Psychosocial Stressors Among Student Musicians: A Naturalistic Study of the Teacher-Student Relationship

Journal/Book: International Journal of Arts Medicine. 1995; 4:

Abstract: Gelber (1988) describes American student performers in a conservatory environment as Òworkaholics,Ó a state of mind in which more practice is possibly always the solution to every problem. Music and playing is to these students, according to Gelber, Òlike a golden ladder towards nothingnessÓ (p. 15). Durrant (1992) has noted that British music students tend to forget that music is something enjoyable and positive. Many, if not most, consistently and incessantly dwell on failure. Rovics (1984) has similarly found that a number of musicians-to-be, as well as already professional musicians, seriously lack a sense of self-esteem due to little support and understanding, present and past, from parents, teachers, and employers. Note also FogelÕs (1982) important observation, when treating performing musicians for severe performance anxiety, that a very potent psychological device in resolving much of their anxiety was found in convincing the performers that they were allowed to make mistakes. Fogel suggests that perhaps no professional therapist might be so efficient in helping performance-anxious musicians as the individual teacher in charge of educating them. It may well be that performing musicians as a group exhibit certain personality traits, making them particularly vulnerable to working under pressure and in an environment generally hostile to individual initiative and emotional indulgence (Persson, 1993). Introversion, high levels of emotional instability and anxiety, resigned attitude and unsociable outlook, a fastidious sense of empathy and pathemia, as well as psychological androgyny, have all been suggested as typical personality traits of musicians (Brodsky, Sloboda & Waterman, 1994). Musicians in genres other than in Western classical music, however, do not appear to be as ill-fated in terms of psychological dysfunctions as their classical colleagues (Boyd & George-Warren, 1992). This raises the question of environmental and psychosocial differences in the making of a musician in Western classical music and in say, jazz or rock genres. Musicians as a group may well be of a certain type of personality, but perhaps their particular psychosocial needs are satisfied in one context, whereas such needs are denied in another. I shall argue in this article that there are certain environmental stressors, psychosocial in nature, which for a seemingly frightening number of particularly classical musicians, often pose a threat to the psychological welfare of the musician (Ostwald & Avery, 1991). The ever-increasing body of research on performance art medicine unavoidably provides a rather gloomy description of a musicianÕs reality. It is fortunate that we have turned to their problems with such concern and enthusiasm. I suspect, however, that we run the risk of not seeing the forest because of all the treesñto make good use of an old cliché. When a musician suffers from repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) for example, we tend to remedy the technique, treat the injury, and suggest a change of repertoire for a while. As a rule, we do not treat the mind for such injuries, and we try even less to alter the context that might have induced the problem in the first place. The simple truth is that no matter what the physical injury is, it inevitably has a psychological correlate. Conversely, the psychological ÒinjuryÓ (the conflict, the failure, the threat, and what these might lead to) also has a physiological correlate. We cannot separate body and mind! Stress inevitably affects the whole individual. A definition of psychological stress is Òa relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well beingÓ (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, p. 21). An interesting context in which to explore potential stressors is therefore the training of Western classical performers, especially so if we endeavor to prevent their ill health as a better alternative to providing intervention when they have already fallen prey to injuries.

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