Diversity in Performing Arts Medicine

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-46
Author(s):  
Ralph A Manchester

As the diverse populations of the planet interact on a more frequent and intense basis, it becomes increasingly important for every individual and organization to examine its own approach to this vital issue. The field of performing arts medicine should pay particular attention to diversity for a number of reasons, some of which will help to advance our specialty and improve the lives of performing artists, while others may help save the world.

2002 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 192-192
Author(s):  
Ian Winspur

I enjoyed Alice Brandfonbrener’s editorial “But I Didn’t Ask to Be a Lawyer” in the June 2002 issue of MPPA [MPPA 2002;17(2):57]. I understand and sympathize with her. Many physicians who, like her, are involved in these cases for altruistic reasons rather than pure commercial—-and I believe that this is more common in the world of performing arts medicine—-must find themselves in the same predicament. However, in the words of an eminent English lawyer, who qualified and practiced as a gynecologist before turning to the law, when considering medical and scientific evidence (or in many cases, including performers, non-scientific evidence!): “However scientific the subject matter of the claim and however recondite the evidence and the argument, the legal definitions must apply in a Court of Law; the problem for the lawyer is in making the scientist understand a totally different concept of proof required by the court.” Therefore physicians involved, whether altruistic or not, must understand the basis of these claims.


2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 139-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph A Manchester

As the body of knowledge that comprises the field of performing arts medicine has grown, it has simultaneously become more important and more difficult for everyone who is concerned about the health of performing artists to stay current with the state of the art. In this regard, performing arts medicine is no different from any other field, but we have a huge challenge as we try to meet the educational needs of the broad variety of professionals who treat, teach, manage and do research on musicians, dancers, and other performing artists. A panel discussion on this subject was part of the 2010 Aspen Symposium on the Healthcare of Performing Artists. ... I will try to summarize where our efforts to educate performing arts medicine professionals stand today and what our options are for the future.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph A Manchester

The field of performing arts medicine has grown significantly over the last few decades. While we still have a long way to go before we can confidently state that we know how to prevent and treat the maladies that interfere with artistic performance, we are making progress on several fronts. In preparation for giving one of the keynote addresses at the 2015 University of South Florida--Performing Arts Medicine Association Conference titled Caring for Artists and Arts that Heal, I reviewed the types of articles that have been published in Medical Problems of Performing Artists over the last 10 years. I also did a comparison of those articles to articles published in the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science and in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. In this editorial, I will present my findings.


2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 139-139
Author(s):  
Alice G Brandfonbrener

Quality control has been a primary area of concern to members of PAMA since its formation in 1989, and I know this concern is shared by many others. What does it take to be a performing arts practitioner or establish a credible clinic? Now, at a time when performing arts medicine is growing and developing around the world, there are some issues that need to be discussed, even if they are admittedly difficult or impossible to resolve.


2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 93-94
Author(s):  
Ralph A Manchester

The announcement last month that Medical Problems of Performing Artists will now be indexed in Medline/PubMed is truly an important development for the field of performing arts medicine. While many of us wish that this had happened sooner, we should all be proud of our combined efforts that made it possible. In addition to the publisher Mike Bokulich, who has labored tirelessly to reach this goal, I also want to publicly thank (again) Alice Brandfonbrener, the founding editor of MPPA. Without her 20 year labor of love, we would not have been in a position to be included in Medline now.


2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-64
Author(s):  
Ralph A Manchester

The Letter to the Editor from Matthew Arthur in this issue of Medical Problems of Performing Artists asks an important question for performing arts medicine professionals: why haven’t we used the scientific method to determine optimal piano technique? More broadly framed, why is technique in most of the performing arts based much more on tradition and expert opinion than on the results of carefully designed scientific studies?


2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J Lederman

Alice Brandfonbrener died peacefully at home on May 31, 2014, after a protracted illness. For all of us involved in performing arts medicine, she was the inspiration and guiding spirit. She will be missed. [Alice Brandfonbrener was one of the founding members of the field of performing arts medicine, perhaps the most critical founding member. In addition to organizing the first “Conference on the Medical Problems of Musicians” in Aspen, Colorado, in 1983 (which led to the formation of the Performing Arts Medicine Association), she was the founding editor of this journal, Medical Problems of Performing Artists--where she served as Editor for 20 years.]


Author(s):  
Karendra Devroop

Performing Arts Medicine has developed into a highly specialised field over the past three decades. The Performing Arts Medical Association (PAMA) has been the leading proponent of this unique and innovative field with ground-breaking research studies, symposia, conferences and journals dedicated specifically to the medical problems of performing artists. Similar to sports medicine, performing arts medicine caters specifically for the medical problems of performing artists including musicians and dancers. In South Africa there is a tremendous lack of knowledge of the field and unlike our international counterparts, we do not have specialised clinical settings that cater for the medical problems of performing artists. There is also a tremendous lack of research on performance-related medical problems of performing artists in South Africa. Accordingly the purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the field of performing arts medicine, highlight some of the significant findings from recent research studies and present a model for conducting research into the field of performing arts medicine. It is hoped that this research model will lead to increased research on the medical problems of performing artists in South Africa.


2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 133-134
Author(s):  
Ralph A Manchester

Performing arts medicine has had a global reach since the early days of the field, but there are ample indicators that we are increasing our impact around the world. In this editorial, I take a brief look at the formative years of our specialty and then jump ahead 25 years to assess the progress to date.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 121-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph A Manchester

The article by Schneider and Chesky in this issue of MPPA presents an interesting look at how social support affects performance anxiety. Performance anxiety is one of the most discussed topics in performing arts medicine, in part because it is a multifaceted phenomenon with medical, psychological, and academic/financial aspects. This has led to considerable controversy about the best way to manage "stage fright," ranging from pharmacologic intervention to various types of psychotherapy to a variety of homespun approaches. Some of the fiercest arguments among those who are concerned about the well-being of musicians (and other performing artists) focus on the appropriateness of treating performance anxiety with medications that target the physical symptoms versus using some type of talk therapy.


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