ABSTRACT
The act of active participation in music-making has been clearly shown to have a range of positive health effects on both the performer and the listener across their lifespan, and yet professional musicians across genres are highly vulnerable to physical and psychological performance-related health problems. As a consequence of long hours of repetitive practice in a competitive environment to hone their craft, these problems can affect musical artists from all genres and at all ages of training – usually in combination with exposure to other intrinsic (individual) or extrinsic (external) risk factors. A general lack of health literacy has been identified as a likely reason for such issues developing, with inadequate attention paid to health education within music domains. Research has recently emerged aiming to better understand health issues in this population as well as the best ways of managing them with various health interventions. However, these studies are limited in scope and implementation. Health professionals specialised in working with musicians concur that a collaborative approach with music educators that focusses on the specific needs of the musician will achieve the best outcomes. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss some of the common health issues affecting musicians and to reflect on approaches to better manage and prevent these issues.
