Music psychiatry project

Graduate School of Media and Governance
Master's　Program Second year
Shiori Honda

Program: Cognition, Sense-Making and Biophysical Skills(CB)

Understanding the healing effects of music

Having seen a relative recover from a mental illness with the help of music, I realised I wanted to help those with similar conditions. I searched for a university that enabled me to study these subjects and picked SFC for my undergraduate degree, where I studied the link between music and mental disorders through the use of animals.

After connecting with Assistant Professor Shinya Fujii, an expert on music and neuroscience, my research got focused on humans. I'm currently in graduate school, studying the relationship between the pathophysiology (the study of change in physiological processes due to disease or injury) of mental illness and human musical ability.

One of SFC's advantages is the interdisciplinary and flexible study environment.

I chose the Graduate School of Media and Governance because its two-year master's program looked like it would give me excellent opportunities for my future career. The interdisciplinary campus made it possible for me to pursue my interests without being bound by only one field of study.

From a medical perspective, this is an excellent environment for joint research with the Keio University School of Medicine. SFC also has a partnership with nearby Shonan Keiiku Hospital.

The teachers are enthusiastic and capable of giving us proper guidance even in areas that are outside of their expertise. On top of teaching their primary research subjects, many of them also share valuable life lessons and experiences from their careers as researchers.

My dream is to create a future with personalised medicine, where music is composed based on individual patients' needs. SFC's environment is ideal for students who wish to pursue their interests or to start a new career in any imaginable field.

Introduction of Laboratory