Prevalence of Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Problems Among Professional Orchestra Musicians in South Africa: A Study Using the Musculoskeletal Pain Intensity and Interference Questionnaire for Musicians (MPIIQM)

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal problems (PRMPs) in professional musicians is well documented in the literature, but few studies have been done on South African professional musicians. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of PRMPs, pain intensity, and pain interference among full-time and part-time orchestral musicians, using a validated self-report instrument specifically designed for musicians. METHODS: Seventy-nine full-time and part-time professional orchestral musicians took part in the study and completed the Musculoskeletal Pain Intensity and Interference Questionnaire for Musicians (MPIIQM). RESULTS: A lifetime prevalence of PRMPs was 76% and point prevalence 30%. Of the PRMP group, 30% experienced current pain that interfered with their ability to play. Upper strings players reported the most PRMPs. The most commonly reported pain locations were right and left upper limb, neck, forearm, and elbow. The mean pain intensity score for the PRMP group was 16.3 (SD 6.62) (out of 40) and the mean pain interference score was 21.2 (9.98) (out of 50). Female musicians reported experiencing pain more frequently and intensely and also reported more pain sites than males. CONCLUSIONS: This study, the first to make use of a validated self-report instrument, shows that musculoskeletal problems are common among full-time and part-time professional orchestral musicians in South Africa.

Live Music Performance: The Relationship Between Flow and Music Performance Anxiety

Most studies exploring the relation between flow and Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) have focused on the disposition of generally experiencing flow and the occurrence of MPA. Little is known about the connection between experiencing flow and MPA as it relates to a specific performance. In this study, flow and MPA have been investigated in 363 orchestral musicians in relation to a particular live music performance. The musicians were asked to fill out a questionnaire immediately after a concert. Flow experience during the performance was measured using the Flow Short Scale. The Performance-specific Questionnaire on MPA (PQM) was used for MPA. The PQM addresses particular aspects of MPA and refers retrospectively to the time before and during the performance as well as to the moment of filling out the questionnaire after the performance. Using three scales, the functional coping, the perceived symptoms of MPA and self-efficacy were determined for each time point of the performance. The results showed that experiencing flow was on average higher among orchestral musicians compared to a sample of the general population. However, there were differences between the professional and non-professional musicians. All PQM scales showed significant correlations with the global flow scale. Regression analysis on the global flow score found that regarding the time before the performance the PQM scale symptoms of MPA were diametrically connected with the flow experience. The PQM scale functional coping was shown to be positively related to the flow during the performance. Moreover, high self-efficacy was found to be closely related with stronger flow experience. Furthermore, flow seems to have positive effects on functionally coping with MPA and the self-efficacy after the performance. These findings confirm the negative relationship between flow and symptoms of MPA, offering further approaches in understanding the relationship especially for live music performances.

Re-inventing and Re-shaping the Symphony Orchestra for Sustainability

The performing arts industry has always been an ever-evolving industry due to the creative nature of this industry. Although the symphony orchestra has not seen much physical dramatic changes since perhaps the late 1800’s, current events worldwide such as the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic uncertainty as well as technological advancements has seen the operations of many symphony orchestras hitting the pause button, many unsure if the orchestra might resume their operations. Symphony orchestras worldwide are forced to come out with various ideas to re-invent and re-shape itself. This paper aims to examine the possibilities of how a symphony orchestra, an institution that is heavily dependent on audiences filling up their concerts is re-inventing itself in order to sustain their very existence. Ongoing efforts such as digitalising ‘live’ concerts through digital platforms and other arising issues such as choice of technological equipment, cost and revenue as well as the perception of orchestral musicians and audiences of such re-invention and re-shaping of the symphony orchestra will be discussed. The findings from this paper may be used to further develop the ideas of re-invention and re-shaping symphony orchestras based on the demands and needs of each individual orchestra.

A qualitative study exploring the implementation determinants of rehabilitation and global wellness programs for orchestral musicians

Objective: To explore the facilitators and barriers to implementation of a pilot workplace rehabilitation and global wellness program for orchestral musicians. Design: Qualitative study comprising focus groups and interviews. Setting: Workplace of conservatory and orchestral musicians and administrators. Participants: Musicians, administrators and a conductor from two professional orchestras; tertiary-level orchestral students and an administrator from a conservatory of music. Interventions: We held four focus groups and two interviews to document the perspectives of the participants concerning the implementation determinants of a pilot workplace rehabilitation and wellness program (exercises and health-related education). Meetings consisted of questions based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Thematic content analysis was conducted using this same framework, with subcoding according to the Theoretical Domains Framework. Results: Fourteen musicians and five administrators participated. Results suggest that the implementation determinants for the pilot and future programs rely mainly on the Inner Setting, that is, what musicians refer to as ‘the music world’, specifically cultural elements such as pain beliefs (e.g. no pain no gain) and lack of resources and time (barriers). Characteristics of Individuals such as social influences amongst colleagues and beliefs about the consequences of self-care or lack thereof, and Intervention Characteristics such as complexity can be facilitators or barriers. All emerging themes have an undercurrent that lies in the Inner Setting. Conclusion: Musicians’ culture, currently a barrier, is a crucial determinant of rehabilitation and wellness program implementation in the orchestral musicians’ workplace. A focus on musicians’ workplace environment is necessary to optimise implementation and intervention impacts.

The Experiences of Mid-career and Seasoned Orchestral Musicians in the UK During the First COVID-19 Lockdown

The introduction of social distancing, as part of efforts to try and curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought about drastic disruption to the world of the performing arts. In the UK the majority of professional orchestral musicians are freelance and therefore self-employed. These players, previously engaged in enjoyable, busy, successful, portfolio careers, are currently unable to earn a living carrying out their everyday work of performing music, and their future working lives are surrounded by great uncertainty. The aim of the present study was to examine how established professional musicians are experiencing this period, and to look for similarities and differences between the experiences of musicians in the middle of their performing careers (aged 35–45), with those of older players (aged 53 and over). Single semi-structured interviews were carried out over Zoom with 24 freelance, self-employed orchestral musicians; 12 mid-career musicians aged 35–45, and 12 seasoned musicians aged 53 and over. Thematic analysis identified themes common to both groups: the loss of a much-loved performing career, missing music making and colleagues, and anxiety about the future of the music profession. It also identified differences between the two groups: challenges to their identity as a musician, the extent of their anxiety about finances, the extent of their emotional distress, attitudes toward practicing and engaging in collaborative music making, and confusion over future career plans. Findings are discussed with reference to lifespan models of musicians' career development, the PERMA model of wellbeing, and the concept of resilience.

Music performance anxiety and perfectionism in Croatian musicians

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is part of every musician’s life. Individual differences in MPA have been associated with individual differences in perfectionism, especially maladaptive perfectionism. The aim of this study was to examine MPA and its association with perfectionism in a combined sample of music students studying at the Academy of Music and members of the professional orchestras in Zagreb. Based on the previous studies, we hypothesized that gender, age, and maladaptive perfectionism would predict higher MPA. Data were collected for 239 musicians (152 music students, 87 orchestral musicians, 50.2% female), who filled in Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory–Revised (K-MPAI-R) and Almost Perfect Scale–Revised (APS-R). In our sample, 28% ( n = 67) of musicians had a clinically significant MPA level. In the regression analysis with gender, age, and dimensions of adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism as predictors, 46% of the MPA variance was explained with gender (β = .14, p = .007), age (β = −.22, p < .001), and discrepancy (β = .62, p < .001) as significant predictors. Higher MPA was predicted by being female, a younger musician, and having a higher maladaptive perfectionism. This indicates it would be important to deal with maladaptive perfectionism to effectively manage MPA.

The Question of Lag: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Conductor Gesture and Sonic Response in Instrumental Ensembles

Group musical performance, especially large instrumental ensembles, present the outward appearance of an asymmetric, temporally immediate stimulus-response relationship between conductor and ensemble. Interestingly, anecdotal reports from both conductors and performers indicate a degree of variability in the timing of orchestral response to the conductor’s gestures. This observation is not present in anecdotal accounts of other instrumental ensemble settings, like wind bands, but commonplace occurrence among orchestral musicians indicates the potential presence of greater complexity in the observed relationship. This study investigates both the quality and quantity of temporal lag between conductor and ensemble in two common instrumental ensemble configurations – wind bands and orchestras – in an effort to describe the interplay present within conducted group performance. The findings indicate that the anecdotally identified lag is present within all ensemble types, and that it presents a flexible, dynamic temporal relationship between conductor and ensemble. Additionally, both the quantity and quality of lag values are significantly different between ensemble types, experience levels, and musical content. Several avenues for future research are identified, and confounds within the sampled ensembles are examined for their potential roles in the observed relationships.

Masters Take Up the Challenge

The early conservatories were trade schools. Over a period of about ten years they needed to transform orphans, then thought of as social outcasts, into skilled craftsmen who could earn a productive income and become self-supporting. So they developed practical methods to give boys the skills needed to become professional church organists, court composers, opera singers, orchestral musicians, or choir directors. The chapter surveys the historically most important music masters in Italy and the types of innovative lessons that they developed.