Impact of group music-making on social development: a scoping review ( El impacto de la práctica musical grupal en el desarrollo social: una revisión exploratoria )

Abstract

The potential of music-making to foster an individual’s social development has been widely explored. The objective of this review is twofold: (1) to examine the characteristics of group music-making initiatives aimed at promoting social skills; and (2) to analyse the impact that group music-making initiatives have on people’s social development. Twenty studies were reviewed. The aspects analysed included education level, participants’ roles, participants’ academic or social backgrounds, family involvement and various organizational features such as number of participants, duration of the programme, number of sessions per week and session length. Regarding the research methods used, the review explored the studies’ research design, the variables analysed and the impact of the results. The results were generally positive: 79% of the qualitative studies revealed notable improvements in social skills. The average effect size for the quantitative studies ranged from large to very large. Despite these promising results, the effects of group music-making initiatives are variable. It is necessary to ensure proper implementation of the initiatives or adequate conditions to foster people’s social development.