, one could play a simpler version of a chord while another may play a complex version. This allowed the group to work on the same music at different levels. In the second series of workshops level, 1 and level 2 ability groups were created and a framework and format for the workshop series were developed. They ensured that the music was meaningful through pre-session surveys and encouraged peer mentoring and conversations outside of sessions this meant culturally the workshops allowed the veterans to engage in personally meaningful music. A sense of camaraderie was developed through casual conversations and interaction between group members. Peer support and mentoring were encouraged, and inclusion and collaboration were important learning goals. Continued communication was weekly emails to members to update practice at home. Surveys were given to participants at the end of each 10-week series and the project resulted in increased social interactions and social connectedness, interest in learning new skills, better family relationships, decreased social isolation and an increased feeling of wellbeing (Dhokai, 2020).
In the study carried out by Zoteyeva et al. (2016) with Australian veterans to explore how music is used to manage symptoms of depression and stress and the links between the prevalence of mental health symptoms and veterans’ music listening patterns. From the group of 233 surveyed almost two-thirds were likely to have a mental health problem. The study found that participants engaged with music more than any other leisure activity. A prominent strategy was listening to music when predicting negative social interactions and depression. The findings were that those veterans experiencing high levels of depression, stress and negative social interactions use music to regulate their emotions and that they may be using their musical identities to self-medicate in a proactive way to prevent the build-up of emotional distress. (Zoteyeva et al., 2016).
Research from studies involving civilians can be used to further inform the benefits of music and the treatment of mental health problems. In the review of the potential effects of collaborative songwriting in civilians with PTS, Noyes and Schlesinger (2017) conclude that the writing of lyrics was a cathartic process for the participants, the process produced a strong sense of community and that the programs reduced PTS symptoms. In the Review of Music Therapy for PTS in adults, Landis-Shack et al. (2017) found that there was increased group cohesion, self-esteem and feelings of self-worth and decreased social isolation and feelings of worthlessness in programs including group music therapy sessions, instrument tuition, improvisation, songwriting and recording. In a study involving displaced families due to armed conflict in Columbia that had had their social place and personal identities affected by the displacement, Rodríguez-Sánchez and Cabedo-Mas (2020) describe how eight families took part in a Music for Reconciliation program for over a year. The participants received recognition for having developed an important skill, this gave them a positive appreciation of themselves. It gave them increased confidence in their own music-making and music became a salient and prominent identity. The program had a positive impact on their social place, social status, and an increased sense of belonging.