The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the role of music on wellness in the lives of healthy older performance musicians (PMs) having advanced, expert, or virtuoso competencies. The phenomenological approach included seven demographic and three semi-structured interview questionnaires of a convenience sample of 18 PMs who performed by singing, playing instruments, and composing music. Dominant themes emerged on community music participation by physiological, intellectual, emotional, and sociological dimensions of wellness. All 18 PMs were aging well to maintain regular participation in community music. PMs’ narratives provided evidence that their music identity was motivated by values and beliefs of good health for lifelong community
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Since 1976, many researchers and industries have included additional dimensions to Hettler’s wellness model. Pierce (2012) explains that the time has come to incorporate a health and wellness model into music education curriculums because studies show musicians are at high risk of physical and psychological injuries at some stage of their lives. Of particular risk to musicians’ wellness are hearing loss and neuro-muscular-skeleton injuries (i.e., brain, spinal cord, nerves, muscles, tendons, ligaments, tissues, bones), which agrees with educational directives released by the National Association of Schools of Music who recently partnered with the Performing Arts Medicine Association (NASM-PAMA, …show more content…
It is speculative why OSHA has not established industry standards for musicians’ from childhood to old age (Emmerich, Rudel, & Richter, 2008) or has not produced public awareness campaigns of the risk to health by untreated hearing loss. Therefore, the responsibility of teaching lifelong prevention of hearing loss belongs to parents and music educators (Chesky, 2011) so that children’s behaviors are shaped from the beginning of learning music to protect their hearing by wearing hearing devices during practice, rehearsals, and performances. When children begin learning a musical instrument, they should be wearing protective hearing devices, and taught that hearing protection is a lifelong practice. Researchers (Palin, 1994; Etymotic Research, 2016) reported protective hearing devices are requisite for musical instruments that produce sounds over 80 dB (i.e., viola, violin, bassoon, oboe), over 90 dB (i.e., clarinet, Euphonium, French horn, mellophone, timpani), and over 100 dB (i.e., alto saxophone, bass drum, cymbals, flugelhorn/bugle, flute, piccolo, snare drum, tenor saxophone, trombone, trumpet/cornet, tuba/contrabass). As Strasnick et al. (2007) reported, profound deafness is at 120 dB; therefore, protective hearing devices must also be worn during symphonic concerts for protection against the music
Since 1976, many researchers and industries have included additional dimensions to Hettler’s wellness model. Pierce (2012) explains that the time has come to incorporate a health and wellness model into music education curriculums because studies show musicians are at high risk of physical and psychological injuries at some stage of their lives. Of particular risk to musicians’ wellness are hearing loss and neuro-muscular-skeleton injuries (i.e., brain, spinal cord, nerves, muscles, tendons, ligaments, tissues, bones), which agrees with educational directives released by the National Association of Schools of Music who recently partnered with the Performing Arts Medicine Association (NASM-PAMA, …show more content…
It is speculative why OSHA has not established industry standards for musicians’ from childhood to old age (Emmerich, Rudel, & Richter, 2008) or has not produced public awareness campaigns of the risk to health by untreated hearing loss. Therefore, the responsibility of teaching lifelong prevention of hearing loss belongs to parents and music educators (Chesky, 2011) so that children’s behaviors are shaped from the beginning of learning music to protect their hearing by wearing hearing devices during practice, rehearsals, and performances. When children begin learning a musical instrument, they should be wearing protective hearing devices, and taught that hearing protection is a lifelong practice. Researchers (Palin, 1994; Etymotic Research, 2016) reported protective hearing devices are requisite for musical instruments that produce sounds over 80 dB (i.e., viola, violin, bassoon, oboe), over 90 dB (i.e., clarinet, Euphonium, French horn, mellophone, timpani), and over 100 dB (i.e., alto saxophone, bass drum, cymbals, flugelhorn/bugle, flute, piccolo, snare drum, tenor saxophone, trombone, trumpet/cornet, tuba/contrabass). As Strasnick et al. (2007) reported, profound deafness is at 120 dB; therefore, protective hearing devices must also be worn during symphonic concerts for protection against the music