Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures: the use of music to communicate public health recommendations against the spread of COVID-19

摘要

To promote the population's adherence to COVID-19 public health preventive measures, the Quebec (Canada) government solicited the assistance of local music artists. This commentary aims to demonstrate how music has been utilized to communicate the public health recommendations relative to the COVID-19 pandemic and to discuss the relevance of using music in this context, as supported by research. More specifically, music is discussed in terms of its powerful capacity to reach out to a large population pool; to capture the population's attention quickly and massively in spite of age, language, or cultural barriers; to effectively communicate messages; and to affect individuals' behaviours. In this regard, the current COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates how music can be utilized as a communication tool and offers an interesting perspective for the consideration of music in future public health research.