Helen is a music psychologist, with interests in music performance, music education, music and wellbeing, and music and the environment based at the University of Hull. Her work with the Centre for Musical Performance as Creative Practice (CMPCP) explored the experiences of professional musicians in creating, or shaping, their musical performances. Equally important is the area of music education, within which she has explored remote music lessons through the Connect: Resound project, led by Professor Andrew King; and is also exploring transitions within music education with Dr Elaine King. Musical activities have a range of benefits, particularly in relation to wellbeing, and Helen’s involvement with the Strokestra Project (led by Elaine King) explore these benefits in detail. Music can have a profound influence on us, changing our physical and mental wellbeing, but also influencing our decisions; Helen’s work in relation to music and the environment investigates the ways in which we might harness this power to help people to adopt environmentally-friendly behaviours. Overall, Helen is fascinated by the myriad ways in which we interact with music as human beings, and her research explores these from a range of perspectives.

In her spare time, Helen enjoys playing the piano, and the modern and baroque violin, and occasionally doing some orchestral conducting.