The group music session serves as a supportive tool for individuals with mental health conditions, providing a space where rhythm, musical collaborations, interactions, and creative expressions can become a means of empowerment and connection (Hallam & Himonides, 2022; Perkins et al., 2016). Community music is a participatory and open to all musical practice that safeguards the acceptance of diversity, inclusion, cooperation, and social connections (Higgins, 2012). It is not part of formal educational contexts, but is tailored to the abilities and needs of each participant, regardless of the level of their musical knowledge (Akoyunoglou et al., 2024; Oloktsidou et al., 2023). In the present practical application presentation, a community music initiative in a Day Center for individuals with mental conditions will be described, which takes place withing the framework of the collaboration between the Ionian University and the General Hospital of Corfu. Specifically, weekly hour-and a half long music sessions took place for one year, where about 17 individuals participated on average. The ages of participants ranged from 24 to 65 years old. The sessions were experiential in nature,  in which group members were given the opportunity to make instrumental and vocal music. The aim of the music groups was to create a safe and supportive environment, to foster teamwork and cooperation, to develop musical self-expression without fear of criticism, to improve concentration, to enhance self-confidence, to develop aural perception and sense of rhythm, to cultivate creative potential through improvisation, and to perform music as a group regardless of everyone’s knowledge. Through a reflexive stance on the music groups, the weekly meetings appear to have enabled the creation of trusting relationships, improved cooperative working relationships, enhanced concentration, attention, and confidence, developed musical expression, and improved rhythmic sense. The presentation will describe the process of planning the sessions, as well as the difficulties and challenges faced by the facilitator/musician. In addition, it will analyse the adaptations made and the repertoire choices followed to give the activities an inclusive character, with an emphasis on the flow of the musicking.

• Music and communities

Sahar Christina Klymper is a graduate of the Department of Music Studies of the Ionian University in the field of Music Pedagogy and Psychology of Music. During the academic year 2024-2025, she carried out an internship within the context of her thesis on community music, at the After Hospital Day Center of the Mental Health Department in the island of Corfu. She participated in the 8th Nursing Symposium held in December 2024, on Patient safety: priority and responsibility. The title of Christina's presentation was Quality mental health service delivery: The Art of Music, a presentation that was singled out by the Scientific Committee, among other contributions.

Mitsi Akoyunoglou is an Assistant Professor of Music Therapy and Inclusive Music Practices at Ionian University, Corfu. She completed her BA and MA in music therapy at MSU, USA, and a PhD and a PostDoc at Ionian University. For the period 2023-2026 she is the Regional Liaison for Europe at WFMT and the Country Representative of Greece to EMTC. She is a member of the scientific committee of Mousikopaidagogika, on the editorial board of Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy, co-editor of the open access resource Music Therapy Dictionary: A Place of Interdisciplinary Encounters and co-president of the Organizing Committee of the 10th International Conference of GSME.