The Music Cubes Project : engaging hospitalised young people through creative engagement, music and technology to promote wellbeing

Abstract

The Music Cubes Project was an interdisciplinary, practical and creative research process that utilised a music and technology system, known as the Music Cubes, to explore visual, auditory and tactical elements to engage hospitalised young people in creative ways. The engaged research project was undertaken by Western Sydney University, in collaboration with The Department of Adolescent Medicine at The Children's Hospital, Westmead and the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). Hospitalised young people aged 12 to 18+ years old were asked to use and provide feedback into the design and usability of the Music Cubes with the aim to promote wellbeing, enhance opportunities for socialisation, facilitate creative engagement and entertainment, and make a creative output, however small, to call their own. Young people have unique needs, and the only way to find out what they want is to ask them. This is often difficult in a hospital environment that is dynamic, fast paced and at times, unpredictable. Utilising Transformation Design methodology and ethnography, this research placed young people at the heart of the design process and encouraged them to take ownership of the Music Cubes and to collaborate, create and modify them to create sustainable changes in the hospital environment. As such, the Music Cubes was an ongoing dialogue between hospitalised young people and stakeholders that sought to enhance activities already offered. It also encouraged meaningful activities through making connections with others, the xvi environment and responding to a stimulus. By giving hospitalised young people control over this creative activity that was designed for them and by them, the Music Cubes aimed to help them promote a more positive attitude towards hospitalisation to enhance their stay.

Date of Award	2016
Original language	English