Slots: An organization may submit only one proposal under this program solicitation.
Deadlines
Internal Deadline: Monday, July 1st, 2024, 5pm PT Contact RII.
LOI: N/A
External Deadline: August 1, 2024, 11:59pm E.T.
Award Information
Award Type: Cooperative Agreement
Estimated Number of Awards: 1
Anticipated Award Amount: $300,000
Link to Award: https://www.arts.gov/program-solicitation-sound-health-network
Process for Limited Submissions
PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template
Materials to submit include:
- (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
- (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)
Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
Purpose
The Sound Health program seeks to expand public understanding of the connections between music and wellness: how music is processed by the brain, how living artful lives through music can impact development and learning, and the therapeutic use of music for specific health conditions. The Sound Health program was launched as a partnership among the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”), the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (“Kennedy Center”), and the National Endowment for the Arts (“NEA”) (individually known as “Partner” and collectively known as “Program Partners”).
To date, the Sound Health program has produced concerts, workshops, symposia, and other events to spotlight important work at the intersection of music, neuroscience, music therapy, and music education. Following publication of a jointly-authored article in the scientific journal Neuron, NIH announced a trans-agency working group, followed by research funding opportunities cosponsored by the NEA. On a parallel track, the NEA provided direct support for several NEA Research Labs focused on examining music and its relationship to neuroscience, cognition, and health and wellness. It had become clear that greater organizational capacity was needed to create and sustain the network of trans-disciplinary researchers and practitioners, to strengthen and promote knowledge about music’s role in brain development and health and wellness for people of all ages.
In response to this need, the NEA established the Sound Health Network (distinct from the Sound Health program) to connect subject matter experts in music and health (both individuals and organizations) and other appropriate entities in order to harvest and inform each other’s work. Since its public launch in January 2021, the Sound Health Network (SHN) has developed and maintained, at a minimum, a directory and website or online platform for resources and activities related to music and health; held in-person convenings; hosted webinars, workshops, and discussion groups; communicated with the general public through social media and newsletters; and created an online database of key scientific publications on music and health research. The mission of SHN is to promote research and public awareness about the impact of music on health and wellness.
On December 13-14, 2023, a historic gathering—titled “Music as Medicine: The Science and Clinical Practice,” cosponsored by NIH, the NEA, and others—identified the need for continued progress, on several fronts, to accelerate the growth and dissemination of rigorous evidence supporting policy, practice, and public awareness about music’s benefits for health and healing. Those areas include:
• Collaborative research capacity-building: creating opportunities for the exchange of insights and information among researchers from different fields of expertise: scientific researchers (e.g., within neuroscience, psychology, medicine, and other areas of biomedical and behavioral research), health practitioners (e.g., music therapists, providers of music-based interventions in healthcare settings, and other healthcare providers), musicians, and music educators. Consultative support for, and facilitated small-group meetings of, these groups, as well as the development of translational materials (e.g., research summaries, policy briefs, fact sheets), will strengthen the quality and competitiveness of these practitioners’ research proposals to funders of music-and-health research and practice.
• Convenings: in addition to small-group meetings of the type referenced above, periodic (e.g., annual) large gatherings of researchers and practitioners across the domains of music, music therapy, neuroscience, and healthcare will create opportunities to network and showcase their work for each other and, potentially, for a wider audience.
• Communications: better promotion and distribution of publications, events, and funding opportunities concerning music, neuroscience, and health through a variety of media platforms, as well as outlets and professional development opportunities for researchers to better share their findings with the general public (e.g., organizing conference panel sessions involving such researchers and promoting their work via social media and/or through videos or podcasts).
Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.