Must musicians suffer for their art?

Sir, – As a classical pianist, I read with great interest the article “Almost two-thirds of classical musicians suffer from playing-related muscular pain” (Fiachra Gallagher, Music, June 28th) which highlighted the recent publication of research led by Dr Aonghus Joyce of UCC into playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) among Irish musicians.

The results are in line with the research on PRMDs that has been conducted both here and internationally since the emergence of the discipline of performing arts medicine almost 40 years ago.

One would imagine that such a surfeit of evidence on the scale of disorders among musicians would have prompted increased awareness and effective implementation of the wealth of expertise and interventions available to mitigate risk factors, particularly in the context of instrumental education.

For example, even basic knowledge of the importance of general health principles (sleep, diet, exercise, hydration), anatomy, and ancillary movement practices such as yoga, Feldenkreis or Alexander are useful but not sufficient in themselves.

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Pain is a complex phenomenon in which myriad factors may coalesce, and notoriously difficult to understand. However, we might begin by considering playing-related musculoskeletal disorders as precisely that: playing-related. As Dorothy Taubman put it, “if playing the piano doesn’t feel delicious and euphoric, you’re doing something wrong”.

My own PRMDs were resolved by unlearning habits of movement at the instrument and redeveloping my piano technique in the Taubman Approach, a biomechanical model of coordinate piano technique. I now specialise in helping others do the same.

The process involves recalibration and the development of new skills. Throughout it, openness, curiosity, and a willingness to let go of received wisdom are helpful.

Interestingly, the lion’s share of the extant research into the issue of PRMDs emerges from the medical field rather than the musical. A recent op-ed from the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine suggests that success in preserving the health of musicians will rely not only on funding, but a combination of interdisciplinary expertise, collaboration, open communication, and the agreement of a common set of evidence-informed standards implemented and upheld by all stakeholders. – Yours, etc,

AOIFE MacALISTER,

Swords,

Co Dublin.