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Wellness Resources
Support your health through music
LA Opera Connects approaches all of our programming with a creative wellness mindset, because we know the incredible impact the arts have on our individual and collective health. On this page, we've gathered tools designed by music therapists, scholars, and arts practitioners, including interactive videos, curated podcasts, and a wealth of written resources.
Start here with The Joy of Music Wellness Journal, written in collaboration with Jennifer Kuo, MPH, CHES. Download and print the PDF to make your next concert or your favorite playlist a mindful listening experience. Then, scroll down to discover more resources to help you integrate the arts into your wellness practices,
Interactive Digital Content
LA Opera Connects' Opera for Life and Wellness video series features tools to help you feel more grounded and connect more fully to yourself and to the world around you.
La serie de videos Opera for Life and Wellness de LA Opera Connects presenta herramientas para ayudarte a sentirte más conectado y a conectar más plenamente contigo mismo y con el mundo que te rodea.
This free Zoom series based on LA Opera’s upcoming shows invites everyone to experience the healing power of the arts through mindfulness, creative expression, learning, and self-reflection.
Remember to check out our Behind the Curtain arts and health playlist to hear from experts on the go.
Take the next step
Go beyond the basics with this curated reading list of research articles, fun zines and workbooks, databases, and more created by our partner organizations working at the intersection of Arts and Health.
Whether you are an individual looking to learn more and deepen your experience, an artist seeking to create a new wellness initiative, or a healthcare institution planning to build new programming, you've found the perfect place to continue your explorations.
Click below to download a sharable PDF and get started now—simply find your desired resource and follow the hyperlinks to see what you'll discover.
The Arts in Action: LA Opera and LA County Care Camps
The arts bring our communities together, empowering us to respond swiftly in times of crisis with curiosity, creativity, and care.
In the immediate aftermath of the January 2025 wildfires in Altadena and the Palisades, LA Opera Connects partnered with County of Los Angeles Department of Parks & Recreation to bring arts education to students attending LA County Park Care Camps. Teaching artists, trained in trauma-informed practices, led interactive classes—offering singing, dance, conducting, and listening activities designed to support emotional regulation, creativity, and joy.
In the immediate aftermath of the January 2025 wildfires in Altadena and the Palisades, LA Opera Connects partnered with County of Los Angeles Department of Parks & Recreation to bring arts education to students attending LA County Park Care Camps. Teaching artists, trained in trauma-informed practices, led interactive classes—offering singing, dance, conducting, and listening activities designed to support emotional regulation, creativity, and joy.
One student shared, “I felt like I could breathe again when we started singing together. It was like we were making the scary stuff go away.” Another reflected, “When we sang as a group, it felt like we were all connected, even though everything else felt crazy outside.”
Thank you to the following Arts and Health partners, and others who have contributed to the resources on this page.
Individuals:
- Nita Baxani, EdD, Musician, Researcher; Early Childhood Music Department Chair, Colburn School
- Renée Fleming, Special Projects Advisor, LA Opera; Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health, World Health Organization
- Ping Ho, MA, MPH; Founder & Director, Arts and Healing Initiative
- Jill Sonke, PhD Director of Research Initiatives, University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine
- Indre Viskontas, MM, PhD; Scientific Advisory Board Chair, NeuroArts BluePrint; Associate Professor, University of San Francisco
- Stacie Aamon Yeldell, MA, MT-BC, AVPT; Best-selling Author, Speaker, Music Therapist; Founder, Amöntra
Organizations:
- Able ARTS Work
- Arts & Healing Initiative
- Californians for the Arts
- Dancing Through Parkinson's (Invertigo Dance Theatre)
- The Ebell of Los Angeles
- Education Through Music-Los Angeles
- Get Lit: Words Ignite.
- Lineage Performing Arts Center
- Los Angeles County Office of Education
- National Endowment for the Arts
- National Organization for the Arts in Health
- Piece by Piece
- Rancho Foundation and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
- The Actors' Gang
- University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine
- Urban Voices Project
Our team is continuously adding to this webpage. Check back soon for more arts and health resources.
To get in touch with questions, connect with us at Connects@laopera.org or call us at 213.972.3157.
LA Opera Connects is generously supported by
The Emanuel Treitel Senior Citizen Fund
The Green Foundation
The Music Man Foundation
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