Words by Lily Bryant
Musician, writer and ANAM alum
In my first year of university, I practised every chance I got.
The conservatorium was open from 7am-11pm, and as far as I was concerned, any spare second within that timeframe was one that could be devoted to practice. Practice that typically involved playing for hours on end, in a dungeon-esque room, certainly without a break for my mind or body.
One day, during a particularly hectic week, I felt a sharp, unusual pain on the outside of my right wrist. I ignored it. But as the rehearsals and classes and lessons went on, one afternoon, it became too sharp for me to bear. After doing my best to pretend it wasn’t happening, the pressure became too much, and I broke down in undignified sobs in front of my flute teacher (the first time of many). My practice obsession had taken less than a term to render me emotionally and physically debilitated. I knew what I was doing didn’t always feel great, but no one was telling me just how un-great it really was.
“You don't have to tire out your physical body for it to be a good practice day. That’s not what a good practice day should be looking like,” ANAM’s consultant physiotherapist Dr. Cliffton Chan tells me.
Dr. Chan is one of a range of professionals whose efforts and expertise come together each year to form one of the pillars of the ANAM experience; its Health and Wellbeing program. In addition to their rigorous performance training, ANAM students are given access to regular seminars, workshops, and private sessions with audiologists, psychologists, and physiotherapists. For ANAM’s People and Culture Manager Charlotte Cassidy, collaborating with experts is essential to developing each year’s curriculum.
“My role is really bringing professionals together. What’s important is always that it’s highly relevant, and tailored specifically to classical musicians in this part of their journey. Everything we do is evidence-based”, explains Charlotte.
As it has become increasingly integrated into the ANAM experience, the program has yielded exciting results.
“I'm really happy about the cultural shift that’s happened at ANAM with our Health and Wellbeing program,” says Charlotte. “We try to set up this positive culture of everyone being safe and supported right from the outset, and I think we have succeeded in that.”
Also familiar with the program’s benefits is Natalie Kyan, one of several psychologists working closely with ANAM to offer both high-performance coaching and therapeutic support.
“Having worked with ANAM for almost 10 years I have certainly seen some shifts in the culture. Mental health is something that students talk more openly about and seem willing to ask questions and reach out for support when they need it,” she says.
Emerging musicians can struggle to realise, but this kind of attitude shift, particularly in competitive high-performance environments, is critical to building a sustainable career in a notoriously unpredictable industry.
“Musicians are often highly driven, and can be perfectionistic and highly self-critical. There are many work related stressors that if not managed well can leave an emerging musician at risk of burnout and mental or emotional distress,” explains Kyan.
“Depression and anxiety are incredibly common and not something an artist needs to suffer through to create great art.”
But the association between art and suffering can be hard to shake. Misconceptions about what it means to be committed and passionate are a major contributing factor to injuries in emerging musicians, explains Dr. Cliffton Chan.
“I think that's a big one, is thinking just practising with the instrument is "true practice", but everything else you do is practice as well,” he says.
“It's changing that fixed mindset to a growth mindset, where practice comes in many shapes and forms, and that’s all adding value to you becoming the best musician you can be.”
The Health and Wellbeing program is not only designed to improve the immediate circumstances of the ANAM cohort, but to empower them with the knowledge and confidence they need to enjoy healthy and sustainable careers in classical music.
“Just like a soccer player, why wouldn’t you be expecting an ankle sprain? It's part of the job. So, niggles here and there are absolutely part of a musician’s life, but to know how to deal with it immediately and recognising it, is what’s gonna change the world.”
If I’d known how to deal with that sharp pain in my wrist immediately, it would’ve saved me a lot of distress, and a very expensive physiotherapy bill. Perhaps it would have prevented the injury from bothering me to this day. There’s no point in creating world-class musicians if they’re not well enough to share their talent, and the way ANAM prioritises the wellbeing of its students is one of many qualities that position it uniquely as an elite performance institution. Dr. Chan says it best.
“That culture of caring for each other, looking after each other; I think that makes ANAM a much more beautiful place.”
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