Fit to Perform: An Investigation of Higher Education Music Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors toward Health
Making music at the highest international standards can be rewarding, but it is also challenging, with research highlighting pernicious ways in which practicing and performing can affect performers’ health and wellbeing. Several studies indicate that music students’ perceptions, attitudes, and behav...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01558/full |
| _version_ | 1818083944779743232 |
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| author | Liliana S. Araújo Liliana S. Araújo David Wasley Rosie Perkins Rosie Perkins Louise Atkins Emma Redding Jane Ginsborg Aaron Williamon Aaron Williamon |
| author_facet | Liliana S. Araújo Liliana S. Araújo David Wasley Rosie Perkins Rosie Perkins Louise Atkins Emma Redding Jane Ginsborg Aaron Williamon Aaron Williamon |
| author_sort | Liliana S. Araújo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Making music at the highest international standards can be rewarding, but it is also challenging, with research highlighting pernicious ways in which practicing and performing can affect performers’ health and wellbeing. Several studies indicate that music students’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health and healthy living are less than optimal, especially considering the multiple physical and psychological demands of their day-to-day work. This article presents the results of a comprehensive screening protocol that investigated lifestyle and health-related attitudes and behaviors among 483 undergraduate and postgraduate students (mean age = 21.29 years ± 3.64; 59% women) from ten conservatoires. The protocol included questionnaires measuring wellbeing, general health, health-promoting behaviors, perfectionism, coping, sleep quality, and fatigue. On each measure, the data were compared with existing published data from similar age groups. The results indicate that music students have higher levels of wellbeing and lower fatigue than comparable samples outside of music. However, they also reveal potentially harmful perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health. Specifically, engagement in health responsibility and stress management was low, which along with high perfectionistic strivings, limited use of coping strategies, poor sleep quality, and low self-rated health, paints a troubling picture both for the music students and for those who support their training. The findings point to the need for more (and more effective) health education and promotion initiatives within music education; in particular, musicians should be better equipped with mental skills to cope with constant pressure to excel and high stress levels. In part, this calls for musicians themselves to engage in healthier lifestyles, take greater responsibility for their own health, and be aware of and act upon health information in order to achieve and sustain successful practice and performance. For that to happen, however, music educators, administrators, and policy makers must play an active role in providing supportive environments where health and wellbeing is considered integral to expert music training. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T19:46:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d8da0779d5a040d0bbd91131ac085fe9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T19:46:03Z |
| publishDate | 2017-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-d8da0779d5a040d0bbd91131ac085fe92022-12-22T01:35:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782017-10-01810.3389/fpsyg.2017.01558285375Fit to Perform: An Investigation of Higher Education Music Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors toward HealthLiliana S. Araújo0Liliana S. Araújo1David Wasley2Rosie Perkins3Rosie Perkins4Louise Atkins5Emma Redding6Jane Ginsborg7Aaron Williamon8Aaron Williamon9Centre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, London, United KingdomFaculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United KingdomCardiff School of Sport, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, United KingdomCentre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, London, United KingdomFaculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United KingdomCentre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, London, United KingdomTrinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London, United KingdomRoyal Northern College of Music, Manchester, United KingdomCentre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, London, United KingdomFaculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United KingdomMaking music at the highest international standards can be rewarding, but it is also challenging, with research highlighting pernicious ways in which practicing and performing can affect performers’ health and wellbeing. Several studies indicate that music students’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health and healthy living are less than optimal, especially considering the multiple physical and psychological demands of their day-to-day work. This article presents the results of a comprehensive screening protocol that investigated lifestyle and health-related attitudes and behaviors among 483 undergraduate and postgraduate students (mean age = 21.29 years ± 3.64; 59% women) from ten conservatoires. The protocol included questionnaires measuring wellbeing, general health, health-promoting behaviors, perfectionism, coping, sleep quality, and fatigue. On each measure, the data were compared with existing published data from similar age groups. The results indicate that music students have higher levels of wellbeing and lower fatigue than comparable samples outside of music. However, they also reveal potentially harmful perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health. Specifically, engagement in health responsibility and stress management was low, which along with high perfectionistic strivings, limited use of coping strategies, poor sleep quality, and low self-rated health, paints a troubling picture both for the music students and for those who support their training. The findings point to the need for more (and more effective) health education and promotion initiatives within music education; in particular, musicians should be better equipped with mental skills to cope with constant pressure to excel and high stress levels. In part, this calls for musicians themselves to engage in healthier lifestyles, take greater responsibility for their own health, and be aware of and act upon health information in order to achieve and sustain successful practice and performance. For that to happen, however, music educators, administrators, and policy makers must play an active role in providing supportive environments where health and wellbeing is considered integral to expert music training.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01558/fullcopingfatiguehealth promotionmusicperfectionismperformance |
| spellingShingle | Liliana S. Araújo Liliana S. Araújo David Wasley Rosie Perkins Rosie Perkins Louise Atkins Emma Redding Jane Ginsborg Aaron Williamon Aaron Williamon Fit to Perform: An Investigation of Higher Education Music Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors toward Health Frontiers in Psychology coping fatigue health promotion music perfectionism performance |
| title | Fit to Perform: An Investigation of Higher Education Music Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors toward Health |
| title_full | Fit to Perform: An Investigation of Higher Education Music Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors toward Health |
| title_fullStr | Fit to Perform: An Investigation of Higher Education Music Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors toward Health |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fit to Perform: An Investigation of Higher Education Music Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors toward Health |
| title_short | Fit to Perform: An Investigation of Higher Education Music Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors toward Health |
| title_sort | fit to perform an investigation of higher education music students perceptions attitudes and behaviors toward health |
| topic | coping fatigue health promotion music perfectionism performance |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01558/full |
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