A systematic review on the effects of active participation in rhythm-centred music making on different aspects of health

Rhythm-centred music making (RMM) especially drumming and percussion music has been shown to be effective in promoting personal and interpersonal well-being. It is widely used both as a treatment as well as an adjunctive therapy for various conditions. Hence, we aimed to provide a systematic review of the current literature on the effects of active participation of RMM with a focus on drumming and percussion on an individual. This will inform the undertaking of future focused research in this area. We carried out a literature search using PubMed® and PsychInfo® with relevant keywords and employed the PRISMA® criteria. We included English peer-reviewed articles that studied the effects of drumming or percussion music which were assessed by 2 independent reviewers. The type and year of study, study design, sample size, sample characteristics, intervention as well as outcomes are presented. The effects of RMM were categorised according to physical, psychological and social health. A total of 4198 articles were identified and reviewed and 18 articles were found to be relevant. 15, 4 and 6 articles were shown to provide evidence of RMM for positive impact on physical, psychological and social health respectively. 5 and 4 studies were conducted in the geriatrics and the pediatrics setting respectively with the remainder using psychiatric and general settings. In this systematic review on the effect of active participation in RMM positive effects were seen across social, physical and psychological health domains. We hope that this systematic review will facilitate future focused research in areas that have yet to be explored.