Classical Music Helps Keep The Peace: Experience of Two Cities

Speakers playing classical music in selected parts of an Australian tourist city have proven to be an overnight success in driving out anti-social elements.

In mid-November 6 years ago, classical music has played in targeted areas of the Gold Coast and has successfully safeguarded the area from hoodlums and vagrants, according to the Courier Mail. Local officials say they are glad of the affect the music has had on these notorious hangout areas in the Southport CBD.

The soothing music played on the speakers include those composed by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Bach. By all accounts, Mozart’s Sonata No. 16 in C Major in well known for its soothing, relaxing qualities.

Dawn Crichlow from the local council said the community had problems associated with people loitering around alleyways and vagrants sleeping in stairwells near the court precinct.

After the classical music played through powerful speakers as a measure of maintaining social stability was introduced, the Sunday Mail observed that the number of vagrants and loiterers in the area vanished practically overnight.

What the council is now doing is an extension of something they tried a number of years ago.

“About eight years ago we were having major problems with youths and thugs at the bus stops, and I made a flippant remark about blasting them with classical music. We looked in to it and it worked,” Crichlow said.

“Lately we have been having issues with people loitering around the alleyways and sleeping in stairwells near the court precinct, so I thought why don’t we try the music again?’ she said.

The councilor told the newspaper that there was no great science behind what they were doing but it worked very well.

McDonald’s Playing Classical Music to Stop Antisocial Behavior

The council  of the Australian city isn’t the first of its kind, with some McDonald’s restaurants around the world playing classical music at night to try and stop antisocial behavior.

McDonald’s restaurant in Wales started playing Beethoven to tackle late-night trouble makers from early 2023. The fast food chain introduced the music of Beethoven in an attempt to combat persistent issues with gangs of young people. Classical music is heard from 5pm till closing and sometimes till morning.

Interestingly, the restaurant has also restricted its WiFi service in an attempt to deter the troublemakers.

McDonald’s in Shepherd’s Bush, Wales which had 71 reports of crime in or near the store in 2017, saw its crime rate fall significantly after classical music was introduced, according to the manager.

Atul Pathak, who operates several restaurants in the capital, said to Classic FM at the time: “Working together with the police and the local council in Shepherd’s Bush to help them with combating persistent antisocial behaviour, we thought that playing classical music at certain times of the day would help to set a different and calmer tone.

“It is working really well and has been positively received by many customers, so much so that we are giving real consideration as to where else we might introduce it.”