Wellbeing for Musicians Veronika Klirova

Let's talk about hearing health! In this episode of the podcast Veronika and Sally Morgan dive into an honest conversation about hearing health and the challenges associated with working in the music industry. Veronika’s guest - double bass Sally Morgan - bravely shares details of her journey with hearing issues and navigating work as a professional musician with a hearing impairment.

Episode Highlights:


Sally’s journey with hearing loss and how it all has started
Hearing loss and tinnitus explained
Sally talks about the changes in the healthcare approach to hearing problems - regulations for the noise level, access to professional help, etc.
Strategies and coping mechanisms - mindfulness and relaxation as tools to deal with tinnitus
Prevention and minimizing the risk of hearing problems
Why an open conversation about hearing problems is needed for the musicians’ community
Where to find support for musicians with hearing problems in the UK

About the guest:

Sally Morgan has been playing the double bass professionally for 31 years in symphony orchestras. Sally was diagnosed with a sensorineural hearing loss. She wears hearing aids when she doesn't play in orchestra, and continues to work having overcome the hurdles of living with recruitment (a physical condition of the inner ear that leads to a reduced tolerance of loudness ), tinnitus and hearing loss. Sally is not a clinician but has learnt over a long period of time where to get help and cope with hearing issues that arise as a musician.

Episode Links & Resources:

Books about hearing health:

Playing (Less) Hurt: An Injury Prevention Guide for Musicians

Sound | Wellcome Collection

Hearing support for musicians:

Musicians' Hearing Health Scheme | The MU (musiciansunion.org.uk)

ISM | Hearing health for musicians

British Tinnitus Association

HearingInfographic-BAPAM.pdf

Sally's Social media:

Facebook

Other Links & Resources:

Musicians Yoga with Veronika website

Join the Wellbeing for musicians Facebook Group

What is your definition of success? Do you feel successful in what you do as a musician?

Having a high-profile orchestra or teaching position are not the only options when it comes to making a living as a musician. In this podcast episode, Veronika has invited Hannah Mitchel-Harrison - a freelance pianist, piano teacher, and entrepreneur. Hannah runs a successful business providing work for other musicians and offers support for freelance musicians helping them build sustainable careers.

Episode Highlights:


Hannah shares her journey as a piano player including rebelling against the label growing up.
The gap in music education relating to the business side of being a professional musician.
Hannah’s drive to help other musicians build their own careers as freelancers.
Finding success, respect, and the “Why” in your business
Setting realistic goals and making small steps as tools to get “unstuck”.
Wellbeing for freelance musicians - Hannah’s tips.
Hannah shares her thoughts on performance anxiety

About the guest:

Hannah Mitchell-Harrison is a professional pianist from South Wales. She graduated in 2006 from the University of Exeter with a first class honours degree in music. Her postgraduate diploma in solo performance is at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, studying piano with Michael Young. She has played in a variety of masterclasses with pianists such as Bernard Roberts, Penelope Roskell, Leon McCawley and Boris Berman. In 2007, Hannah won the Jacobson Prize.

Hannah now enjoys a varied career as a freelance performer, accompanist and ABRSM examiner based in the Cynon Valley. She forms part of the flute and piano duo Tranquillo which has released two albums, performed at numerous venues including St. David’s Hall, the Wales Millennium Centre, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and provided classical concerts for P&O and Cunard cruise lines, travelling as far as New Zealand. In 2014 she accompanied Norwegian singer Tomine Mikkeline as she supported Aled Jones on his UK tour, and has more recently worked with celebrity vocal coach Carrie Grant. Hannah is a grade, jazz and diploma examiner for ABRSM (UK and internationally). In 2020 Hannah created The Freelance Musician, a platform that seeks to support freelance musicians as they build their career from the ground up, providing resources such as The Freelance Musician Podcast, Masterclass and Workshop.

Episode Links & Resources:

Hannah's websites:

South Wales Pianist

Music Services | Harpenden Music | England

The Freelance Musician:

The Freelance Musician Podcast

The Freelance Musician - South Wales Pianist

Hannah's Social media:

The Freelance Musician Facebook Group

South Wales Pianist Instagram

Other Links & Resources:

Musicians Yoga with Veronika website

Join the Wellbeing for musicians Facebook Group

Have you ever considered the notion of professional musicians as athletes? And what about a direct link between exercise and its effects on performance? In the sixth episode of the podcast, Veronika has invited a violinist, PhD candidate and Performance Consultant Berenice Beverley Zammit where Berenice talks about her life as a musician, passionate runner, swimmer, sailer and...rugby player!

Episode Highlights:


Berenice shares her passion for sports alongside her career as a professional violinist and how exercise can aid performance
Berenice's research on the science behind performance, its results and conclusions
Physical preparation for performance concentrating on the heart rate, stress levels, motor skills, etc.
The importance of physical exercise and strength for musicians' mental health
Why creating space for training and exercise is essential for musicians' wellbeing
Berenice shares some tips on how to prepare for and reduce stress before performing

About the guest:

Berenice Beverley Zammit is a Performance Consultant and professional violinist .  She is a PhD candidate investigating performance optimisation through pre-performance routines in professional classical musicians, and a Graduate Teaching Assistant lecturing in Music Performance Psychology, Performing Arts in Health and Wellbeing, and Healthy Musician at the Royal College of Music, London.

Her research findings have been presented at the International Symposium for Performance Science (ISPS) 2021, Montreal; KVNM/RMA Postgraduate Symposium 2021, Amsterdam; SMI/ICTM-IE Postgraduate Conference 2021, Limerick; ISPS 2019 in Melbourne.  Berenice has also chaired at the BFE/RMA Research Students’ Conference 2021, and at the ISPS 2019 in Melbourne.

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Berenice delivers practical online and in-person workshops on strategies for performance based on current research from the field of performance science.  Her workshops include, but are not exclusive to, pre-performance routines, coping strategies and performance anxiety, injury prevention, memorisation and physical fitness.

Episode Links & Resources:

Berenice's website:

https://www.performanceguru.co

Berenice's Social media:

https://twitter.com/Perf0rmanceGuru

https://www.instagram.com/performance_guru_/

https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGuru

Other Links & Resources:

Musicians Yoga with Veronika website

Join the Wellbeing for musicians Facebook Group

For better or worse, self-doubt and imposter syndrome are part of a musician’s life and part of performing. But do you know how to recognize and work with them?

In the fifth episode of the podcast, Veronika has invited a flute, clarinet and saxophone player and a certified life coach Claire Husselbee. Claire reveals what life coaching is all about and how musicians can benefit from it.

Episode Highlights:


Claire shares her professional journey as a flute, clarinet, and saxophone player, and what it means to be a muti-instrumentalist
What life coaching is about
Claire’s own journey with life coaching and the transformation that took place as a result
Dealing with self-doubt and imposter syndrome as a musician
Awareness, self-reflection and acknowledging achievements and wins as essential tools for musicians’ mental health
Procrastination, overplanning, and perfectionism as symptoms of imposter syndrome

About the guest:

Claire Husselbee is a musician, a qualified coach and a teacher. She is passionate about musicians’ wellbeing, in particular about the beliefs we hold that can limit our potential.  After experiencing the positive effect of receiving coaching firsthand, she has been educating herself about mindset ever since, qualifying as a Transformational Coach with the Animas centre for coaching in December 2018.  To further her learning, she has also recently completed the MSc in Performance Science at the Royal College of Music.  Through her business, Composed Musician, she helps professional musicians who never feel good enough to understand their ‘imposter’ so that they can create and perform at their best.  She has delivered 1:1 coaching sessions to recently graduated classical musicians to help ease their transition from student to professional.

Episode Links & Resources:

Claire's email:

claire@composedmusician.com

Claire's Social media:

https://instagram.com/claire_husselbee

Composed Musician | Facebook

Links & Resources:

Musicians Yoga with Veronika website

Join the Wellbeing for musicians Facebook Group

Have you ever had a playing-related injury? How have you dealt with it?

In the fourth episode of the podcast, Veronika has invited a flute player and music fitness specialist Angela McCuiston, who shares her experience as a musician and a personal trainer.

Episode Highlights:


Angela shares her journey as a musician, including her first injury at age 16 and what led her to quit her job as a music teacher and dedicate more time to personal training specifically for musicians.
What personal training specifically for musicians looks like.
Common causes of musicians' injuries
Finding optimal strength, addressing muscle imbalances, hypermobility and the importance of having a personalized training program
Angela shares her thoughts on the stigma around musicians' injuries and the need to change the culture in the music industry

About the guest:

Angela McCuiston is a NASM-CPT, CES, SFS and CETI-CES (Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist, Senior Fitness Specialist and Cancer Exercise Specialist) and owner of Music Strong, a business that specializes in personal fitness training for musicians. 

Winner of the 2007 NFA Piccolo Master class, Angela received her Master of Music in Flute Performance from Florida State University and her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Tennessee Technological University.

As a trainer, Angela maintains several training locations in Nashville and also travels to give her workshops and presentations, most notably presenting at the National Flute Association Conventions in Salt Lake City, UT; Las Vegas, NV, Washington, D.C. and Orlando, FL.

In February 2019 she published her first book: The Musician’s Essential Exercises, with plans to branch out into instrument-specific volumes in the near future. During the pandemic of 2020 she recorded over 20 instrument specific workouts available for download.

When she is not performing or training, Angela can be found riding her Trek road bike as many hours as there are sunshine. She recently completed her 4th century ride (100+ miles) and has a goal to ride between 5-12 centuries and log 5,000 miles.



Episode Links & Resources:

Angela's first book "The Musician's Essential Exercises: Basic Strength Training for Injury Prevention"

Instrument-Specific Workouts  (Use Code: VERONIKA10)

Angela's website and free resources:

https://musicstrong.com/

Instrument-Specific Workouts (Use code VERONIKA10 to get a discount!)

Angela's Social media:

https://www.instagram.com/musicstrongfitness/

https://www.facebook.com/musicstrong

Links & Resources:

Musicians Yoga with Veronika website

Join the Wellbeing for musicians Facebook Group

What was the first time you can remember feeling really nervous on stage? What brought it on? In this podcast episode, I share my story and thoughts around experiencing performance anxiety and my personal toolkit for dealing with it.

Episode Highlights:


The stigma around performance anxiety amongst musicians
The first time I froze on the stage
Living with anxiety - a spiral of self-doubt and high expectations
Changing the approach and opening up a conversation about anxiety as key tools to address the issue
My solutions for dealing with performance anxiety

Episode Links & Resources:

Free Performance Anxiety toolkit

Musicians Yoga with Veronika website

Join the Wellbeing for musicians Facebook Group