The Minding the Pitch: Music for Wellbeing course will open for registration in Autumn 2026.
To be alerted when registration opens, please sign-up to the mailing list at the bottom of the page for updates.
In the meantime, check out what the course will include:
The Minding the Pitch: Music for Wellbeing online course is designed to give you a "crash course" of musical knowledge that will allow you to use music on an ongoing basis to boost your mental health, physical wellbeing, self-efficacy, sense of purpose, and self-expression (among other things - see the Theory of Change!). It is ideal for anyone completely new to music or looking to return to music.
Alongside learning how to understand and create music, you will get psychoeducation (why do this thing for your wellbeing, and why does it work?) and lots of guided activities that integrate what you're learning about music, how you experience it personally, and how you can use this learning (about music and about yourself) going forward. Further, every lesson and activity has been chosen because there is evidence and a rationale that it will help you develop as a musician and a person.
The course will be a mix of live, online sessions plus self-guided activities that you can do in your own time. There are no quizzes or mandatory assignments, because the course is for you. But, the more meaningfully you engage with the course material, the more you're likely to get out of it.
Participating in the online course will give you:
12 weekly 2-hour sessions on the topics below, with scope for weekly sessions to be adapted to group interests and needs.
A small group of less than 8 other learners who have similar goals, so you can benefit from the social aspect of group music learning and music-making.
Access to the resource bank, including additional activities and exercises that you can use during and after the course.
Once the course ends, you can join the "alumni" group to stay connected with those you met during your course and anyone who has done the course before or after you. This will also allow you to connect with others in your area who you can support you as you continue your musical practice.
Here's what you'll be doing:
Unit 1: Music Listening
In this unit, you will learn why we listen to music and the functions that music listening has. You will explore what this means for you, as someone wanting to use music listening for your psychological wellbeing and for developing your music practice.
You will then be guided through activities where you will start to learn ways of analyzing songs, understanding their components and how these combine to create impact.
Unit 2: Music Theory I
This is the first of the units focusing more on technical knowledge. Here, you will learn the fundamentals of music notation, including learning note names, note durations, and how to read these on sheet music.
You will have opportunities to practice what you've learned and reflect on the process of essentially learning a new language!
Unit 3: Rhythm
This unit will focus on hands-on practice reading and producing rhythmic sequences. There will also be attention given to how rhythm is felt in the body and how this can be manipulated for effect.
In this unit you will also have your first go at writing music, starting with creating your own rhythmic pattern.
Unit 4: Tonality
In this unit you will learn about key signatures and scales, which will give you the foundation for the following units on harmony and creating your own song.
You will then explore how much a song's key can impact its emotional tone and how you might select a key to represent a certain character.
Unit 5: Intervals
Now that you've got the basics down, you can start learning about intervals, the building blocks of harmony. After this, the unit opens up to include lots of different skills that will help your overall musicianship and songwriting.
You'll do some singing practice, ear training, and even a short composition exercise using what you've learned so far.
Unit 6: Singing
Unit 7: Improvisation
Unit 8: Songwriting - Lyrics
Unit 9: Songwriting - Harmony
Unit 10: Songwriting - Melody
Unit 11: Putting Your Song Together
Singing is for everyone, even if you think you "can't sing." It's an amazing resource for your wellbeing and a musicianship, and the best thing about the voice is that everyone has one, and everyone can use theirs with a bit of coaching.
In this unit, you will learn some basic singing and breathing technique and explore how to harness your unique sound. You will also practice using your voice to start brainstorming some original music.
You'll now have the musical foundation you need to start improvising. Improvisation can be intimidating at first, so you'll learn some tips and tricks to get you started. You will also learn how you can use improvisation for writing music.
As part of this unit, you will get support finding your way around some (free) production software, which you can use to improvise "seeds" for future songs.
The process of writing lyrics is special in that it can be very personal to you, and everyone will have a different way of doing it. Still, it can be daunting for anyone writing lyrics for the first time. So, in this unit, you will learn common song lyric structures.
You will then analyze lyrics of well-known songs and songs of your choosing, to see what approaches you might be able to take from these when starting your own song.
In preparing to write the harmonies for your song (ex. chord progressions), you will first learn more about what harmony is and how to write a harmonic structure for your song.
At this stage, you will be able to create a framework for your original song.
Contrary to what many people online will tell you, there is no "right" way to write a good melody. Instead, the melody should suit your song structure, harmonies, and lyrics.
Similar to the lyrics unit, here you will look more closely at melodies of popular songs and the songs you love, and learn different melody templates that you can use in your song.
In this last unit, you will be supported to put together all of the song elements you have created so far. This includes tips for how to combine different sounds and add some more interest to your song.
At this point, you will have much of the knowledge you need to continue experimenting with creating your own music. Remember, learning about music is a lifelong process, so follow your curiosity and enjoy.