제  목 : Musicians Face Health Risks, Too
  일  자 : 1997년 07월
  제공처 : Safety ＆ health

     A survey conducted by the British Performing Arts Medicine Trust
  shows that many musicians are suffering from work-related stress and
  musculoskeletal disorders.
     The survey covered 56 orchestras worldwide and found that 7O percent
  of orchestral players have enough stage fright to affect performance;
  another 40 percent suffer from symptoms of depression and 10 percent are
  sick for more than one month a year. More than half of classical musicians
  reported pain in the neck, back, shoulder, elbows, fingers or thumb during
  or after playing. This can lead to a form of repetitive strain injury and
  result in "disobedient" fingers or lips that fail to produce certain
  sounds from instruments.
     Most experts say that pain should not occur if musicians play the
  instruments properly. Faulty technique and poor posture, especially among
  self-taught musicians, are major hazards.
     The emotional stress of being a musician compounds the problem, says
  the study. Nighttime work schedules, fear of criticism, incompetent
  conductors, defective instruments, underpayment, solo playing, medical
  problems, illegible music scores and the lack of childcare are some
  important stress sources, says the report. Musicians also tend to hide
  physical or emotional difficulties because of cutthroat competition in the
  musical world.
     Alex Scott, from the British Performing Arts Medicine Trust Helpline
  service, says that musicians who suffer stress often are advised to learn
  relaxation techniques, such as the Alexander Technique, or Feldenkrais.
  The service provides counseling, information and medical referrals for
  musicians.
     Rock musicians also are prone to high rates of noise-induced hearing
  loss as they are often exposed to noise in excess of legal limits during
  the workday.
     Fame may not reduce stress. Many top musicians find the demands too
  great and become conductors. Youthful fame also can interfere with
  psychological development and lead to conflict between public image and
  the musician's  sense of self, says the report.
     Scott says that musicians' problems have received far too little
  attention from traditional occupational health research and practice.