Musician Health & Wellness

The music program at Glendale Community College, as required by the National Association of Schools of Music, is committed to informing students, faculty and staff of the health and safety issues, hazards, and pertinent procedures in music listening, performance, practice, and teaching both in general and as applicable to their specific specializations. This includes but is not limited to basic information regarding injury prevention, and the maintenance of hearing, musculoskeletal, and vocal health.

Resources at GCC

• GCC Emergency Resources List
• Fitness and Wellness
• Counseling Services
• Student Life
• Additional GCC Resources

General Acoustics Information

• Acoustics.com
• Acoustical Society of America
• Athletes and the Arts
• Dangerous Decibels
• Health and Safety Standards Organizations American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• National Hearing Conservation Association
• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
• Vic Firth Hearing Protection

Protecting Your Hearing Health

• NASM–PAMA Student Information Sheet on Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (pdf)
• NASM-PAMA Protect Your Hearing (pdf)
• OSHA: Noise/Hearing Conservation
• Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA)
• American Academy of Audiology
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

Musculoskeletal and Vocal Health and Injury

• NASM–PAMA Music Student Guide on Neuromusculoskeletal and Vocal Health (pdf)
• NASM–PAMA Student Information Sheet on Neuromusculoskeletal Health (pdf)
• NASM–PAMA Student Information Sheet on Vocal Health (pdf)
• A Painful Melody: Repetitive Strain Injury Among Musicians, by Tamara Mitchell (pdf)
• MusiciansHealth.com
• Texas Voice Center
• How to Prevent and Repair Vocal Damage
• The Alexander Technique
• Andover Educators (body mapping)
• The Feldenkrais Method
• Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA)
• Exercise is Medicine

Psychological Health

• Performance Anxiety (WebMD)
• Conquering performance anxiety from inside out, by Helen Spielman (pdf)
• Ristad, E. A Soprano on Her Head: Right-Side-Up Reflections on Life and Other Performances

Conable, B. What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body, (GIA Publications, 2000).

Dawson, W. J. Fit as a Fiddle: The Musician’s Guide to Playing Healthy, (Rowman and Littlefield/MENC, 2008).

Horvath, J. Playing (Less) Hurt, (Hal Leonard Books, 2010).

Klickstein, G. The Musician's Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness (Oxford, 2009). musiciansway.com

Norris, R. N. The Musician’s Survival Manual (International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, 1993).

Watson, A. The Biology of Musical Performance and Performance Related Injury, (Scarecrow Press, 2009).