The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in professional musicians is higher compared to the general population (Odds ratio 2.3): point prevalences in the literature range between 9% and 68%;... Show moreThe prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in professional musicians is higher compared to the general population (Odds ratio 2.3): point prevalences in the literature range between 9% and 68%; year prevalences range between 41% and 93%. Female gender is the most important risk factor. Also among amateur musicians musculoskeletal complaints are frequent, the year prevalence of playing-related is 68%. Female gender, a sudden increase in playing time and playing a string instrument were the main risk factors. Among professional musicians with musculoskeletal complaints, the impact of these complaints on daily functioning is appreciated as more severe, compared non-musicians with musculoskeletal complaints. Also, healthcare usage is higher among musicians with these complaints. Musicians with complaints report worse illness perceptions compared to non-musicians with musculoskeletal complaints. In the last part of this thesis biomechanical aspects of violin playing are evaluated: Violinists with complaints show more activity of the superficial neck and shoulder muscles while playing the instrument, which is hypothesized to be the result of co-contraction. From a biomechanical point of view, playing without a shoulder rest, or with a shoulder rest with minimal height seems favourable, the latter being subjectively most comfortable by the violinists. Show less
The artistic PhD research "Shifting Identities" investigates the musicians' professional identity and how this identity might shift when musicians start acting as theatrical performers. In most of... Show moreThe artistic PhD research "Shifting Identities" investigates the musicians' professional identity and how this identity might shift when musicians start acting as theatrical performers. In most of the theatrical situations where musicians "perform", their profession is extended by additional tasks such as walking on stage or reciting text. As an alternative strategy to extension, this research introduces and focuses on reduction, which means the abstracting away of specific qualities or abilities of the musician's profession. The audience watches musicians not doing certain things that usually belong to their profession. Both the expansive and the reductive approaches are concepts of working theatrically with musicians. They are different, perhaps even contradictory strategies, but both bear the ability to enrich the musician's professional identity with a more theatrical appearance. In order to build an understanding of what is extended or reduced when the identity shifts from a musician to a theatrical (musician-)performer a dynamic model is developed which builds strongly on what musicians actually do, a model that categorises the musician's professional activities into internal, external and contextual elements. Show less
