“Everything Has to be Sung”:
Music as Human Connection, Resilience, and Survival
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Supported by history, culture, anatomy, evolution, psychology, and personal narrative, this project explores how music mimics and fosters human connection, examining music as legitimate medicine for many kinds of human suffering across society and time.
Researcher: Camilla Joffrey '27
Camilla Joffrey is a junior in her capstone year of the Humanities Research Program at Laguna Blanca School! Since last spring, she has been researching human connection to music and how music can be used to process and overcome traumatic experiences. On the Laguna campus, you may find Camilla in Spaulding Theater, where she performs in the spring musical and Honors Vocal Ensemble showcases. She also started the LBS Songwriting Club, which has performed and released music for the past two years, and hopes to release her own album in late 2026. With a clear passion for both mental health and music, as evident in her research topic, she additionally teaches songwriting to kids and advocates for teen mental health on the YouthWell Youth Advisory Board outside of school.
Age 2
Age 7
Age 11
Age 16
RESEARCH QUESTION: How and why do we turn to music to feel understood, and how can we can help others understand music’s essential role in our society and their lives?
CONNECTING OUT:
At YouthWell, I connected with mental health professionals and curated playlists for mental health.
At the Grace Fisher Foundation, I volunteered and observed art/music therapy programs.
INTERVIEWS:
Al Neale of Santa Barbara Music Therapy provided me with insight into the field of music therapy.
Audio entrepreneur Don MacKinnon shed light on human connection to music through psychological, historical, futuristic, technological, cultural, and religious lenses.
Anastasia Eichorn (artist name: Stas Mari) gave me insight into her personal story of coping—specifically mourning—through music.
RELEVANT MEDIA:
MY MUSIC:
RECOGNITION in SONGWRITING:
International Songwriting Competition 2025 | Semifinalist
2025 Great American Song Contest | Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting
Indie International’s Indie Song Contest 2025 | 3rd Place
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