The Institute prepares students to occupy leadership roles in a society whose awareness of the impact music has on wellbeing is rapidly developing.

Mentoring

The Institute offers mentoring within an interdisciplinary research environment. Research teams comprised of researchers, music educators, health care practitioners and stakeholders, each with their specific expertise, offer great mentoring opportunities that foster a strong depth of knowledge in actionable research. Students have the opportunity to meet specialists from a variety of research areas, integrate team-based projects and develop their skills in a collaborative environment. Additionally, students then receive support in disseminating the results of their research work.

Students who are interested in joining one of our research initiatives should contact us.

Internships are included in the training opportunities provided by the institute, providing hands-on experiences that allow students to learn by doing.  Our internships take place in our partnering research laboratories, health facilities, and community organizations. Through our internships, students explore how to apply music and health research in a variety of real-world scenarios. They develop a wealth of transferable skills that will be useful regardless of their ultimate specialization trajectory.

Students who are interested in an internship should contact us.

Erin Parkes
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“The extraordinarily diverse, interdisciplinary partners bring different perspectives that will facilitate new and important conversations around music and health.”

Erin Parkes

— Founder and Executive Director of the Lotus Centre for Special Music Education

Training opportunities

The Institute plays a key role by training the next generation of leaders and professionals with the skills and abilities needed to solve a variety of challenges at the intersection of music, health and well-being.

Reflecting the diverse and multidisciplinary approaches of the Music and Health Research Institute, our principal and affiliated researchers supervise students in nearly 30 different graduate programs across Canada. Through a variety of educational activities, our training program aims to foster collaboration between students, broaden exchange with researchers from various disciplines, and establish partnerships with diverse organizations within the music and health domains. Our training activities are offered to students who are members of the Institute.

  • Student Research in Focus Colloquium: During these monthly meetings, two graduate students or post-doctoral fellows formally present their research to professor and student members of the Music and Health Research Institute. The colloquia provide opportunities for students to receive feedback from MHRI professors with diverse backgrounds and extensive experience in interdisciplinary research. It is also an opportunity for students to build research relationships across different labs and different universities.

  • Poster Day: These events provide an opportunity for MHRI students to share their research, clinical experience, and community outreach work to the broader MHRI network. This stimulates new connections between interdisciplinary members of the network.

Despite the rapidly growing interest for interdisciplinary research in academia, training programs where music, health and well-being interact are still rare. Our Institute is offering a diversity of activities to fill this gap, providing unique options to complement traditional academic programs.

  • Music and Health Research Toolbox Webinars: These webinars delivered by MHRI professors focus on specific topics related to methodologies and analytical approaches unique to interdisciplinary research.

Dr. Ryan Rourke
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“There will be opportunity to expand CHEO’s involvement in the MHRI to different departments with the goal of understanding how music can help children with a variety of medical conditions.”

Dr. Ryan Rourke

— Pediatric Surgeon, CHEO