Watch Britney Spears perform and you can see how she developed musculoskeletal injuries. But how did her acrobatics affect her vocal performance?
It is well known participation in sports requires proper warm-ups and specific attention to technique and pacing to avoid injury. But most people don’t transfer that approach to singing or playing an instrument and, as a result, many develop injuries.
Western University has launched a first-of-its-kind course to address this growing concern.
Integrating concepts and teaching strategies from occupational health, rehabilitation and health promotion, Health and Music Performance, taught by Christine Guptill , provides students from Western’s Faculty of Health Science and the Don Wright Faculty of Music an opportunity to transfer knowledge from other courses into clinical applications.
“It’s important to learn how we maintain health through the lifespan, and not just for those who make a living with music, but for those who play or sing for fun,” said Guptill, who holds concurrent bachelor degrees in oboe performance and biology from Western.
She adds this kind of education makes healthcare practitioners – not to mention a professional musician’s manager – aware of the specific issues musicians cope with each day, for example, how holding your concert tuba properly may actually be contrary to appropriate ergonomic standards.