The Musician’s Health: To Earn One’s Living from Music

Abstract

To perform music as a professional musician or singer is not the same thing as performing as an amateur. Neurobiological studies have shown that the brain reacts in a different way to music in professionally trained musicians than in the average non-musician listener. Brain studies have also shown that the brain is differently organised in advanced instrument players or professional singers than in laymen. Comparisons between different occupational groups show that muscle tensions are common among symphony musicians. Top stars in pop and rock reaching fame have had an almost doubled mortality compared to the general population. Musicians in a symphony orchestra are highly dependent on their colleagues and this could be mirrored even in endocrine factors on the group level. Finally, hearing difficulties could give rise to adverse psychophysiological reactions, and there is also evidence that adverse long-term stress reactions could increase the risk of hearing difficulties.