Musician Health & Safety

As musicians, it’s vital that you protect your neuromusculoskeletal health whenever possible.

Here are some simple steps you can take:

When possible, avoid situations that put your neuromusculoskeletal health at risk.
Refrain from behaviors that could compromise your neuromusculoskeletal health and the health of others.
Warm up before you practice and perform.
Take regular breaks from practice and rehearsal. A good rule of thumb is a 5-minute rest every half hour.
Limit excessive practice time.
Avoid excessive repetition of difficult music, especially if progress is slow.
Insomuch as possible, avoid playing and/or singing music that is beyond your physical abilities or outside your natural range.
Refrain from sudden increases in practice and playing time.
Maintain good posture in life and when you practice and perform music. Be mindful of alignment, balance, and weight distribution.
Use external support mechanisms, such as shoulder rests, neck straps, and flute crutches, when necessary.
Maintain good “mental hygiene.” Get adequate sleep, good nutrition, and regular exercise.
Refrain from recreational drug use, excessive alcohol use, and smoking.
Do your best to limit and control stressors. Plan ahead.
Give yourself time to relax.

Evaluating Your Risk for Hearing Loss

When evaluating your risk for hearing loss, ask yourself the following questions:

How frequently am I exposed to noises and sounds above 85 decibels?
What can I do to limit my exposure to such loud noises and sounds?
What personal behaviors and practices increase my risk of hearing loss?
How can I be proactive in protecting my hearing and the hearing of those around me?

Marching Musicians

Now, some of you may be in the marching band or play with a drum corps. It is important that you maintain a high level of physical conditioning, strength, and endurance. As you are well aware, marching band rehearsals and performances are very physical and require very precise movements, all while carrying an instrument.

Marching musicians are at an increased risk for sprained ankles, toe contusions, and knee strains, and the heavy instruments that you carry place great amount of physical stress on the neck, torso, lower back, and legs.

In some climates, high heat, humidity, and extended sun exposure may place added strain on these musicians.

Thorough physical warm-ups, sufficient rest periods, appropriate sun protection, and adequate hydration are essential in promoting the neuromusculoskeletal health of these musicians.

Mindful Listening

It’s important to think about the impact noise can have on your hearing health when you:

Attend concerts
Play your instrument
Adjust the volume of your car stereo
Listen to your radio, CD player, and MP3 player

It’s too loud (and too dangerous) when:

You have to raise your voice to be heard
You can’t hear someone who’s 3 feet away from you
The speech around you sounds muffled or dull after you leave a noisy area
You experience tinnitus (pain, ringing, buzzing, or roaring in your ears) after you leave a noisy area

Protecting Your Hearing Health

Hearing health is essential to your lifelong success as a musician.
Your hearing can be permanently damaged by loud sounds, including music. Technically, this is called Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Such danger is constant.
Noise-induced hearing loss is generally preventable. You must avoid overexposure to loud sounds, especially for long periods of time.
The closer you are to the source of a loud sound, the greater the risk of damage to your hearing mechanisms.
Sounds over 85 dB (your typical vacuum cleaner) in intensity pose the greatest risk to your hearing.
Risk of hearing loss is based on a combination of sound or loudness intensity and duration.
Certain behaviors (controlling volume levels in practice and rehearsal, avoiding noisy environments, turning down the volume) reduce your risk of hearing loss. Be mindful of those MP3 earbuds.
The use of earplugs and earmuffs helps to protect your hearing health.
Day-to-day decisions can impact your hearing health, both now and in the future. Since sound exposure occurs in and out of school, you also need to learn more and take care of your own hearing health on a daily, even hourly basis.
It is important to follow basic hearing health guidelines.
It is also important to study this issue and learn more.
If you are concerned about your personal hearing health, talk with a medical professional.
If you are concerned about your hearing health in relationship to your program of study, consult the appropriate contact person at your institution.

This information is provided by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA).

Protecting Your Neuromusculoskeletal Health

Neuromusculoskeletal health is essential to your lifelong success as a musician.
Practicing and performing music is physically demanding.
Musicians are susceptible to numerous neuromusculoskeletal disorders.
Some musculoskeletal disorders are related to behavior; others are genetic; still others are the result of trauma or injury. Some genetic conditions can increase a person’s risk of developing certain behavior-related neuromusculoskeletal disorders.
Many neuromusculoskeletal disorders and conditions are preventable and/or treatable.
Sufficient physical and musical warm-up time is important.
Proper body alignment and correct physical technique are essential.
Regular breaks during practice and rehearsal are vital in order to prevent undue physical stress and strain.
It is important to set a reasonable limit on the amount of time that you will practice in a day.
Avoid sudden increases in practice times.
Know your body and its limits, and avoid “overdoing it.”
Maintain healthy habits. Safeguard your physical and mental health.
Day-to-day decisions can impact your neuromusculoskeletal health, both now and in the future. Since muscle and joint strains and a myriad of other injuries can occur in and out of school, you also need to learn more and take care of your own neuromusculoskeletal health on a daily basis, particularly with regard to your performing medium and area of specialization.
If you are concerned about your personal neuromusculoskeletal health, talk with a medical professional.
If you are concerned about your neuromusculoskeletal health in relationship to your program of study, consult the appropriate contact person at your institution.

This information is provided by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA). For more information, check out the other NASM-PAMA neuromusculoskeletal health documents, located on the NASM Web site at the URL linked here.

Daily Exposure Times

Maximum daily exposure times (NIOSH) to sounds at or above 85 dB are as follows:

85 dB (vacuum cleaner, MP3 player at 1/3 volume) – 8 hours
90 dB (blender, hair dryer) – 2 hours
94 dB (MP3 player at 1/2 volume) – 1 hour
100 dB (MP3 player at full volume, lawnmower) – 15 minutes
110 dB (rock concert, power tools) – 2 minutes
120 dB (jet planes at take-off) – without ear protection, sound damage is almost immediate

Vocal Protection

Here’s some extra advice for safeguarding your voice:

Drink plenty of water, at least 8 glasses a day.
Limit your consumption of caffeine and alcohol.
Don’t smoke.
Be aware that some medications, such as allergy pills, may dry out your vocal tissues. Be aware of side effects and talk to your doctor if you have questions.
Avoid dry air environments. Consider using a humidifier.
Avoid yelling or raising your voice unnecessarily.
Avoid throat clearing and loud coughing.
Opt to use vocal amplification systems when appropriate.
Rest your voice, especially if you are sick. Your voice and your body need time to recover.