Dr Helen Prior

Helen is a music psychologist, with interests in music and the environment (SDG 13), music education (SDG 4), and music and wellbeing (SDG 3). Helen's work in relation to music and the environment investigates the ways in which we might harness the power of music to help people to adopt environmentally-friendly behaviours. She has explored research in environmental psychology to understand the mechanisms through which music might be able to assist with climate-related behaviour change, and is currently pursuing projects gathering empirical evidence for music’s efficacy in this context.

Within music education, Helen has worked on a range of collaborative projects to explore the use of technology in music education and in teacher CPD; educational transitions in music; and cross-cultural music education.

Helen has also worked in a team exploring music and wellbeing through the Strokestra Project and two follow-on projects, SSE and the current MESH2 Project. The latter explores local provision of musical activities for education and wellbeing, with the aim of identifying gaps in provision.

Overall, Helen's work explores the potential of music to transform individual lives and society, and the ways in which this can be encouraged.

In her spare time, Helen enjoys playing the piano, and the modern and baroque violin.