BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Halfway into my music degree, I had an accident.
I’d been studying classical saxophone, the passion of my life since I was 10. When I lost the capacity to use my wrist, I didn’t think much of it: it would get better with therapy, and I would be playing again in no time.
It didn’t get better. My physiotherapist braced my wrist for most of the year; it became thin and weak. A few of my musician friends wore braces for their own repetitive strain injuries, but kept playing through the pain — it was normal to put music first, right? There was no mechanism of support for us — physical or psychological — and eventually I lost the ability to pursue the performance career I’d been planning.
Luckily, I had another passion: writing. Fast-forward a decade-and-a-half, and I’ve just learnt about a program in which an educational institution is prioritising the needs of its musicians when they are injured and when they are not. It’s a program offering support to those who must navigate their health and wellbeing in a culture of perfectionism and competition; who pursue a career that demands of them more skills than you could imagine. So am I going to write about it? Absolutely.
The Australian National Academy of Music facilitates a Health and Wellbeing program to “ensure ANAM musicians don’t experience such mental and physical pain” — and in the case of pain, it gives them “skills to manage the challenges”.
In theory? Love it. In practice? I wanted to find out how it works: how each musician has access to training sessions, mental health support surrounding music-specific issues such as impostor syndrome, help understanding the value of eating and sleeping well, and sessions with industry professionals who have been through it all.
ANAM’s People and Culture Manager Charlotte Cassidy (above), who is behind the program, tells CutCommon how ANAM is providing students with the self-awareness to pursue both preventative health and healing, and how it could help shape the industry as a whole.
Charlotte, when and why did ANAM begin to prioritise musicians’ health by creating structured programs and resources surrounding health and wellbeing?
We first started thinking about Health and Wellbeing back in 2013. We consulted Dr Bronwen Ackermann, the Australian movement specialist leader in physiology and ergonomics for classical musicians and music making. She told us that we needed to focus on optimising performance, rather than just the prevention of injury. She said it was critical that musicians were guided towards developing their own sense of physical and mental awareness in practice and performance. This was because the development of self-awareness in turn promotes resilience, can remove fear and feelings of inadequacy, can assist in goal-setting, and can encourage structure around learning and development.
She explained that physiologically, whilst pain in elite music making isn’t abnormal, lacking the skills to manage it is. Her advice about workload and understanding patterns of overuse through things like rehearsal and performance scheduling was profound: whilst we already had a highly developed sense of what consisted of ‘too much’, we then learnt about how our program could support the idea of building up playing strength and stamina, and how we needed to plan ahead for busy periods.
Bronwen also talked about how important it was for individual practice sessions to be strategic, and that at the ANAM level, it was all about quality of practice than quantity. Importantly, she showed us that if ANAM was to make an institution-wide effort to train musicians to understand and manage their own health and wellbeing, then it was vital that all of us, from the admin team to the faculty, were on the same page.
We also consulted Lucinda Sharp, who at the time was leading the psychology and wellbeing services at the Australian Ballet School. She helped us think about how we as an institution could structure our messaging, services and culture at ANAM to support the sort of healthy mindset that could enable musicians to reach their potential.
It was these two complementary approaches that formed the very strong basis of ANAM’s Health and Wellbeing program ever since: we’ve always been focused on performance optimisation and reaching potential, and we’ve always consistently exercised a profound care for the development of our musicians outside of their instrumental studies.
What do you value about this holistic approach to of the health of the musician, as opposed to fixing specific injuries that may occur from practising but neglecting other areas of health such as nutrition?
ANAM has always been about the people: this is an extraordinary institution because we understand that ours are talented, hardworking and precious people who, when they are nurtured, routinely reach greatness.
What we really don’t value at ANAM are lifeless performing robots. We value real people, with their real muscles and real life experiences, who express themselves the best they can through their music.
This is all very possible with the right culture and the right set of supports. So it was never really
about just fixing injuries. It was about putting organisational effort and resources into these extraordinary and complicated humans, and giving them tools them super-charge themselves.
By running programs like these, you’re showing musicians — and the industry as a whole — that not only is it okay to need help, but that self-care is a normal part of work and life. How do you feel a program like this, which brings health out into the open, is helping ANAM musicians feel comfortable in asking for what they need — instead of feeling stigmatised or ashamed if they’re having a tough time?
One of the things we do for all first years from Day 1 of Term 1 is sit them down and talk to them about how we are trying very hard, in everything we do, to make ANAM a safe and supportive place. We want this not just because it’s ethically the right thing to do, but because we know that if people feel safe and supported, their training will stick for longer, and we know that the habits they can develop now can sustain them through a very long career indeed.
I deliver this session with our lead psychologist Natalie Kyan. We talk about how rich and useful it can be to mull over a problem in a conversation with a professional, and how it’s not weird to see a psychologist – and that you don’t have to be mentally unwell to consult one.
We also talk about how very difficult it is to struggle along, alone, and that the very worst thing to do is to just try and button down and ignore difficult feelings, or a niggling injury. Knowing that practising mindful breathing, for example, is as much a strategy for a long and successful career as is practising scales, is really important. Every year the feedback is that hearing those words is profound for some people.
To some musicians, even the threat of an injury can feel terrifying, with the looming risk that the injury might take time away from their practice. How important do you think it is that musicians seek out the right care at the right time — rather than delay getting help, hide an injury, or play through the pain?
The critical thing is that right at the outset, musicians understand that they are living, breathing, messy and wonderfully complex human beings, and that playing music is just one of the things they do. With that mindset, and an idea of themselves that they have an identity — only part of which is their music — then when the inevitable injury or mental setback happens, the path up and out can be clearer and nowhere near as scary. That’s because the injury or setback can be framed as something that’s happening to part of themselves – it’s not threatening their entire identity.
When there’s clarity like this for people, then we can talk more about seeking the right care at the right time. Not all injuries are preventable of course – but living a life with a holistic outlook, and paying attention to the constant building of physical and mental strength and resilience, means that instinctively our musicians will call for help at the right time.
How important do you feel preventative health is for musicians?
Of course, it’s critical. But this can be a hard concept for a vibrant young person in their 20s to really take on board. The idea that you won’t always bounce back in the same perky way as you often can do when you’re full of youth is a bit incomprehensible to some.
I think everyone knows that in life and in music making, you need to take all sensible steps to make yourself strong and able to function the best you can. So the challenge for ANAM is to try and convince these very bright young things that actually, sometimes slowing down is better. Or that eight hours of chaotic practice may not be as effective as three very well-planned hours. Or that getting into bed at a decent time will help them remember what they learnt that that day. Or that learning how to breathe yourself into the right state for a brilliant performance is just as important as knowing how to play your repertoire.
How we sell our message is by always using science and evidence-based specialist practitioners, and by using our faculty to help us deliver messages about building up mental and physical skills – and a sense of self-awareness too.
How do you feel that a focus on wellness is enhancing the culture of ANAM, and perhaps helping to overcome some of those universal pressures of perfectionism and competition?
Our safe and supportive agenda underpins how we work, communicate, and collaborate with each other. The same talk I give to first-years when they start is what I give to new administration employees too. Everyone has to know what we value here.
When we talk specifically about wellbeing, and when we use every opportunity to promote it — right from our HR policies right through to how we write our handbook at the beginning of the year, and how our faculty deliver their feedback — then it becomes a very powerful and pervasive message.
It also means we get to agree on what we don’t want, which becomes important when we navigate the inevitable bumpy bits.
So what does this program look like on a practical level? Is it structured and built into the courses, or can students access the group or individual sessions as needed?
Our program generally evolves throughout the year. It’s always a mix of large group, small group, and individual sessions, as well as some help-yourself digital resources.
We are continuing our engagement of Dr Cliffton Chan, who is an incredibly talented physio and physiology expert (who trained with Dr Ackermann). He’ll visit us three times this year. We also have Alexander Technique sessions, Feldenkrais sessions, an audiologist, and later in the year a specialist in medical ways of dealing with performing anxiety. We also will be delivering information about mindfulness, relaxation, sleep, nutrition, resilience and dealing with setbacks.
Also in recent years, our understanding of the concept of ‘wellbeing’ has expanded, resulting also in very powerful education sessions from Wurundjeri elders. We also bring our musicians together socially once a term – sounds silly, but having an occasional little bit of fun together without an instrument in sight is extremely good for connecting us together.
What do you think a program like this can teach the industry more broadly in Australia?
We think about this a lot. It’s really important to us that with each graduating year, we are sending out into the profession healthy and strong musicians with a developed work ethic and moral compass. The more people out in the profession who are routine and pragmatic about their wellbeing, and for whom suffering in silence isn’t a thing, the better.
How would you describe the type of musician you would like to see emerging from ANAM?
I think a healthy artist is one with a rich full life, and is able to use that richness and fullness to make amazing art. Having mental courage and physical strength to take risks in their playing is really important.
We strive at ANAM make musicians who, by the end of their time here, are fired up, top of their game, and eager to change the world.
Before we go, what do you do when you’re not feeling your best?
Absolutely a bike ride along the Yarra, or a ridiculous conversation with hilarious friends. These things, and classical music of course, make the world go round.
Learn more about the ANAM Health and Wellbeing on the website, which also features a Nurture a Musician Appeal to support the mental and physical health of young musicians.
CutCommon is a proud independent member of the Arts Wellbeing Collective, helping raise awareness and support of mental health and wellbeing in the Australian arts industry.
Images supplied.
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