It’s our mission at H+H to touch the heart and elevate the soul through transformative experiences with Baroque and Classical music.
We know that music makes us feel. It elevates our joy, heightens our enthusiasm, and encourages motivation. Music also meets us in our deepest valleys of sorrow, gives voice to difficult emotions, and brings us to soothing, reflective peace.
During our 2025-26 Season, H+H asked concert attendees to rate their emotional state on a scale of 0 – 10 when they arrived at the hall, and then again after the performance. Upon arrival, 28% of respondents reported low-to-neutral mood scores (0 – 5); by departure, no attendees remained in this range. In fact, post-concert sentiments shifted heavily positive, with 84% of attendees raiting their mood state as a 9 or 10, with over half (51%) reporting a perfect 10. Survey respondents noted feelings of reflection, perspective, relaxation, and both peace and excitement at the same time.
To help us better understand music’s positive impact on our mood and wellbeing, H+H invited Dr. Joy Allen, founding and acting director of the Music and Health Institute at Berklee College of Music and Brian Harris, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of MEDRhythms to join moderator and H+H Board member Cecily Tyler and H+H Associate Concertmaster Christina Day Martinson for an inspiring conversation about the science behind the healing power of music. Watch a clip from the event here.
We learned that no other stimulus engages the human brain–regardless of age–as globally as music does. Rhythm and music activate physical movement, language, attention, memory, emotion, and executive function. Studies have shown that purposeful engagement with music (playing, singing, moving or dancing to the beat), increases the neuroplasticity of our brain, allowing us to learn new skills, recover more quickly from injury, and adapt to changing environments.
H+H Curated Playlists for Health and Wellness
Engaging with music for just 5 minutes a day has been shown to provide more cognitive benefit than putting together a puzzle. Sing. Tap music in time. Breathe to music. Dance. Music is processed through our brain stem; doing these simple activities with music helps our brain reorganize, grow, and form new neural connections. You can turn to music any time to reset your mood and regulate your breathing and heart rate. To get you started, H+H has curated playlists for relaxation, energy, and joy. Find them on Spotify:
10 Minutes for Relaxation
5 Minutes for Energy
5 Minutes for Joy
We’d also love to welcome you to a performance during our 2026-27 Season, to experience the healing power of music shared in community. H+H offers additional programs to make attendance more accessible to people of all ages, including a $25 Masterpass for full time undergraduate and graduate students to attend all eight concerts in our season, a $120 H² membership for young adults to attend three Friday evening concerts plus networking and social events, $8 student rush tickets, and complimentary tickets for families through the City of Boston Family Days Program.
However you tune in, a daily dose of music is good for your mind and body.