Perceived Enablers and Barriers to Optimal Health among Music Students: A Qualitative Study in the Music Conservatoire Setting

Abstract

Student health and wellbeing within higher education has been documented as poor in relation to the general population. This is a particular problem among students at music conservatoires, who are studying within a unique educational context that is known to generate both physical and psychological challenges. This article examines how conservatoire students experience health and wellbeing within their institutional context, using a framework from health promotion to focus attention on perceived enablers and barriers to optimal health in relation to three levels: lifestyle, support services, and conservatoire environment. In order to respond to the individuality of students’ experiences, a qualitative approach was taken based on semi-structured interviews with 20 current or recent conservatoire students in the United Kingdom. Thematic analysis revealed a complex set of enablers and barriers: (i) lifestyle enablers included value placed on the importance of optimal health and wellbeing for musicians and daily practices to enable this; lifestyle barriers included struggling to maintain healthy lifestyles within the context of musical practice and learning; (ii) support enablers included accessible support sources within and beyond the conservatoire; support barriers included a perceived lack of availability or awareness of appropriate support; (iii) environmental enablers included positive and enjoyable experiences of performance as well as strong relationships and communities; environmental barriers included experiences of comparison and competition, pressure and stress, challenges with negative performance feedback, psychological distress, and perceived overwork. The findings reveal a need for health promotion to focus not only on individuals but also on the daily practices and routines of conservatoires. Additionally, they suggest that continued work is required to embed health and wellbeing support as an integral component of conservatoire education, raising awareness so that all students are fully informed of where, and how, to seek the information or help that they may need. Finally, they indicate a need for more radical scrutiny of the cultures of conservatoires and an assessment of how these can be modified to best optimize students’ health and wellbeing.

Performance values - an artistic research perspective on music performance anxiety in classical music

“…An urgent responsibility lies therefore within the conservatory to critically address these issues. This is given some support in a recent study, where the authors encourage a further look into the "core cultures of conservatoires" (Perkins et al, 2017).…”

“…Artistic research can give inspiring examples on how to do so and may be used as a developmental tool for musicians to create change through self-analysis and by promoting the personal perspective on how to formulate new processes both directly on stage but also off stage. Perkins et al, (2017) examined the health and well-being amongst conservatoire students within the institutional context. By using a thematic analysis, a set of enablers and barriers were found.…”

Three Flute Players’ Lived Experiences of Dalcroze Eurhythmics in Preparing Contemporary Music for Performance

“…I have access to the larger picture." In this sense, Emma experienced Dalcroze as an 'environmental enabler' for optimal health (Perkins et al, 2017) and a way to avoid the "anxiety and an obsession with playing correctly, " noted by Mayo (2005, p. 10). Learning music away from the instrument "allows us to internalize repertoire.…”

Wellbeing in and Through Performance: Perspectives From Sports and Music

“…Recently, studies have focused on a more positive psychological approach to performance in order to encourage and reinforce health-promoting behaviors in conservatoires and schools of music (see Ascenso et al, 2017Ascenso et al, , 2018Perkins et al, 2017). One study (Antonini Philippe et al, 2019) revealed that, for those students who commit to music professionally, more action is needed to support their health directly and to bolster the value placed on health, both by the musicians themselves as well as their teachers, administrators, and support staff.…”

“…In music, much is now happening to facilitate dialogue and apply research outcomes in training contexts (see Ginsborg et al, 2009;Wasley et al, 2012;Clark et al, 2013;Perkins et al, 2017). For instance, the Musical Impact project (funded by the United Kingdom's Arts and Humanities Research Council) revealed a strong desire-from musicians themselves, as well as those who train and employ them-for close collaboration in supporting and enhancing the health of performing artists (Araújo et al, , 2020.…”