This survey invites all current college-level music students to contribute with their experiences to this research project. The first stage of the project in 2023 (with 250 students in Norway) has already revealed interesting new insights and understanding of musicians' physical struggles, and the project is now expanding to include international students.
Even world-class musicians vary massively in how they experience playing and singing. One performer might find playing always to be effortless, and another might feel like they constantly struggle (despite both performing at a world-class level). Some performers with assumed problems remain injury-free their whole lives, and others who seemed perfectly fine ended up with career-ending injuries.
This research investigates these discrepancies to better understand the whole spectrum of struggles that are found amongst musicians, aiming to clear up common misunderstandings and to improve the conditions for musicians' abilities and injury-avoidance.
Alongside the questionnaire, various other studies are conducted (including motion capture and muscle reading studies in lab environments) available for questionnaire participants who are interested and that are located near a suitable lab.
The research study is part of a PhD project that will be completed during the academic year 2025/26, and the overall research results will be communicated to the participants.
The questionnaire
The online survey consists of two questionnaire rounds. The first questionnaire takes around 10-25 minutes to complete, and after roughly a year has passed, a shorter follow-up questionnaire will be sent out.
Answer the questionnaire here.
As a thank you, participants that complete the follow-up questionnaire will be included in a lottery for universal gift cards of NOK 1000 each (≈ €90/95USD).
As an option, after the follow-up, the study will likely continue another year (or more) for those who wish to continue. Each yearly follow-up questionnaire will include another new lottery round for the remaining participants.
Thank you for your valuable contribution to musicians’ health research!
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions, or if you would like to coordinate the participation of your institution in this research project. Customized versions of this questionnaire can also be accommodated for your specific institution/region.
