Health and Life Skills Through Music, Arts and Culture in Education

The anthology Health and Life Skills through Music, Arts and Culture in Education describes and explores the fields of arts, culture and life skills throughout the educational system from kindergarten to university-level teacher training programs. The ideas behind and impetus for creating this anthology were inspired by the Mental State of the World report, which states that young adults are struggling far more with mental health problems now than in prior generations. The new Norwegian core curriculum's interdisciplinary topic “health and life skills” is meant to give pupils competencies that promote sound physical and mental health. The need for an interdisciplinary topic like this is stressed by the Mental State of the World report.

The anthology consists of ten chapters. The authors are researchers and pedagogues working in various subject areas. They represent a diversity of professional perspectives and approaches to how arts and culture can strengthen public health and life skills and thereby promote people’s sense of well-being. The target group for this anthology is teachers in educational courses from kindergarten, kulturskole, primary and secondary school and higher education.

Elin Angelo

Elin Angelo er professor i musikkpedagogikk ved NTNU (Institutt for musikk/ Institutt for lærerutdanning) og var fra 2021–2024 professor II ved Nord universitet (fakultet for lærerutdanning og kunst- og kulturfag). Hennes forskning dreier seg særlig om musikkundervisning og kulturskoleutvikling.

Kari Bjerke Batt-Rawden

Kari Bjerke Batt-Rawden is a sociologist, professor emerita in Health Sciences/Health Promotion at NTNU. She has her PhD studies from the University of Exeter, England in “Music and Health Promotion”. Batt-Rawden works with research and development work within nature-culture-health interplay from a salutogenic perspective. She has published several international and national publications.

Marit Stranden

Marit Stranden (PhD) is CEO at the Norwegian Resource Center for Arts and Health (https://kulturoghelse.no/) and visiting associate professor at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). She has a background in research, teaching, and management. The research interest has changed from neuroscience towards public health and the role of culture in perceived quality of life and sustainability.

Anne-Lise Heide

Anne-Lise Heide is associate professor of music at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Teacher Education. Her research interests include music, arts and wellbeing in education, interdisciplinarity and aesthetic learning processes in education.