Musicians' health and wellness

On this page, you will find examples of general resources related to musicians' health and wellness.

Find additional resources by searching with relevant keywords in the Library's catalogue.

Another way to find information on this topic is to link to the following subject headings. Each link retrieves all items in the Library's collection that have been assigned the given description, based on the item's subject matter:

• Music - Performance - Psychological Aspects
• Music - Performance - Physiological Aspects
• Musicians - Health and Hygiene

• The Balanced Musician: Integrating Mind and Body for Peak Performance by Lesley Sisterhen McAllister
  ML3830 M33 2013, Marvin Duchow Music Library
  
  Focuses on three areas of musicianship vital to achieving a healthy and balanced life for a musician: physical technique (body), analysis and knowledge (mind), and musicianship and creativity (soul). By putting equal emphasis on all three parts of this triangle and exploring them thoroughly, peak performance becomes easier to grasp.
   
• Managing Stress in Music Education: Routes to Wellness and Vitality  (2021) by H. Christian Bernhard II  
  E-book
  
  Presents research, theory, possible pitfalls, and strategies for music teachers looking to navigate the challenging climate of potential stressors. Covers a wide range of topics such as sleep, physical movement, nutrition, happiness, gratitude, and mindfulness.


• Music Performance and Body Seminar (Blog): A repository of papers by Schulich School of Music students who have taken Dr. Isabelle Cossette's graduate seminar entitled Understanding the Musician's Performing Body. Features a variety of topics, organized under general headings related to stress, the brain, pain, and breathing.
   
• The Musician's Body: A Maintenance Manual for Peak Performance by Dr. Jaume Rosset i Llobet & George Odam  
  E-book and ML3820 R67 2007, Marvin Duchow Music Library
  
  Aims to help musicians understand how and why their bodies function as they do when they perform. Illustrated with medical and humorous diagrams, the book covers injury prevention, ergonomics, risk factors, posture, breathing, matters of diet, and accommodation of professional needs in daily life.


• Musician's Health: A site devoted to the understanding and explanation of musician's injuries, along with guidelines regarding injury prevention, optimizing your musical performance, and achieving an optimal state of health.
   
• The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness by Gerald Klickstein
  E-book and MT75 K74 2009, Marvin Duchow Music Library
  
  A comprehensive and methodological book on improving the various facets of being a performing musician, such as practice techniques, performance anxiety, and dealing with the threat of repetitive stress injuries. Additional articles and resources can be found on the book's companion website.
   
• Teaching the Whole Musician: A Guide to Wellness in the Applied Studio  (2021) by Paola Savvidou 
  E-book
  
  Offers applied music instructors a practical guide for supporting their students' wellness by integrating holistic techniques into their pedagogy. Topics covered include injury prevention, alignment and the breathing mechanism, mental health, contemplative practices, Laban Movement Analysis, nutrition, and sleep.


• You Are Your Instrument: The Definitive Musician’s Guide to Practice and Performance by Julie Lyonn Lieberman
  MT170 L54 1991, Marvin Duchow Music Library
  
  A standard resource on achieving a healthy life as a musician while enhancing one's artistry. This practical guide covers many aspects of musicianship, from mental preparation to good physical care to avoiding career-ending injuries.

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• Free resource
• In-library use
• Catalogue record