Musical Participation, Resilience, and Locus of Control in Musicians from the Margins

Recent studies suggest that prolonged participation in formal music programs may be associated with the cultivation of resilience and locus of control (LoC) in music students. Brazilian musicians, who were attending or had attended community-based music programs, and a group of matched, untrained individuals from disadvantaged, urban communities completed the Connor-Davidson Scale of Resilience (RISC), the Craig Locus of Control Scale, and the ABEP 2022-Brazilian Criteria of Economic Classification questionnaire. Results suggested that while musical participation alone was not associated with resilience and LoC scores (model 1), a conditional restriction of the same model (model 2) showed a significant interaction between musical participation, age, and RISC and LoC scores, after controlling for SES. Among musicians, higher age was associated with higher resilience scores and internal LoC. Findings from this exploratory study are discussed in light of the multifaceted nature of community-based music programs, the building blocks of resilience and LoC. We also comment on the potential links between resilience and LoC in relation to musical participation and well-being. Limitations of this study are discussed alongside implications for future research.