Musician Health and Safety
Take care of yourself!
Musician health and safety should be primary concerns in your performance life—concerns we share as your teachers. If you believe you are developing a performance injury, please let us know. There are resources available on campus and nearby to help you. Be proactive—we are preparing you for a long life of musical involvement and performance. Attention now and in the future will help assure that longevity.
HEARING SAFETY
If you believe any environment on campus is aurally unhealthy, please discuss this with your ensemble director, private teacher, or the Associate Dean for potential remedies. If you are aware of any auditory pain you experience as you practice or perform, your private teacher can help guide you to appropriate solutions. It is important to seek help before permanent damage takes place.
Read this article in The Strad about hearing protection.
The Musician’s Guide to Hearing Protection — from a Doctor!
Additional web links related to hearing health:
- Occupational Noise Exposure, U.S. Department of Occupational Safety and Health
- Hearing Loss and Decibel Levels, New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic
- Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart
RESOURCES REGARDING PERFORMANCE INJURIES
In the PLU library:
- Horvath, Playing Less Hurt
- Pearson, Body Mapping
Other resources:
- Jankowski, Bridget. “What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body” (Revised Edition- GIA Publications)
- Klickstein, Gerald. “The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness” (Oxford, 2009)
- Norris, Richard N. “The Musician’s Survival Manual” (International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, 1993)
- Ergocise
- Protecting your Neuromusculoskeletal Health.pdf
- Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA)
- PAMA Bibliography (search tool)
RESOURCES REGARDING PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH
Green, Barry. The Inner Game of Music
Ristad, Eloise. A Soprano on Her Head: Right-Side-Up Reflections on Life and Other Performances
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS WITH HELPFUL RESOURCES
- American Academy of Neurology
- American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
- American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
- American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- American Association for Hand Surgery
- American Society for Surgery of the Hand
- American Laryngological Association
- The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.
- American Psychiatric Association
- American Psychological Association
- American Physical Therapy Association
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Social Media