Project Title: 

healing attempt": a digital music-based mindfulness intervention for Black Americans with elevated race-based anxiety

Funding detail: 
NEA Research Grant
Institution: 
Harvard University
Principal Investigator: 
Grant Jones
Start year: 
2024
Project summary: 

To support studies assessing the impact and effectiveness of a digital music-based mindfulness intervention developed for Black American adults experiencing race-based anxiety. The project includes multiple, small-scale randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) and a mixed-methods implementation study, with the objectives of refining the intervention on an ongoing basis and assessing overall impact. The approximately half-hour session of music composition and production was developed using anxiety reduction principles, mindfulness practices, and meditation research, while also accounting for the race of the listener. It includes meditations, songs, and poetry rooted in Black American culture and music traditions, with themes relating to Black spirituality, belonging, and self-acceptance. As part of the implementation study, the intervention will be offered freely to the public, with participants accessing materials on music platforms and reporting experiences on the study's website. Content for the intervention will feature contributions from world renowned Black American artists and project collaborators, including esperanza spalding, Lama Rod Owens, and Terry Edmonds.