Innovative Universities in Music & Arts in Europe
The Lifelong Healthy Musician
Registration is open - https://forms.mdw.ac.at/frontend-server/form/provide/203/
IN.TUNE Work Package 6: Strengthening our engagement with society
Working Group Lifelong Learning
Pilot course “The Lifelong Healthy Musician”
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Date |
Every Monday from February 2nd to March 23rd |
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Time |
19:00 – 21:00 CET |
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Registration link |
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Contact person for questions |
Irma Kort, i.kort@koncon.nl |
IN.TUNE – The Lifelong Healthy Musician
IN.TUNE – the alliance of innovative Universities in Music and Art in Europe – will offer a free online Lifelong Learning course from February 2 to March 23, 2026, designed for music professionals and individuals working in music-related fields. The focus of the course is on how to maintain health and well-being throughout your entire career.
Target Group
Musicians: any professional working in the music-related profession as a performer, teacher and/or
creator
Objectives and Benefits
The course aims to provide both research-based knowledge and proven best practices to support your well-being. You will have the opportunity to:
- Reflect on your own practice from a health perspective
- Explore strategies through personal assignments
- Interact with other professionals
Content and Themes
The course offers a holistic understanding of performance and teaching practice, focusing on three key areas:
- Physical well-being
- Cognitive well-being
- Psychological well-being
Each area combines scientific insights with practical approaches.
Format and Duration
- Online via Zoom
- 8 sessions, each lasting 2 hours (total: 16 hours)
- All sessions take place at 19:00–21:00 CET
- Registration needed https://forms.mdw.ac.at/frontend-server/form/provide/203/
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Expert |
Session |
Date |
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Enric Guaus, PhD Researcher, ESMUC & Professor, Pompeu Fabra University, Spain |
Hearing Loss Prevention This session focuses on Hearing Loss Prevention by addressing the irreversible loss many musicians already face. After reviewing key theoretical concepts (decibels, the auditory system, etc.), we provide practical advice and strategies to secure your long-term career health. Remember: Protect your hearing, or the music will become noise. |
February 2 19:00 – 21:00 CET |
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Karen van der Starre Assistant Professor, Norwegian Academy of Music |
The Musician’s Body and Injury Prevention No pain – no gain? Strain injuries, causes and consequences and how to prevent them. The session will include some basic anatomy and physiology to get an idea how the body works, how we gain strength and stamina, and how an injury occurs. |
February 9 19:00 – 21:00 CET
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Alexandra Türk-Espitalier, PhD, MSc Flutist, Physiotherapist, Senior Lecturer, University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna |
Inspiration from Nature, Life and Arts – Building on The Musician’s Body The workshop focuses on musicians playing asymmetrically held instruments. It invites participants to open their minds to a world where symmetry and asymmetry coexist effortlessly. |
February 16 19:00 – 21:00 CET
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Susan Williams, PhD Specialist in Baroque Trumpet, Royal Conservatoire of The Hague & University of the Arts Bremen |
Quality Practice – Managing Your Resources How can we help musicians practice in a way that is not only effective and efficient, but also healthy? In this workshop we will explore aspects of practicing such as how to manage our limited resources – physical, cognitive and time – to optimise practicing. We will also look at practice strategies and methods and ways to be explorative. |
February 23 19:00 – 21:00 CET |
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Päivi Arjas, PhD Cellist, Senior Lecturer, University of the Arts Helsinki
Erja Joukamo-Ampuja Senior Lecturer in Horn, Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki |
Performance Coaching and Well-being Activation, excitement, or performance anxiety? In this lesson, we will focus on the mental side of health and learn how to find positive energy for performances, how to prepare for them, and how to transform anxious feelings about ourselves into communicative performances.
In the lecture we’ll go shortly through how motivation, good focus, creativity and effective practicing can help you in your practicing and how to balance your practicing. We look at principal knowledge about recovery and how to plan your practicing based on that, so that you’ll have better endurance in the future. We go through what to do if you feel symptoms of overuse syndrome and how to prevent it in the future. |
March 2 19:00 – 21:00 CET
March 9 19:00 – 21:00 CET
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Dejana Mutavdžin, PhD Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Belgrade |
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Challenges and Resources for Musicians’ Well-Being In this lecture we will explore together some of the most common emotional and health challenges professional musicians face, alongside the many rewards that music-making brings |
March 16 19:00 – 21:00 CET
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Angelica Postu Music Therapist, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin; President, Romanian Music Therapy Association |
Mindful on Stage and Beyond The session highlights how music-therapy-informed insights can enrich teaching contexts and strengthen the performer’s inner resources. It concludes with a practical toolkit designed to foster resilience, reflective practice, and lifelong growth on and beyond the stage. |
March 23 19:00 – 21:00 CET
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