Musicians' health and wellness

This page provides examples of resources related to certain aspects of optimizing performance.

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

Another way to find information on these topics 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:

• Music - Performance - Psychological Aspects
• Performance Anxiety
• Exercise - Psychological Aspects

• Learn Faster, Perform Better: a musician's guide to the neuroscience of practicing (2024) by Molly Gebrian: This book offers musicians various psychological and physiological tools for improving how they practice.
• Music on Your Mind: What Musicians Need to Know to Play with Success (2024) by Amy M Simpson
• Eros at the Piano: the life-energy of classical music (2023) by William Westney
• Managing Music Performance Anxiety: a performer's perspective (2022) by Emily Cathryn Logan: A recent dissertation that looks into the best treatment options for university music students with Music Performance Anxiety (MPA). Along with psychotherapist and trained violinist Paula Wise, the author conducted a study to determine the impact of a blended and multi-modal approach to reduce MPA.
• PracticeMind: the complete practical model by Hans Jørgen Jensen and Oleksander Mycyk: MT170 J46 2022, Marvin Duchow Music Library
• Hardiness: making stress work for you to achieve your life goals (2020) by Steven Stein and Paul T. Bartone
• The Mindful Musician: mental skills for peak performance by Vanessa Cornett: ML3830 C62 2019, Marvin Duchow Music Library
• 10-Minute Toughness: The Mental Exercise Program for Winning Before the Game Begins (2009) by Jason Selk
  Aimed towards athletes, this book describes an effective and accessible method for developing mental toughness​ in performances and competitions. Requiring 10 minutes of daily practicing, the provided methodology improves focus, concentration, confidence, and inspiration.
• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (2008) by Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi
  Researched and named by psychologist Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi, "flow" is a state of complete concentration with the activity at hand and the situation. In this seminal book, Csíkszentmihályi explains how this state of "optimal experience" can be controlled and can improve one's quality of life. Video interview with the author also available online.
• In Pursuit of Excellence: How to Win in Sports and Life Through Mental Training (2008) by Terry Orlick
  Written by a famed Olympic sports psychologist and teacher, this book caters not just to athletes and coaches, but to anyone wishing to pursue excellence in professional or life goals. Through inspiration and methodical strategies, it is an illuminating guide for learning essential performance skills such as focusing, dealing with distractions, overcoming obstacles, and more. 
• Mastering the Art of Performance: A Primer for Musicians (2006) by Stewart Gordon
  This book is a solution-driven manual to the art of performance, containing exercises and techniques for self-evaluation and improvement. It addresses all facets of performing onstage, from preparation (both mental and physical) to performance to post-performance evaluation. It provides techniques for how to deal with stage fright, pacing, practicing, changing bad habits, and memorizing. 
• The Mastery of Music: Ten Pathways to True Artistry by Barry Green
  ML3830 G69 2005, Marvin Duchow Music Library. Written by the author of The Inner Game of Music, this book explores, through interviews and stories from successful legends in the field, the artistic and personal qualities that make up a great musician.
• Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Harrigel
  GV1188 J3 H4713 2004, Marvin Duchow Music Library. Written by a German philosophy professor, Zen in the Art of Archery is an account of his experiences learning Kyūdō, a Japanese form of archery, with a teacher that combined the martial art with aspects of Zen Buddhism. Widely credited with the introduction of Zen in the West, Harrigel combines the spiritual concept of Zen with groundbreaking theories about motor learning.
• The Perfect Wrong Notes: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self by William Westney
  ML457 W47 2003, Marvin Duchow Music Library. Drawing on the premise that a wrong note can be constructive or useful, this book is a treatise on how to trust one's natural musical self and set it free. Discusses alternatives for learning, music education, and ways to make practicing an adventurous and rewarding enterprise.
• Performance Success: Performing Your Best Under Pressure (2002) by Don Greene
  A former U.S. Army Ranger and Green Beret, Don Greene, Ph. D. is an Olympic sport psychologist who has been on faculty at the Juilliard School, the Colburn Conservatory, and the New World Symphony coaching musicians on how to achieve optimal performance in high-pressure situations. Performance Success, a methodical guide with many exercises, demands active participation on the part of the reader, including the use of written inventories. An interview with the author is available for online viewing.
• The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart by Madeline Bruser
  ML3838 B78 1999, Marvin Duchow Music Library. A seminal resource on how to make practicing a rewarding experience, and on performing with confidence and freedom. Discusses physiological and meditative ways to release physical and mental tension, as well as techniques on how to listen better to yourself. Focuses on pianists' injuries.
• Notes from the Green Room: Coping with Stress and Anxiety in Musical Performance by Paul Salmon and Robert Meyer
  ML3830 S148 1998, Marvin Duchow Music Library. A book about music performance anxiety. Discusses the role of preparation in performance, stress management, relaxation training, and the nature of anxiety. 
• The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green and W. Timothy Gallwey
  ML3820 G73 1986, Marvin Duchow Music Library. Applying the principles of Timothy Gallwey's seminal work The Inner Game of Tennis, this book by bassist Barry Green has helped \musicians overcome performance anxiety and embrace peak performance. In addition to addressing the psychological aspects of music performance, the book also addresses ensemble playing, improvisation, composition, creativity, and listening skills.
• A Soprano on Her Head: Right-Side-Up Reflections on Life and Other Performances by Eloise Ristad
  MT2 R57 1982, Marvin Duchow Music Library. One of the earliest texts to discuss the psychological blocks in the field of music performance and how to overcome them. Written by a voice teacher, this book addresses fear in performance, negative self-criticism, practicing effectively, and more in 16 self-contained chapters.

• Audition Cafe's Weekly Brew: A blog with articles by successful musicians about taking orchestral auditions. One example is the helpful Orchestral Audition Preparation in 10 Steps, a concise and matter-of-fact list to prepare for the big audition. 
• The Auditionhacker blog: Created by Metropolitan Opera percussionist Rob Knopper, the Auditionhacker blog features articles about the various facets of taking orchestral auditions. His articles often feature interviews with other successful musicians, discussing the audition circuit and possible methodologies in preparing for auditions. Public Facebook group also available.
• The Bulletproof Musician blog: Articles by Dr. Noa Kageyama, a former Juilliard-trained violinist with a doctorate in psychology who teaches performance psychology at Juilliard and the New World Symphony. His weekly articles, with ideas based on results from scientific studies, cover everything from performance anxiety to practice "hacks" to technology. 
• Natesviolin blog: An excellent blog by Nathan Cole, Associate Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, on violin-related issues as well as general issues regarding music performance.
• Audition Success (1998) by Don Greene
  A former U.S. Army Ranger and Green Beret, Don Greene, Ph. D. is an Olympic sport psychologist who has been on faculty at the Juilliard School, the Colburn Conservatory, and the New World Symphony coaching musicians on how to achieve optimal performance in high-pressure situations. Audition Success is based on interviews with two musicians who learned how to prepare for auditions under Greene's guidance. An interview with the author is available for online viewing.

• Online guided meditation podcasts with Tara Brach: Guided meditation tapes are used by many professional musicians to focus their minds for performances and beyond. This website has meditation podcasts of various natures of varying lengths.
• The Art of Impossible: a peak performance primer by Steven Kotler: BF505 G6 K68 2021, Marvin Duchow Music Library
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2016) by Carol Dweck
  Describes how creative people in all fields, including music, can apply the growth mindset to achieve results and fulfillment. Discusses how established attitudes affect all aspects of one's life and explains the differences between fixed and growth mindsets.
  See also: TEDTalks: Carol Dweck — The Power of Believing That You Can Improve (10 mins.)
• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (2011) by Daniel Pink
  It is widely believed that the best motivation is the carrot-or-stick approach - rewards or fear and punishment. However, Daniel Pink argues that human motivation is intrinsic, and that this true motivation can be divided into three elements: autonomy, mastery and purpose. 
• The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
  BF431 C69 2009b, Marvin Duchow Music Library. Drawing from neurology and research on the world's "talent hotbeds", this book identifies three fundamental elements used by "talented" people that can optimize anyone's performance: deep practice, ignition, and master coaching. 
• Outliers: The Story of Success (2008) by Malcolm Gladwell
  This book identifies and analyzes how one's environment affects their opportunities for success, examining successful people such as hockey players to the Beatles to Bill Gates.