One Year Into The Pandemic, And Americans Have Been Getting Steadily More Lonely, The Latest Data Says. Here’s How The Power Of Music Is Helping Our Mental Health.

On the 20th of March 2020, New York State issued an executive order closing down all non-essential businesses, kicking off what has become a nation-wide series of lockdowns and fundamental changes to how Americans have lived their lives. It’s been just over a year since then, and there’s no question that the pandemic has impacted our mental health in some pretty dramatic ways.

While most news about mental health has been negative over the last year, I sat down with David Zusman, co-founder and board trustee of the We Are All Music Foundation (WAAM), to discuss Prosper Insights & Analytics’ latest mental health data and how nonprofits are using the power of music to improve lives and benefit society, especially during the pandemic.

There are hundreds of music nonprofits; WAAM provides grants to the very best focused on education, health and wellness, and underserved communities. Their Power of Music Campaign has enlisted support of artists such as Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run DMC, Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, and numerous other Grammy-winning producers and sound engineers to highlight the very real impact that music can have on mental health and well-being.

15x GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY winner, Rafa Sardina supporting the #WeAreAllMusic campaign.

Gary Drenik: I love what WAAM has been doing to empower nonprofits that are bringing music into our lives at a time when things can look pretty bleak. Can you talk us through what the data says about mental health right now?

David Zusman: Definitely. I’ve been looking at Prosper’s monthly updates to its mental health survey going back to May of 2020, and what’s interesting is to see is how certain mental health conditions peaked while others continue to get worse over time.

For instance, anxiety was at its worst in July, with 33.3% of Americans saying that they felt more anxious as a result of the lockdowns. I could speculate about the factors behind this. I think a lot of Americans had initially considered the lockdown to be a shorter-term solution to the virus, but, by July, we were 4 months in, and there was a lot of uncertainty about reopening. We had to relearn what social interaction was going to look like, and there was the looming threat of a second wave that made the whole process feel particularly perilous. Anxiety is now down 4%, and I think many just got used to a new normal.

There is also a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccines. Overall, music nonprofits addressing these issues saw a surge in demand, while experiencing a decline in funding. Some of this was due to the economy and some of it was related to how reliant music nonprofits had become on event-driven fundraising.     

Drenik: What about things like depression and loneliness?

Zusman: Yeah, the data here isn’t as promising, and that’s why we’ve been working so hard with the initial nonprofit recipients of our Power of Music Grants to make an impact in people’s mental health through music.

Depression has been hovering around 23% with a spike at 24.2% in November that might be related to anticipation of the holiday season. For context, a recent study found that only 8.5% of Americans had symptoms of depression before the pandemic.

This is certainly troubling, but I think what concerns me the most is that we’ve definitely been getting more lonely. 18.7% of Americans felt lonely in May. Now, 21% of us feel lonely. This totally makes sense. We’re isolated, and the longer it goes on, the more lonely we’ll get. Right now, we need connection more than anything.

The music organizations that are creating the connections between individuals are fighting this. In some instances, that is through one-on-one music lessons via video chat, and in others it is through playing at the bedsides of patients and caregivers in healthcare facilities who are struggling with their circumstances. In particular, we also have seen an uptick in people seeking music therapy or other mentee-mentor type music programs in underserved communities.

Drenik: With loneliness increasing over time, what does the research say about the impact of music on loneliness and mental health in general? What impact can music have?

Zusman: There’s so much out there that says music improves mental well-being.

For instance, a widely cited study highlights the positive role that music played in the life of people living in an elderly community for those 54 or older. According to this qualitative research, not only did music help elderly people understand and develop their self-identity as they moved into a different stage of life, it helped them manage their time by keeping them engaged and distracted from daily concerns. The researchers described that music “fills a void.”

What’s particularly interesting about this study is that the unique isolation which can exist in elderly communities is basically the closest pre-Covid-19 approximation to the dynamics that have impacted people of all ages during lockdown.

We’ve had to adapt to a new social environment, spending more time alone or in a small, isolated community, with less to do and fewer places to go. It’s really encouraging that music seems to help us make sense of these changes, feel comforted in the midst of them, and begin to develop a new identity while occupying our newfound surplus of time in a meaningful way.

Music therapy takes this one step further - as demonstrated in a recent WAAM Power of Music Series episode, using it prescriptively to clinically improve emotional and even physical maladies. This actually goes as far back as Pythagorus. One of the most widely cited books on the topic, Music therapy: An art beyond words, highlights how modern music therapy has nearly universally positive outcomes on child, adolescent, and adult health.

Music is especially effective at improving cognitive functioning. In fact, the impact of music on the development of unborn babies has even given rise to headphones devised specifically for pregnant bellies. Music can reduce symptoms of Alzheimer’s, improve academic performance, and has led to some researchers advocating for universal music education from birth.

Drenik: Can you tell us more about the specific nonprofits that you’ve been working with? What has their impact been, and how has the pandemic shifted their focus?

Zusman: Absolutely! Our job is to empower these wonderful organizations, so I never get tired of singing their praises.

In October of 2020, we announced the recipients of the our inaugural “Power of Music'' grants:

●    Education Through Music (ETM)

●    Guitars Over Guns

●    Hip Hop Public Health

These three organizations developed and executed a variety of programs utilizing music as the medium to change lives: including, expanding educational resources in underserved communities, creating mentorship networks, and fostering positive health behavior change. Education through Music efficiently adapted their programming to a virtual learning environment. This enabled them to maintain program stability throughout 53 public schools in the five boroughs in NYC and provide continuity for 18,000 students. Approximately 70% of parents whose children participate in ETM programs agree that learning music helps their child’s social development; and this has been especially critical during a year of learning disruptions.

Guitars Over Guns, which empowers youth from disadvantaged backgrounds through strong mentor-mentee relationships, has greatly expanded a mental health module for students and mentors.

Finally, Hip Hop Public Health has a unique platform that communicates to educators the untapped potential of music for improving the psychological, emotional, and physical health of individuals, especially in underserved communities.

We’re so proud of the work these organizations are doing in the face of trying circumstances. We continue to look for new nonprofits that are doing amazing things through music, while we work hard on our 2021 fundraising campaign. If you’re interested in our mission, please explore our site to learn more about how We Are All Music!

Drenik: Thank you, David. You’re doing great work with WAAM, and I’m so excited to hear about your next round of grantees. Music can change the world, and I hope that these organizations can positively impact the mental health crisis that we currently face.