Overview
As part of our long-term committment to promote the wellbeing of musicians, we undertook three pilot studies at HSLU M and collaborators in the UK, to gain baseline data on music students’ health and wellbeing, and on their understanding of wellbeing and success in the context of their vocation.
First, and in cooperation with Dr. David Wasley of Cardiff Metropolitan University, music students (n=135, diverse universities) were compared to students with a high-performance-focus (sport, n=67) and with more typical university profile students (n=71). We measured students’ health and wellbeing, but also considered ratings on several underlying traits such as optimism, personality traits, and self-perception of competence.
Next, we gathered data on the wellbeing, quality of life and self-efficacy of new students (first semester, N=99) at Hochschule Luzern – Musik. The new students were also asked about their individual understanding of wellbeing and success, and the relationship between the two constucts.
Finally, we broadened our sample to include students across all years of study at the HSLU M and the University of Leeds, UK (N=213), joining forces with. Prof. Karen Burland and Dr. Kate Blackstone. To enrich the quantitative findings from the survey, one-on-one interviews were conducted with four bachelor and four master students at each institution.
First-semester music students scored lower than the general population on aspects of wellbeing and physical and mental health (studies 1-3) and frequently reported instrumental/vocal-related health problems (68%) (studies 2-3). This largely corresponds to the results of previous studies from different countries and confirms an urgent need for action.
On the other hand, the new music students had a high level of awareness and nuanced understanding of the importance of wellbeing in relation to their art form; they acknowledged wellbeing as part of their success as future professionals and tried to integrate health-promoting behaviours in their practice. Nevertheless, they sometimes found it difficult to implement this knowledge in their daily lives; 40% of new students for example, said they would regularly continue to practice despite physical discomfort.
Key characteristics contributing to music students' wellbeing include self-perception of competence (study 1) and self-efficacy (studies 2-3). This, together with the finding that music students expect health-related support from the higher music education institutions (studies 2-3), provides avenues to develop and refine concrete support measures.
