Playlist for Parkinson’s: a novel way to engage in music research dissemination

Dissemination of research findings to those who can make use of research is not only desirable but a necessity for demonstrating impact. Through our patient and public involvement work with people with Parkinson’s (PwP), we became aware that relying on academic reporting was insufficient and dry. It is important that research for the benefit of people living with Parkinson’s is shared with those people directly, and with their wider circle of family and friends, and that the research thereby has impact for those that may benefit. In this article, we report how we produced two concerts (in the UK in 2022 and Switzerland in 2023) to bring the dissemination process alive. The music programme reflected the findings of our research on the use of music among PwP in everyday life, such as ‘Music for Walking’ (‘Radetzky March’, Johann Strauss Sr, 1848), and ‘Music as a Personal Anthem’ (‘I Will Survive’, Gloria Gaynor, 1978). We included interactive elements such as group singing and percussive egg shaking to further embody the findings (i.e. positive affect and entrainment). We gave lay talks and included a round table to discuss the importance of taking this inclusive and transdisciplinary approach. Audience evaluation was limited but feedback was generally positive, and media coverage was remarkable. The concerts inspired the creation a new website resource, www.Playlist4Parkinsons.com, through which we curated music used by PwP to improve their movement and mood. To summarise, we developed an enjoyable and informative way of sharing music research findings with the key stakeholders (PwP and interdisciplinary researchers), and with music students. This template could be used to further embed research into teaching in higher education and develop external partnerships by inviting practitioner participation enabling future collaborations and further impactful research opportunities within local and wider communities.