Musician's Wellness 

School of Music Students in Rehearsal

Have in mind that besides physical health, taking small steps and respecting your limits is also important for your mental health. Playing or singing too much without getting proper rest will eventually burn your creativity. Don’t forget that music is something you should take pleasure in; it is not a chore.

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    The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) have developed a comprehensive overview of hearing, vocal, and neuromusculoskeletal health issues for postsecondary schools and departments of music. Information of a medical nature is provided by PAMA; information regarding contextual issues in music programs, by NASM. This section of the web site provides a “tool kit” of documents focused on the issue of hearing health. It addresses the risk of noise-induced hearing loss, a widespread and serious public health issue for musicians and others. --NASM

    National Association of Schools of Music

    PAMA is an organization comprised of dedicated medical professionals, artists, educators, and administrators with the common goal of improving the health care of the performing artist. The Performing Arts Medicine Association was founded in 1989. Members join from around the world. The association maintains an online bibliography focusing on the health problems of instrumental and vocal musicians, dancers and actors. It consists of citations from the medical, musical, and popular literature, with emphasis on clinical problems and relevant basic science in performing arts medicine. It also provides links to related web resources.

    Performing Arts Medicine Association

    Like other focused educational activities or pastimes, learning, performing and listening to music can produce possible negative health consequences when undertaken incorrectly or excessively. Music teachers need to be health conscious and to engage in prevention education with the students in their charge. Health promotion, as defined at the 1986 World Health Organization Conference and in the Ottawa Charter for Heath Promotion, must go beyond simply “delivering” instruction or “disseminating” information and must address issues that affect music students’ values, beliefs, and motivations. Working in collaboration with individuals and groups outside of music education, music teachers can contribute to the development of injury-free musicians by informing and teaching health-conscious habits to music students.

    Health in Music Education

    Etymotic Earplugs are available for purchase in the School of Music through the Chippewa Marching Band.  Please contact Dr. James Batcheller for purchase information.

    Dr. James Batcheller

  • Little Book of TalentFit as a Fiddle: The Musician’s Guide to Playing Healthy
  • Symptoms, Causes, and Coping Strategies for Performance Anxiety in Singers:A Synthesis of Research
  • The Owner's Manual to the Voice: A Guide for Singers and Other Professional Voice Users
  • Voice and the Alexander Technique: Active Explorations for Speaking and Singing
  • Playing Less Hurt: An Injury Prevention Guide for Musicians
  • The Anatomy Coloring Book
  • The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness
  • Performance Anxiety: A Workbook for Actors, Singers, Dancers, and Anyone Who Performs in Public
  • What Every Singer Needs To Know about the Body
  • Singing With Your Whole Self: The Feldenkrais Method and Voice
  • The Musician’s Body: A Maintenance Manual for Peak Performance
  • Body Mapping for Flutists: What Every Flute Teacher Needs To Know about the Body
  • Performing Arts Medicine
  • The Biology of Musical Performance and Performance Related Injury

  • Brandfonbrener, Alice G., and Richard J. Lederman. “Performing Arts Medicine,” in The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning, edited by Richard Colwell and Carol P. Richardson, 1009-1022. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
  • Chesky, Kris, George Kondraske, Miriam Henoch, John Hipple, and Bernard Rubin. “Musicians’ Health,” in The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning, edited by Richard Colwell and Carol P. Richardson, 1023-1039. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.