O12
A SYMPHONY OF GOOD SENSE
- P. Upjohn, British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), Cambridge, UK
Background
Since 2015 the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO) have been developing and running a Musicians Wellbeing and Performance programme. Originally launched to target physical health, it has since expanded to include hearing health and mental health. Internal audit has clearly shown that having timely access to skilled physiotherapy has provided significant benefits to individual musicians, and wide-reaching benefits to the organisation.
However, there is shortage of physiotherapists with experience and expertise in this speciality, and recruiting physiotherapists with the right skill-set has been difficult.
Aims
Based on these findings, in April 2024 the RLPO and UK Charity ‘Help Musicians’ decided to produce
- guidance for other Orchestras about how to support physical-readiness in orchestral performance
- a toolkit for physiotherapists new to working with musicians, about how to work with musicians.
Methods
Guidance for orchestra managers was produced using a combination of RLPOs own experiences and resources, and the results of Doctoral research carried out within their own orchestra.
RLPO and UK charity ‘Help Musicians’ commissioned an expert physiotherapist to produce a toolkit for physiotherapists
Focus group meetings and one-to-one consultations with international colleagues, provided feedback which, where appropriate, was incorporated into the toolkit.
Results
A free downloadable, evidence-based, interactive pdf has been produced for Orchestras and for Physiotherapists, about how to best support orchestral players with the considerable physical demands of the job.
Conclusions
This innovative document provides a framework and a toolkit to assist orchestras to manage work-related neuro-musculoskeletal disorders amongst their players.
