Eckart Altenmüller: “A Primer in Music Physiology and Musician’s Medicine: Preventing Injury, Anxieties and Burn-out”

Eckart Altenmüller, Institute of Music Physiology and Musicians Medicine (Germany): “A Primer in Music Physiology and Musician’s Medicine: Preventing Injury, Anxieties and Burn-out”

Abstract
Performing music at a professional level is probably the most demanding of human activities. During skill acquisition, plastic adaptations of the CNS occur at several levels of the central nervous system and can be impressively demonstrated with functional and structural brain imaging methods. However, young aspiring musicians face enormous challenges. Performance demands are high, competition is increasing, and economic conditions for musicians are currently deteriorating. In Germany, for example, orchestras are being reduced in size or even disbanded. It is therefore very important to use scientific methods to improve the education of young musicians. The goal is to enable lifelong, healthy, adaptive and flexible music making in a creative and self-rewarding way. Essential conditions for healthy music making are a healthy live-habits and mental attitudes, stable self-confidence, good body awareness and professional practicing techniques developed on the basis of insights from movement sciences and learning theory. In my lecture, I will specifically address the prevention of overuse injuries, movement disorders, performance anxiety and burn-out, and give appropriate advice. However, I will also give some critical remarks concerning societal pressures and music business behaviours.