Support for Musicians

• Are you a musician, struggling with your playing/performing and not sure where to turn next?

• Are you a musician thinking about a pursuing a different or supplementary career path to music but finding it difficult to know where to start?

If you would like the support of someone who has successfully worked through these types of problems, please read on.

“As a musician who suffered a career ending injury and has lived to tell the tale, I’m passionate about sharing my experiences to help fellow musicians recover from performance problems or similar misfortunes and get back onto the right track again as quickly as possible.

Music can be a really rewarding profession, but as I found out early on in my playing career, difficulties with playing/performing and injuries can develop over time without you really knowing why. And finding and confiding in someone who can help is crucial in the recovery process.

After my professional playing career as a French horn player ended due to a repetitive strain injury in 2000, I was very fortunate to build a successful new career outside of music in law. After many years away, I also found the confidence to return to music and start a new journey as a conductor (combining study overseas alongside my work in the UK).

That hasn’t been an easy journey, but I’ve learnt a huge amount along the way including:

- how injuries develop and how to cope with them & help to prevent them;
- how to cope with injury mid-career and difficult career decisions;
- how to cope when a career in music ends prematurely;
- how to seek appropriate support when faced with injury or the end of a music career;
- how to regain confidence and perspective after an injury or career setback;
- how to approach finding a new or supplementary career outside of music;
- how to combine study and work;
- how to look after yourself in the face of adversity;
- how to avoid wasting time, money and disappointment on ‘miracle cures’ and focus on long-term sustainable solutions; and
- how to deal with the fear of decision making which can be a major obstacle to making positive strides forward when faced with injury or career related decisions.”

Why talk to Stephan?

Over several years, Stephan has drawn on his experiences to help musicians get back onto the right track through impartial listening and by providing constructive ideas on how to tackle these and other performance and career related problems.

He knows first hand that when faced with problems of this nature, it can be hard to find anyone independent and impartial to talk to who has worked as a professional musician, has been through similar potentially debilitating experiences & who really understands the pressures that they create.

“Looking back to the end of my performing career, I had some wonderful support, but I wish that I’d been able to talk to someone who had lived through a career ending injury and successfully re-established themselves, to find out how they coped with that.

Having lived through a career ending injury and built up a new successful career, I wouldn’t want any musician to have to bottle up career related problems or not be able to talk to someone who really understands first hand how to cope with music related injuries. Having the ability to share and discuss concerns in confidence with someone who understands what you are going through is a crucial step to recovery.

That’s why I’ve set up my Support for Musicians Service, to provide a sympathetic, confidential and impartial ear for you to share any music injury or career related problems with and provide constructive ideas on how to put your best foot forward again.”

So, if you’re a musician facing any of these issues and you’re struggling with how to move forward, please don’t suffer in silence, but get in touch with Stephan via the contact page for further details on how to arrange a consultation.

SOME OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES

Below you will find:

a few articles that Stephan has written on performance related topics that may be of interest; and
details of some external sites that you may find helpful.

Performance related articles

5 tips for better performance

If at first you don’t succeed, don’t try harder!

Avoiding the anxiety trap

Is how you lift your instrument harming your playing?

How can musicians stay free of music related injuries?

How not being afraid of making mistakes can help us to learn and grow

EXTERNAL SITES

Below are some of the resources that you may also find helpful. It’s not intended to be a fully comprehensive or exhaustive list, but they provide information which you may find helpful.

Music related charities and general advice

Alexander technique

Sometimes playing problems can arise as a result of the accumulation of faulty postural habits that we aren’t even aware of. Many music colleges provide Alexander Technique lessons as part of formal training to help raise awareness, but it can be an area that is overlooked once a musician leaves college. The website below has links to details of qualified teachers in the UK.

STAT (Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique)

If you’re unfamiliar with the Alexander Technique, there is a description here on YouTube by the Nobel Laureate, Nikolaas Tinbergen, who devoted a significant portion of his Nobel lecture to talking about the Alexander Technique and the benefits he and his wife experienced from lessons, which is well worth a watch.

Focal dystonia

This is a common reason for music performance difficulties, including repetitive strain type conditions. The resources below provide some useful information on the condition and ways in which it has been treated (including without resorting to medication).

The Dystonia Society website provides information on the charity of the same name, which provides support and information for those affected by dystonia.

There are a series of fascinating videos on YouTube with Joaquin Fabra looking at the angle of focal dystonia as an emotional condition.

NOT ADVICE: The information and articles on this page and website (Information) are for information purposes only. The Information is not, and should not be taken as, any form of advice. If you are experiencing any of the issues or problems related to the topics on this page, you should consider seeking appropriate professional advice.