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Multiple studies have brought to light that musicians of all ages and levels experience injury to varying degrees of severity.1 These range from chronic to acute injuries, including musculoskeletal injuries (sprains and strains), repetitive stress injuries such as tendonitis, nerve entrapments such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, focal dystonia, and voice injuries such as laryngitis and vocal fold polyps.2
The problem of injury in musicians may be remedied, at least in part, by injury-preventative education: education aimed at precluding the most common types of overuse injury.3 Injury-preventative education may include somatic training, which cultivates kinesthetic awareness.4 The aim of this case study was to explore if and how somatic training,5 in the form of a 16-week course, affected three classically trained university-level musicians' kinesthetic awareness and investigate their attitude toward somatic training. The results of this study suggest that kinesthetic training holds promise in providing students with tools for injury-preventative and artistically enriching education.
Background
Musicians' Injuries And Basic Wellness Practices
The most common areas of injury in instrumentalists are the back, neck and upper extremities.6 The number one cause of injury is excessive tension, which accumulates due to overuse, repetitive strain, and poor posture and technique. In vocalists, tension occurs because of poor posture and technique, voice abuse and misuse.7 Further health concerns for musicians include psychological conditions such as anxiety and stage fright.8 A high number of professional musicians report experiencing injuries such as these, or chronic tension.9
Ample literature sources discuss general wellness practices as means of injury prevention, offering specific methods and advocating practice habits such as warming up, stretching and taking breaks;10 strengthening and relaxation exercises such as yoga, Pilates and general stress management;11 body awareness methods such as Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais;12 and overall healthy lifestyle choices including good nutrition, hydration and physical fitness.13 These, perhaps, best serve as resources for musicians aiming to improve wellness through independent learning.
Several studies have begun to examine the effects of specific approaches to musicians' wellness education and, thus, constitute an important basis for comparison with this study. For the purposes of this study, existing literature was divided into the categories of 1) musicians' wellness training for students and 2) musicians' wellness training for instructors and health professionals.
Training Students
This group...