Skip to main content

OPINION article

Front. Psychol., 06 March 2020
Sec. Movement Science
This article is part of the Research Topic Improving the Performance, Developing the person: Highlights from the International Congress in Sport Psychology (Lausanne, 2018) View all 5 articles

Wellbeing in and Through Performance: Perspectives From Sports and Music

  • 1Centre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, London, United Kingdom
  • 2Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
  • 3Laboratoire PHASE, Faculté des Sciences Sociales et Politiques, Institut des Sciences du Sport, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

Each day, millions of people perform. Whether in the boardroom, classroom, courtroom, laboratory, operating theater, on the field or on stage, performances are almost invariably dynamic and, in some cases, extremely rewarding. Nonetheless, each performance also brings challenges, real and perceived, that may lead to patterns of negative thinking, avoidance behavior, and debilitating injury that can have serious consequences for success and for health.

In this article, we draw insight and inspiration from sports to focus on how elite performers from other fields—and in particular, music—can come to integrate healthy approaches to performing alongside their drive to succeed.

Linking Performance and Wellbeing: Directions in Sports

The popularity of sports psychology has grown substantially in the past two decades, and the importance of being mentally prepared prior to an athletic competition is now well-documented (von Treuer and Reynolds, 2017). Historically, sports psychology came about through the specific intention to enhance performance, but over time, the need to focus on athlete wellbeing as an integral part of performance has come sharply into focus (Sebbens et al., 2016). Indeed, very early in the field's development, negative consequences of performing at the highest levels–injuries, eating disorders, performance anxiety, occupational stress, and so on— surfaced in ways that were shown to influence directly how athletes lived and performed (MacIntyre et al., 2017). In other words, athletes face multiple and varied challenges that are inherent to their training and their work. When studying these phenomena, the self-regulation efforts that individuals use to alter their interaction with the environment to better meet their goals also need to be considered (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984). To be well prepared for a performance, emotions too should be self-regulated during the preparation and learning process. Foundational research into coping skills for managing competitive situations has emerged (Gould et al., 1993), with coping defined as the process of using “cognitive and behavioral effort to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person” (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984, p. 141). Research has demonstrated that failure to cope with acute stressors can have a detrimental impact on psychological processes and psychological balance (Smith, 1986). Positive coping strategies, conversely, offer wide-ranging benefits that facilitate performance success, which can be developed and reinforced through mental (or psychological) skills training.

While there is a tendency to think of certain psychological strengths as necessary only in moments of crisis, mental skills are, in fact, cited as one of the essential components of athletic performance across the board (Durand-Bush and Salmela, 2002). While it is true that mental skills can help manage disruptive factors that impede or impair optimal performance, training to develop mental skills is central to personal development and to the enhancement of both performance and wellbeing throughout an athlete's career (Ducasse and Chamalidis, 2006).

Lessons Learned From Sports: Perspectives on Advancing Performers' Health and Wellbeing in Music

Wellbeing is a multidimensional phenomenon and refers to emotional and cognitive dimensions of subjective experiences resulting from the individual evaluation of several facets of life (Disabato et al., 2016). Considering the link between performance and wellbeing established in sports, some researchers have focused on implications for other performance domains. A particular emphasis has been placed on the arts, and music specifically, for the parallels between sport and music performance across a wide array of psychosocial demands that performers in both fields must manage (Williamon, 2004; Antonini Philippe and Güsewell, 2016).

The studies highlight musicians' use, largely, of insufficient adaptation strategies to achieve positive health (Antonini Philippe, 2013; Antonini Philippe and Güsewell, 2016). A growing body of research shows that specific stressors and demands that musicians face in their training can manifest in performance-related pain and discomfort, performance anxiety, and occupational stress, all of which can be detrimental to wellbeing and pose significant barriers to performing effectively (Williamon and Thompson, 2006; Cruder et al., 2018).

Recently, studies have focused on a more positive psychological approach to performance in order to encourage and reinforce health-promoting behaviors in conservatoires and schools of music (see Ascenso et al., 2017, 2018; Perkins et al., 2017). One study (Antonini Philippe et al., 2019) revealed that, for those students who commit to music professionally, more action is needed to support their health directly and to bolster the value placed on health, both by the musicians themselves as well as their teachers, administrators, and support staff. The results also highlight exciting new possibilities for intervention programs aimed at assisting musicians in drawing closer ties between improving health and enhancing performance, many of which have already been piloted and applied in sporting contexts (see Williamon et al., 2017).

Further studies are now underway, for instance examining pre-performance routines and effective methods for recovering from acute stress, with the principal aim of developing musician-tailored mental skills training programs. By this, we mean “the systematic and consistent practice of mental or psychological skills for the purpose of enhancing performance, increasing enjoyment, or achieving greater… self-satisfaction” in performance (Weinberg and Gould, 2007, p. 250). We believe that progress in this area is as essential for musicians now as it has been for athletes over the past two decades. In doing so, we must be open to the prospects of knowledge transfer from the arts back to sports too, and onwards to other performance specialisms.

Next Steps

We recognize that there is a complex interaction between health and performance, and we suggest that future research must interrogate attitudes, behaviors, and indicators of well- and ill-being, with the aim of fostering positive approaches to training and performance both within single disciplines and, where appropriate, across them.

In music, much is now happening to facilitate dialogue and apply research outcomes in training contexts (see Ginsborg et al., 2009; Wasley et al., 2012; Clark et al., 2013; Perkins et al., 2017). For instance, the Musical Impact project (funded by the United Kingdom's Arts and Humanities Research Council) revealed a strong desire—from musicians themselves, as well as those who train and employ them—for close collaboration in supporting and enhancing the health of performing artists (Araújo et al., 2017, 2020). The research team consequently worked with partners across the arts to constitute Healthy Conservatoires, an international network bringing together key stakeholders to share information, research, and good practice for advocating and advising on health in educational and professional settings1.

Beyond the arts, performance scientists must seek to shape wider public health agendas, particularly as their research relates to the challenges and demands that people face each day when they perform. In this way, we will be well placed to identify ways in which performers in all sectors of society can thrive in their chosen activities, over sustained careers.

Author Contributions

All authors listed have made a substantial, direct and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication.

Funding

AW was supported by Musical Impact, a Conservatoires UK project funded by the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council (grant ref. AH/K002287/1). RA was supported by the Société Académique Vaudoise (SAV).

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Footnote

References

Antonini Philippe, R. (2013). Les états affectifs des musiciens lors des concours d'orchestre: éléments situationnels et pratiques mentales concomitants. Rev. Méd. Arts 74, 44–54.

Google Scholar

Antonini Philippe, R., and Güsewell, A. (2016). La simulation de concours d'orchestre: analyse qualitative et située de l'activité des musiciens. Les Cahiers Soc. Québécoise Recherche Musique 17, 71–82. doi: 10.7202/1044671ar

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Antonini Philippe, R., Kosirnik, C., Vuichoud, N., Williamon, A., and Crettaz von Roten, F. (2019). Understanding wellbeing among college music students and amateur musicians in Western Switzerland. Front. Psychol. 10:820. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00820

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Araújo, L., Wasley, D., Perkins, R., Atkins, L., Redding, E., Ginsborg, J., et al. (2017). Fit to perform: an investigation of higher education music students' perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health. Front. Psychol. 8:1558. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01558

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Araújo, L., Wasley, D., Redding, E., Atkins, L., Perkins, R., Ginsborg, J., et al. (2020). Fit to perform: a profile of higher education music students' physical fitness. Front. Psychol. 11:298. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00298

CrossRef Full Text

Ascenso, S., Perkins, R., and Williamon, A. (2018). Resounding meaning: a PERMA wellbeing profile of classical musicians, Front. Psychol. 9:1895. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01895

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Ascenso, S., Williamon, A., and Perkins, R. (2017). Understanding the psychological wellbeing of professional musicians through the lens of positive psychology. Psychol. Music 45, 65–81. doi: 10.1177/0305735616646864

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Clark, T., Williamon, A., and Redding, E. (2013). The value of health screening in music schools and conservatoires. Clin. Rheumatol. 32, 497–500. doi: 10.1007/s10067-013-2203-9

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Cruder, C., Falla, D., Mangili, F., Azzimonti, L., Araújo, L., Williamon, A., et al. (2018). Profiling the location and extent of musicians' pain using digital pain drawings, Pain Pract. 18, 53–66. doi: 10.1111/papr.12581

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Disabato, D. J., Goodman, F. R., Kashdan, T. B., Short, J. L., and Jarden, A. (2016). Different types of wellbeing? A cross-cultural examination of hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. Psychol. Assess. 28, 471–482. doi: 10.1037/pas0000209

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Ducasse, F., and Chamalidis, M. (2006). Champion dans la Tête. Montréal: Les éditions de l'homme.

Durand-Bush, N., and Salmela, J. H. (2002). The development and maintenance of expert athletic performance: perceptions of World and Olympic Champions. J. Appl. Sport Psychol. 14, 154–171. doi: 10.1080/10413200290103473

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Ginsborg, J., Kreutz, G., Thomas, M., and Williamon, A. (2009). Healthy behaviours in music and non-music performance students. Health Educ. 109, 242–258. doi: 10.1108/09654280910955575

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Gould, D., Eklund, R. C., and Jackson, S. A. (1993). Coping strategies used by US Olympic wrestlers. Res. Q. Exerc. Sport 5, 35–47. doi: 10.1080/10413209308411303

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Lazarus, R. S., and Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York, NY: Springer.

Google Scholar

MacIntyre, T. E., Jones, M., Brewer, B. W., Van Raalte, J., O'Shea, D., and McCarthy, P. J. (2017). Editorial: mental health challenges in elite sport: balancing risk with reward. Front. Psychol. 8:1892. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01892

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Perkins, R., Reid, H., Araújo, L., Clark, T., and Williamon, A. (2017). Perceived enablers and barriers to optimal health among music students: a qualitative study in the music conservatoire setting, Front. Psychol. 8:968. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00968

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Sebbens, J., Hassmén, P., Crisp, D., and Wensley, K. (2016). Mental Health in Sport (MHS): improving the early intervention knowledge and confidence of elite sport staff. Front. Psychol. 7:911. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00911

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Smith, R. (1986). Toward a cognitive-affective model of athletic burnout. J. Sport Psychol. 8, 36–50. doi: 10.1123/jsp.8.1.36

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

von Treuer, K. M., and Reynolds, N. (2017). A competency model of psychology practice: articulating complex skills and practices. Front. Educ. 2:54. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2017.00054

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Wasley, D., Taylor, A., Backx, K., and Williamon, A. (2012). Influence of fitness and physical activity on cardiovascular reactivity to musical performance. Work 41, 27–32. doi: 10.3233/WOR-2012-1240

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Weinberg, R. S., and Gould, D. (2007). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers.

Google Scholar

Williamon, A. (ed.) (2004). Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525356.001.0001

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Williamon, A., Clark, T., and Küssner, M. (2017). “Learning in the spotlight: approaches to self-regulating and profiling performance,” in Musicians in the Making: Pathways to Creative Performance, eds J. Rink, H. Gaunt, and A. Williamon (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 206–221.

Williamon, A., and Thompson, S. (2006). Awareness and incidence of health problems among conservatoire students, Psychol. Music 34, 411–430. doi: 10.1177/0305735606067150

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Keywords: mental skills, music, performance preparation, sports, wellbeing

Citation: Williamon A and Antonini Philippe R (2020) Wellbeing in and Through Performance: Perspectives From Sports and Music. Front. Psychol. 11:399. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00399

Received: 20 September 2019; Accepted: 21 February 2020;
Published: 06 March 2020.

Edited by:

Mauro Murgia, University of Trieste, Italy

Reviewed by:

Selenia Di Fronso, Università Degli Studi G. D'Annunzio Chieti e Pescara, Italy

Copyright © 2020 Williamon and Antonini Philippe. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Aaron Williamon, aaron.williamon@rcm.ac.uk

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.