Musicians' Health
From the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) Handbook:
"Students enrolled in music unit programs and faculty and staff with employment status in the music unit must be provided basic information about the maintenance of health and safety within the contexts of practice, performance, teaching, and listening. For music majors and music faculty and staff, general topics include, but are not limited to, basic information regarding the maintenance of hearing, vocal, and musculoskeletal health and injury prevention..."
The Crane School of Music requires undergraduate music majors to attend four information sessions in their first year of study. Those health sessions are on musculoskeletal health, vocal health, hearing health, and mental health. Below are links to resources related to these four sessions, including videos and slides from sessions from prior years.
Musculoskeletal Health
- Protecting Your Neuromusculoskeletal Health - Student Information Sheet (NASM document)
- Basic Information on Neuromusculoskeletal and Vocal Health (NASM document)
- Protect Your Neuromusculoskeletal and Vocal Health Every Day - Student Guide (NASM document)
- Musician Posture
- Musician Relaxation
- Musician TMJ pain
- Musician Trigger Points
- Slides: Preventing and Managing Injuries Among Musicians
- Information on Injury Prevention, part of the presentation for the Spring 2019 Wellness day by Dr. Russek (Clarkson University)
Vocal Health
- Protecting Your Vocal Health - Student Information Sheet (NASM document)
- Basic Information on Neuromusculoskeletal and Vocal Health (NASM document)
- Protect Your Neuromusculoskeletal and Vocal Health Every Day - Student Guide (NASM document)
Hearing Health
- Hearing Health Handout
- Musicians and Hearing Loss
- WHO Hearing Safety Document
- Turn it Up? Musicians Run Far Higher Risk of Hearing Loss, article by JoNel Aleccia
Mental Health
Crane School Health Session Video Archive
- 2022 Musculoskeletal session video (Dr. Brianne Borden, presenter) - available to those with a CCA
- 2022 Stress Management session video (Christina M. Snell, Counselor, LMHC, presenter) - available to those with a CCA
- Spring 2019 session:
- Mental Health (Gena Nelson, SUNY Potsdam Counseling Center)
- Preventing and Managing Injuries Among Musicians (Dr. Leslie Russek, PT, DPT, PhD. OCS)
Further resources and links
- SUNY Potsdam Student Health Services for on campus help (shs@potsdam.edu)
- SUNY Potsdam Counseling Center
- Lawrence University Musician Health and Wellness Resources
- Books to consider:
- The Athletic Musician: A Guide to Playing Without Pain, by Barbara Paull
- The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart, by Madeline Bruser
- Playing (Less) Hurt: An Injury Prevention Guide for Musicians, by Janet Horvath
- Mindful Trumpet Playing: A Guide to Managing Performance Anxiety, by Brianne Borden ('13)