"Whistle While You Work": A Historical Account of Some Associations Among Music, Work, and Health

Music has long been a uniting force among workers. Music can improve team spirit and provide an enjoyable diversion, but it is most useful in expressing the true feelings of a sometimes desperate community. Over time, a variety of musical media have emerged to match the prevailing conditions at work: the folk songs of 19th-century handloom weavers, the songs of industrial Britain's trade union members, the workers' radio programs of the 1940s. Associations have arisen to encourage and coordinate musical activities among workers, and public awareness of the hazards of some occupations has been promoted through music.