Fostering Health and Culture in the Community through In-Home Music Education and Performances

Type: Full paper – Article nº 1053

Authors: Giovani Bonassoli Fernandes¹; John Kennedy Pereira de Castro¹; Salete Maria Chiamulera Böhler²

Presenter: John Kennedy Pereira de Castro

Institutions: ¹ Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM); ² UNESPAR/Embap

Abstract

This article examines the multidisciplinary potential of Hausmusik—the tradition of making music in domestic spaces—as a cultural and educational practice with significant implications for health, identity, and community development. Originating in seventeenth-century Europe, Hausmusik historically transformed homes into cultural stages for artistic exchange and social interaction. In Brazil, this tradition has been revitalized by the Hausmusik Brasil Project (2008), which adapts the model to local contexts by organizing recitals in family living rooms, fostering intergenerational dialogue, cultural memory, and social inclusion. The central aim is to demonstrate how Hausmusik, as both an aesthetic and social practice, contributes to holistic well-being and offers valuable insights for contemporary music education.

Methodologically, the study combines a systematic bibliographic review with qualitative analysis of empirical evidence from Hausmusik Brasil. Scholarly literature from music education, psychology, sociology, and health sciences was surveyed to identify theoretical and empirical connections between domestic music-making and dimensions of human development. Complementing this, data from project records, audiovisual documentation, and participant testimonies were examined to capture the lived experiences of families, artists, and communities. This hybrid approach enabled a comprehensive understanding of Hausmusik as both a theoretical construct and a practical, community-based intervention.

Findings indicate that Hausmusik operates as a multifaceted practice capable of addressing emotional, cognitive, social, and physiological dimensions of health. Evidence from studies on choral singing, family musicalization, and music listening interventions reveals benefits ranging from emotional regulation and anxiety reduction to improved cardiovascular health and social cohesion. Importantly, Hausmusik demonstrates the power of domestic music-making to dismantle barriers of inequality by situating cultural experiences within accessible, everyday environments. As such, it reinforces the family’s role as an agent of cultural transmission, while serving as a catalyst for community resilience and intergenerational exchange.

The implications for music education are profound. Hausmusik highlights the need to expand pedagogical approaches beyond formal institutions, encouraging integration of family and community spaces into the learning process. By valuing intergenerational participation, cultural diversity, and health-oriented practices, educators can design inclusive strategies that promote holistic development and cultural sustainability. This study argues that investing in domestic and community-based music education practices such as Hausmusik is not only a way to preserve cultural traditions but also a means of building healthier, more cohesive, and resilient societies.

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