Health Promotion and Prevention in Higher Music Education: Results of a Longitudinal Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Music-related symptoms can already be found among student musicians during their years of university training. The goals of the present study were to ascertain the state and developmental course of the student musicians’ health and to test the effectiveness of a preventive curriculum given to student musicians during their first two semesters at university. METHODS: Within a longitudinal, observational study, we assessed students’ psychological and physical health during the first 2 years of university training. We compared data from the group of students who had followed the prevention program (intervention group, IG, n = 144) with data of a comparison group (CG, n = 103) of students who had not followed the program. Using standardized questionnaires, we measured physical and psychological symptoms as well as health behavior in a sequential plan (duration, 3.5 yrs). RESULTS: Student musicians (n = 247) showed elevated ratings in psychological and physical health in comparison with nonmusicians of the same age. These ratings decreased at the end of the students’ second year. The prevention program had a preventive effect on the students’ psychological health: while IG students remained stable in their performance and powers of concentration, CG students got worse in those same areas. However, the prevention program did not reduce physical symptoms. In comparison with their younger colleagues, upper-level students took more courses in body-oriented methods, relaxation, and mental techniques, which focus on preventive measures for musicians. CONCLUSION: At present, the study offers evidence supporting the use of the prevention curriculum for young musicians. In higher music education, preventive education has a positive impact on students’ performance and their attitude toward health. The preventive curriculum does not have an effect on preexisting physical symptoms, and those symptoms related to the student musicians’ activity should rather be treated in an additional therapeutic setting.

Understanding Wellbeing Among College Music Students and Amateur Musicians in Western Switzerland

“…This matches findings among music students reported by Araújo et al (2017) emphasizing that injury and ill-health among musicians are frequent and well documented in the literature. These issues mainly concern physical problems and suffering (Zander et al, 2010; Bonde et al, 2018). Also, as found in different studies (Ginsborg et al, 2009; Kreutz et al, 2009), Panebianco-Warrens et al (2014) highlighted the fact that musicians have poor health habits especially concerning physical activity, stress management and nutrition.…”

Health Education for Musicians

“…They should employ rigorous approaches to investigate the effectiveness of complex programmes, including exploring the acceptability of a course; piloting it; recruiting active control groups; and using a range of measures such as validated questionnaires, objective measures and qualitative data. They should conduct follow-up studies after longer periods, given that physical and psychological health are determined, at least in part, by health-promoting behaviors that individuals take time to establish (Barton and Feinberg, 2008 ; Zander et al, 2010 ). Finally, they should disseminate the findings of their evaluations to relevant stakeholders, examine, discuss, and ultimately implement the course as part of the curriculum, in the interests of providing high-quality evidence-based health education for music students.…”

“…They include information on general lifestyle, such as nutrition, physical fitness, and sleep (Barton and Feinberg, 2008 ). They teach physiology, functional anatomy and performing arts medicine (Spahn et al, 2001 ; Hildebrandt and Nubling, 2004 ; Zander et al, 2010 ), ergonomics (Martín López and Farías Martónez, 2013 ), injury prevention (Barton and Feinberg, 2008 ), and hearing health (Laursen and Chesky, 2014 ). They advocate concentration, mental rehearsal and imagery for effective practice and enhanced performance (Clark and Williamon, 2011 ).…”

“…They recommend techniques such as visualization, breathing, relaxation, cognitive restructuring, and self-talk for performance anxiety (Barton and Feinberg, 2008 ; Clark and Williamon, 2011 ; Osborne et al, 2014 ; Spahn et al, 2016 ). They use behavioral exposure in the form of public performance (Clark and Williamon, 2011 ; Spahn et al, 2016 ) and offer classes in Feldenkrais Method and Alexander Technique (Zander et al, 2010 ; Su et al, 2012 ).…”

Prevention of Performance-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

“…Two other controlled trials of prevention programs for instrumental musicians have been published in MPPA since 2006. In 2010, Zander et al 3 described a course that was offered to first-year music students at a university in Germany over 4 years. Of the 327 students who were eligible to participate, 247 agreed and returned the first survey.…”