Health and Wellness for Musicians
The Missouri State University Department of Music, in cooperation with the the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), is committed to “informing students enrolled in music unit programs and faculty, and staff employed in the music unit of basic information about the maintenance of health and safety within the contexts of practice, performance, teaching, and listening”. Our institution provides access to this information and maintains health and safety protocol, however, fulfillment of these responsibilities do not insure the health and safety of these individuals, which depends largely on decisions by informed individuals.
Students, faculty and staff members should become familiar with the resources below that address the maintenance of hearing health, vocal and musculoskeletal health and injury.
General musician health and wellness
- Peabody Institute – The Art and Science of Healthy Performance
- Peabody Institute – A Musician’s Guide to Day-to-Day Healthy Play
- Texas Center for Music and Medicine
Maintenance of hearing health
- Student: Protecting Your Hearing Health (NASM)
- Faculty and Staff: Protecting Your Hearing Health (NASM)
- Occupational Noise Exposure (OSHA)
- National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS)
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association –
- Hearing Loss Prevention
- CDC – Guidance to Help Musicians Protect Hearing
Musculoskeletal health
- The Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique
- Dalcroze Society of America
- Conable, Barbara. What Every Musician Needs to Know about the Body
- Malde, Melissa, et al. What Every Singer Needs to Know about the Body
- Mark, Thomas. What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body
- “Athletes and the Arts: Educating Today’s Musicians to Keep them Healthy and Active,” by Gail Berenson (MTNA)
- The Musician's Survival Manual: A Guide to Preventing and Treating Injuries in Instrumentalists
Vocal health
- How to Prevent and Repair Vocal Damage
- American Academy of Otolaryngology – Keeping Your Voice Healthy
- Texas Voice Center – Advice for the Care of the Voice
Vocal and musculoskeletal health
- Student: Protecting Your Musculoskeletal and Vocal Health (NASM)
- Faculty and Staff: Protecting Your Musculoskeletal and Vocal Health (NASM)
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
- Klickstein, Gerald. The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness
- Anxiety Treatment Center of Orlando
- Bulletproof Musician
- Overcome Performance Anxiety, Conquer Stage Fright (Musician’s Way)