Skip to Main Content

Musicians' health and wellness

Resources to support musicians' health and wellness

Searching for general resources about musicians' health and wellness

This page provides examples of general resources related to musicians' health and wellness.

Find additional resources by searching with relevant keywords in the Libraries' Sofia Discovery tool.

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

General resources about musicians' health and wellness: Examples

  • 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.
  • Caring for the Whole Musician : Awareness and Mindfulness (2023) by Larry Lee Hensel and Alexander Kahn
  • Teaching the Whole Musician: A Guide to Wellness in the Applied Studio  (2021) by Paola Savvidou 
    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.
  • Managing Stress in Music Education: Routes to Wellness and Vitality (2021) by H. Christian Bernhard II  
    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.
  • 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.
  • The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness (2009) by Gerald Klickstein
    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.
  • The Musician's Body: A Maintenance Manual for Peak Performance (2007) by Dr. Jaume Rosset i Llobet & George Odam  
    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.
  • 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.

Location and contacts

Profile Photo
Music Library Staff
Contact:
Marvin Duchow Music Library
Elizabeth Wirth Music Building
3rd floor - 527 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec H3A 1E3
514-398-4695
Website
Subjects: Music

McGill LibrariesQuestions? Ask us!
Privacy notice