Victorian College of the Arts - Research Publications
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ItemLoad and fatigue monitoring in musicians using an online app: A pilot study.(Frontiers Media SA, 2022)BACKGROUND/AIMS: High occupational injury rates are reported in musicians, with a career prevalence of up to 89%. Fatigue and playing (over)load are identified as key risk factors for musicians' injuries. Self-report fatigue management strategies in sport have demonstrated preventive effects. A self-report fatigue management tool for musicians was developed based on a Delphi survey of international experts and hosted in an online app. The aims of this study are to evaluate the content validity and uptake of this new tool, and explore associations between collected performance quality, physical/psychological stress, pain, injury and fatigue data. METHODS: University and professional musicians were asked to provide entries into the online app twice per week for 1-6 months. Entries into the app were designed to take 2-3 min to complete and consisted of the following: 6 questions regarding playing load over the previous 72 h; 5 questions regarding current levels in key physical/psychological stress domains (sleep, recovery, overplaying, pain, fitness); one question self-rating of performance quality over the previous day; one question regarding current musculoskeletal symptoms; a reaction time task to evaluate psychomotor fatigue. RESULTS: N = 96 participants provided an average of 2 app entries (range 0-43). Increased playing time, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and feelings of having to "play too much" were consistently associated with increased self-rated performance quality (p ≤ 0.004; 6.7 <| t |< 2148.5). Increased ratings of feeling fit and recovering well were consistently associated with reduced pain severity (p < 0.001; 3.8 <| t |< 20.4). Pain severity was increased (6.5/10 vs. 2.5/10; p < 0.001) in participants reporting playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs; symptoms affecting playing). CONCLUSION: The prospective value of regular individual self-report playing load, stress, and performance data collection in musicians is clear. However, limited uptake of the online fatigue management app piloted in this study indicates that new approaches to the collection of these data are needed to realize their potential impact.
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ItemMotion Perfection: An agile tool for the visualisation, analysis, annotation, and record of motor practice(Elsevier, 2022)Instructional experts and practitioners in sports, dance and rehabilitation need to assess and provide feedback on motor practice. To visualise, analyse and annotate motor practice, we have developed the user-friendly application MotionPerfection. Using just a single camera video recordings and a computer, MotionPerfection enables users to compare a focal user with a model reference, to assess and annotate the performance. We illustrate the software structure and functionality from video acquisition to feedback annotation. Researchers, instructors, clinicians and practitioners can use MotionPerfection to simplify, automate and standardise the analysis and feedback of motor routines in remote and face-to-face settings, in the laboratory and in the field, without the need of specialised equipment.
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ItemThe aesthetic, artistic and creative contributions of dance for health and wellbeing across the lifecourse: a systematic review(TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2021-01-01)PURPOSE: This review articulates current understanding of the aesthetic, artistic and creative contributions that Dance makes to Health and Wellbeing across the lifecourse within publications 2000-2019, an under-researched area. METHODS: Review Questions: What are the aesthetic, artistic and creative contributions that Dance makes to Health and Wellbeing across the lifecourse? And what methodologies are appropriate for investigating these contributions? A database keyword search identified 769 articles and 91 evaluations. 109 documents were identified for further in-depth analysis and rating, resulting in 24 papers (11 articles, 3 PhD studies, 10 evaluation reports), which were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Findings offer seven interrelated contributions that Dance makes to Health and Wellbeing: embodiment, identity, belonging, self-worth, aesthetics, affective responses and creativity. There was less insight regarding different methodologies, and discussions focused on quantitative data's limitations. There were insights into inclusion of embodied voices, subjective accounts, and lived experiences. CONCLUSION: Whilst acknowledging challenges, this paper illuminates the key contributions of dance to arts and health. It provides a future conceptual research agenda (prioritizing identity and creativity) and associated methodological developments. It recommends expanding geographical/lifecourse research, better defining terms, fuller epistemological critiques to open space for new methodologies, and continued attendance to appropriate rigour criteria.
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ItemPerforming arts as a health resource? An umbrella review of the health impacts of music and dance participation.(Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2021)An increasing body of evidence notes the health benefits of arts engagement and participation. However, specific health effects and optimal modes and 'doses' of arts participation remain unclear, limiting evidence-based recommendations and prescriptions. The performing arts are the most popular form of arts participation, presenting substantial scope for established interest to be leveraged into positive health outcomes. Results of a three-component umbrella review (PROSPERO ID #: CRD42020191991) of relevant systematic reviews (33), epidemiologic studies (9) and descriptive studies (87) demonstrate that performing arts participation is broadly health promoting activity. Beneficial effects of performing arts participation were reported in healthy (non-clinical) children, adolescents, adults, and older adults across 17 health domains (9 supported by moderate-high quality evidence (GRADE criteria)). Positive health effects were associated with as little as 30 (acute effects) to 60 minutes (sustained weekly participation) of performing arts participation, with drumming and both expressive (ballroom, social) and exercise-based (aerobic dance, Zumba) modes of dance linked to the broadest health benefits. Links between specific health effects and performing arts modes/doses remain unclear and specific conclusions are limited by a still young and disparate evidence base. Further research is necessary, with this umbrella review providing a critical knowledge foundation.
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ItemFit to Perform: A Profile of Higher Education Music Students' Physical Fitness.(Frontiers Media SA, 2020)The physical demands of music making are well acknowledged, but understanding of musicians' physical and fitness profiles is nonetheless limited, especially those of advanced music students who are training to enter music's competitive professional landscape. To gain insight into how physical fitness is associated with music making, this study investigated music students' fitness levels on several standardized indicators. Four hundred and eighty three students took part in a fitness screening protocol that included measurements of lung function, flexibility (hypermobility, shoulder range of motion, sit and reach), strength and endurance (hand grip, plank, press-up), and sub-maximal cardiovascular fitness (3-min step test), as well as self-reported physical activity (IPAQ-SF). Participants scored within age-appropriate ranges on lung function, shoulder range of motion, grip strength, and cardiovascular fitness. Their results for the plank, press-up, and sit and reach were poor by comparison. Reported difficulty (22%) and pain (17%) in internal rotation of the right shoulder were also found. Differences between instrument groups and levels of study were observed on some measures. In particular, brass players showed greater lung function and grip strength compared with other groups, and postgraduate students on the whole were able to maintain the plank for longer but also demonstrated higher hypermobility and lower lung function and cardiovascular fitness than undergraduate students. Seventy-nine percent of participants exceeded the minimum recommended weekly amount of physical activity, but this was mostly based on walking activities. Singers were the most physically active group, and keyboard players, composers, and conductors were the least active. IPAQ-SF scores correlated positively with lung function, sit and reach, press-up and cardiovascular fitness suggesting that, in the absence of time and resources to carry out comprehensive physical assessments, this one measure alone can provide useful insight into musicians' fitness. The findings show moderate levels of general health-related fitness, and we discuss whether moderate fitness is enough for people undertaking physically and mentally demanding music making. We argue that musicians could benefit from strengthening their supportive musculature and enhancing their awareness of strength imbalances.