#WMHD: Jeordie Shenton on the Impact of Tonic Music
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
World Mental Health Day is important for shining a light on an issue that affects everyone. Tonic Music is an organisation that does this in abundance. Whether people within the industry or even just fans, their programmes support people as long as they need. They have been doing this since their formation in 2012, but now on a wider scale.
I first came across them at LakeFest this summer, and it is likely they were at a festival you attended this year. Whether in collaboration with other charities like Music Minds Matter or solo programmes, they play an important role. Now operating nationwide, they offer support to people in many capacities from stigmas to general drop-in sessions.
Jeordie Shenton is the Programmes Lead. They answered my questions on how the organisation has grown and on how to help artists struggling with touring.
Tonic Music started in Portsmouth before going nationwide. What were some of the changes that had to be made to adapt?
Tonic Music was founded in 2012 upon the belief that participation in music is good for mental health. Originally based in Portsmouth, we have developed into a registered charity operating across the UK with the aim of establishing good mental health within music communities. The transition from local to national charity was planned but coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated our services to be provided online. During this time, the Tonic Rider programme launched and although there were challenges, we were able to offer therapeutic sessions, peer groups, preventative workshops, and training courses via video call. This enabled us to reach people across the UK, as it reduces barriers to accessibility-related to cost, location, and time restraints. As a result, we continue to deliver our programmes of mental health support via video call formats.
With your role as the Programmes Lead, what does your role entail and what have you learnt about mental health from your role?
As the Programmes Lead, my role is to design, manage, and review the programmes of mental health support tailored for the music industry (Tonic Rider), music fans (Never Mind The Stigma), and music youth organisations (Tonic Futures). It is great to be part of a fantastic team which includes our Founder/CEO, Steph Langan; Mental Health Lead, Jade Hughes; Peer Support Group Supervisor, Dr Adam Ficek; and additional staff, volunteers, advisors, trustees, patrons and ambassadors. Every day I learn something new about mental health, from both my colleagues and (the) people we support. Although my background is in academic research on mental health in the music industry, I continue to learn about the unique mental health experiences of music artists, crew, and industry professionals.
You offer programmes for people in the industry, fans, and younger people. How do these programmes vary and are there different things that you focus on depending on the person?
Each programme of mental health support is tailored to the music community outline. For instance, on the Tonic Rider programme, we offer therapeutic sessions with a qualified therapist who has significant personal experience working in the music industry, peer groups exclusively for particular music occupations, and preventative workshops on music performance anxiety. This is replicated on the Tonic Futures programme, but exclusively for young adults (18-25) who are supported by our partners: Beacons Cymru, BIMM Music, and Roundhouse. At the same time, on the Never Mind The Stigma programme, we will be providing online Album Clubs and Record Reflection groups, along with Festival Survival and Gig Anxiety workshops. The main difference between programmes (is) whilst Tonic Rider and Tonic Futures are designed to ensure continued professional engagement in music, Never Mind The Stigma ensures continued engagement recreationally.
From what you have seen through your work and the company’s work, has there been much change in attitudes towards mental health in the music scene?
Attitudes towards mental health in the music industry, and society more widely, are certainly improving. It is not perfect, there is still plenty of work to do, but Tonic Music has helped change attitudes whilst also being able to expand as a result of these changing attitudes. The three common problematic attitudes I have identified are the stigmatising, romanticising, and demonising of mental health. Stigmatisation is related to the competitive nature of the music industry, whereby people are seen as replaceable and poor mental health as being a ‘weakness’. Romanticisation occurs through notions such as ‘sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll’, in situations where excess is celebrated. Demonisation is mostly via the media, usually when poor mental health leads to problematic behaviours which are overly portrayed as ‘wrong’.
Outside of the work Tonic Music does, what could other organisations or individuals be doing to improve the mental health of people?
There are some amazing mental health charities in the music industry, and I think this is (a) testament to attitudes changing within the sector. To my knowledge, there are not as many mental health charities available in other creative industries, such as theatre, film, and TV. I am not an expert on other occupations and industries, but every area of working life has its unique stressors. On an individual level, I would encourage everyone, whether they work in the music industry or (as) music fans, to attend our Mental Health First Aid and Suicide First Aid Lite courses, to learn essential skills to support themselves, their peers, and the wider music community.
There are a lot of instances of artists cancelling tour dates due to mental health issues. Could we see artists having more reduced tours in terms of dates and time on the road?
Hopefully, the increased awareness around the negative impact touring has on mental health will trigger long-term preventative action. This will require different stakeholders coming together and discussing this issue, such as artists, crew, managers, venues, festivals, and of course, mental health charities. We must ensure the short-term and also long-term impact on mental health is considered, and I am confident a solution to the issues of touring will be found. Maybe it is not about touring less, but touring in a way that is sustainable for mental health.
Do you work with any other music mental health organisations?
We receive funding from the Christopher Meredith Foundation, who provide support to organisations providing mental health services to anyone working in the music industry. This funding has enabled us to expand our mental health support, including backstage mental health lounges at music festivals across the UK. Alongside this, we also receive support from Music Minds Matter to provide online Peer Support Groups and a Drop-In Group for music artists, crew, and industry professionals, which have been running now for over three years. More recently, we have also received support from PPL Giving to provide seven online preventative workshops around mental health in the music industry.
How long do individuals usually stay involved in the programmes before they feel confident enough to go it alone?
The programmes were developed for participants to progress from therapeutic sessions and peer groups to preventative workshops and training courses. However, this is not a requirement, and many participants will engage in different types of mental health support at various times. Therefore, participants stay involved with the programmes to suit their own needs, sometimes on multiple occasions. It is important to highlight that we provide support to people along the spectrum of mental health, both in terms of formal diagnoses and lived experience.
Do you have any new programmes on the way and where do you see the company going forward?
Our programmes are never static, they are always evolving. For instance, Tonic Futures was only launched six months ago. We are always looking to make a greater positive impact upon music communities, through new services and partnerships. In 2025, we will be expanding our mental health support for music venues, so this is an exciting development to stay updated about via the Tonic Music newsletter and socials.
What other individuals at the organisation or other organisations do you think deserve praise for the work they do?
There is a long list of names that deserve praise for their work around mental health in the music industry, both within the Tonic Music team and also our partners. In particular, I think a special mention should go out to Ma (Jan) and Pa (Tom) Tonic, along with Leo and our Founder/CEO, Steph Langan. Together they attended between 15-18 music festivals across the summer with the Tonic Music stands, each week raising awareness of the charity and providing an opportunity for people to reach out. This year Jan celebrated her 80th birthday and along with Tom, attended around 50 (if not more) gigs a year volunteering on the Tonic Music stand. Without Jan, Tom, and Leo; Tonic Music would not exist.
Tonic Music is on Instagram and X. You can find more interviews with other organisations here and find more about Tonic Music here.
About The Author
