Musical impact: A study of the effects of music making on musicians' health and wellbeing

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Few pursuits are as dynamic and enjoyable as making music. Each day, thousands of people in the UK engage in some sort of musical activity. Central to these endeavours is good health. Physical and mental wellbeing can shape how musicians, from beginners to professionals, pursue their art and the pleasure they take from it. The results of recent research, however, suggest that injury and ill health are widespread among musicians and that healthy approaches to training and working in music are far from uniform. This project investigates the health and wellbeing of musicians. In doing so, it generates new knowledge of the physical and mental demands of music making and sheds light on the ways in which musicians at all levels meet those demands, both constructively and destructively. While musicians typically have a long history of self-sufficiency in managing the challenges of performing, this project aims to complement musicians' own ingenuity by providing comprehensive, evidence-led resources to help maximise educational and professional opportunities. Musical Impact is a project of Conservatoires UK (CUK), in association with Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Association of British Orchestras (ABO), British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), the Musicians' Union, and the International Health Humanities Network (IHHN). Musical Impact operates through three interrelated work packages (WPs). WP1 comprises a four-year study of musicians' physical and mental fitness for performance. While previous research has largely looked at cross-sections of musicians, WP1 takes the form of a large-scale longitudinal study with conservatoire students, staff and alumni, seeking to understand the incidence, extent and development of injuries and ill-health among British musicians. WP1 employs standardized measures of health promotion, anxiety, perfectionism, cardiovascular fitness and physical strength and flexibility, complemented by qualitative exploration of the cultures of musicians' health. WP2 places practice and performance under investigation, documenting their physical and mental demands and the characteristics of musicians who successfully meet those demands. Physiological and biomechanical assessments will be made during the practice and performance of musicians, including the recording and analysis of muscle activity using electromyography and the monitoring of energy expenditure with portable gas analysers. WP3 builds upon WPs 1 and 2, exploring health promotion in music education and the profession and exploring practical applications to enhance training and support services. WP3 includes the development of two programmes of health promotion: one for junior conservatoire students and one for senior conservatoire students. These programmes will be piloted and evaluated through case studies, a questionnaire survey and interviews, before being delivered in full at junior- and senior-programmes across all CUK conservatoires. Musical Impact is the largest research initiative of its kind worldwide. It moves beyond existing research to contribute needed insight into chronic and acute health problems and their impact over time (WP1), the physical and mental demands of music making (WP2), and effective strategies for health promotion (WP3). The project's outcomes will be delivered through a combination of scholarly outputs (including an edited book), six workshops held for music teachers and students, and two freely-available resource packs.