UPPER-STRING INSTRUMENTALISTS AS MICRO-ATHLETES: A FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATING A COGNITIVE AND PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE REGIMEN IN (AND OUT OF) THE PRACTICE ROOM

Abstract

Researchers long have acknowledged similarities between sports athletes and musicians. Indeed, musicians are sometimes referred to as musical or instrumental athletes. They begin training at a young age, practice or perform daily, are highly competitive, require a high level of skill and physical capacity, play through pain, experience anxiety, and face risk of musculoskeletal disorders. The nature and quality of early musical training are crucial in developing skills to deliberately practice, self-regulate time, train bodies to play their instruments, and engage in healthy playing practices. In addition to inculcating proper music technique from the very beginning of instruction, teachers also must train students to develop mind and body strength to handle the demands of playing their instruments. But while music teachers generally have great passion for, and insight into, their craft, they often have not been trained to give specific instruction on how exactly to practice in order to obtain the best results from a cognitive or physical point of view. Music teachers don’t always know how to address psychological issues that can hinder enjoyment and progress, and inhibit performance. Music performance anxiety is a condition that runs rampant amongst students and professionals alike, and has been a taboo subject for many decades. This difficult affliction can manifest itself in many different ways with varying degrees of severity. Fortunately, mounting research illustrates the promising effects that mindfulness can have on mediating the effects of music performance anxiety, and on building cognitive resilience overall. The training music teachers receive often lacks focus on how to address physical concerns or to condition the body of the musician. Upper-string instrumentalists (those who play the violin or viola) are a special group of musicians particularly susceptible to developing performance-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs). This is because of repetition of movement, hours of practice, awkward postures and the carrying of static loads. Playing these instruments emphasizes eccentric and concentric contractions that can lead to muscular imbalances. By implementing a complementary practice of postures to strengthen, re-align and relax the body, musicians can optimize their music practice and performance to build mental and physical strength. This dissertation is written in five chapters. Together, they outline a framework for defining exactly what a micro-athlete is (in this context referring to upper-string instrumentalists), and training the micro-athlete musically and physically by integrating healthy practice habits and mind/body strengthening tools in (and out of) the practice room. Chapter 1: Introducing the Micro-athlete, outlines characteristics of what being a micro-athlete entails. Chapter 2: Music Practice Habits, details how deliberate practice and self-regulation play an integral part in the quality of one’s practice to optimize practice and prevent boredom. Chapter 3: Music Performance Anxiety, shows how holistic remedies such as mindfulness, meditation and deep breathing can relieve debilitating symptoms of this condition as well as build cognitive strength. Chapter 4: The Body of the Upper-String Instrumentalist, illustrates how the musculature involved, contractions engaged in, and musculoskeletal injuries incurred put these musicians on a “level playing field” with sports athletes. Chapter 5: Training the Micro-athlete, applies the research from previous chapters to demonstrate how to ergonomically hold and play the violin/viola, and how to strengthen body and mind of the upper-string instrumentalist by integrating micro-strengthening and relaxing activities and postures.