NEA funds national project based on UNT program

Playing music may not be the first activity that comes to mind when discussing occupational safety, but the injuries suffered by music students and professional musicians can be serious and career threatening.

That's why the UNT College of Music, one of the nation's largest and most prestigious schools of music, joined with the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth in 1998 to create the Texas Center for Music and Medicine, which addresses various health issues associated with music. The college now prides itself on its health awareness and prevention programs, specialized clinical services and research.

"We believe music is a critically important and immeasurably valuable part of our society. That's why we are engaged in preparing our students for successful careers in music as performers, teachers, scholars and composers," says James Scott, dean of the College of Music.

"We also want our students to have long careers and to be informed music educators, so we pay attention to the effects and potential harm that can be caused by the stress of demanding too much of the body or using it incorrectly. After all, a musician's body plays an equal role to the instrument in the ability to make music."

The National Endowment for the Arts recently awarded $20,000 to the Texas Center for Music and Medicine and the Health Science Center's Office of Professional and Continuing Education in partnership with the Performing Arts Medical Association. PAMA is an international organization of health care providers and performing arts educators whose goals include research, education and networking to improve the health care of performing artists.

The NEA grant will help support the development of a nationally implemented health communication module for music schools across the country.

"This funding signifies awareness at the national level that while music is a critical, positive part of our culture and a strong educational tool, there are risks associated with performing music just as there are risks associated with playing sports," says Kris Chesky, research director for the center. "The NEA's support of this project shows a national willingness to act in a preventative way to make music a more healthy, integral part of our society."

Music, medical and allied health professionals from around the nation will gather at a conference in 2003-04 to create the module, which will inform college students about the health risks associated with music.

The National Association of Schools of Music, which accredits more than 500 schools of music, recently added a recommendation to its accreditation guidelines encouraging member schools to provide health information that promotes awareness and prevention. The NASM is serving as a resource and consultant on the project.

Information about the conference will be released once the funds to support it have been raised.

Directed by Chesky and Bernard Rubin, chief of rheumatology and professor of medicine at the Health Science Center, , the Texas Center for Music and Medicine was established to study, treat and prevent disorders related to learning and performing music. Working with the center are educators, researchers and clinicians within the UNT System, including faculty from the College of Music, the College of Arts and Sciences and the UNT Health Science Center, who conduct interdisciplinary research and provide clinical treatment to musicians in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

The center's clinical and research programs address health issues related to hearing, physical problems and mental health. Ongoing findings support the concern for these problem areas and show that preventative measures can be effective at reducing risk.

As a result, the UNT College of Music expanded its mission to educate students about the physical concerns involved with performing and teaching music.

"By making this commitment, the college has taken the first steps toward a cultural shift in how schools of music think about teaching and performing," Scott says. "Because we don't usually think about musicians' health as being at risk, this is an important first step, but still just that — a small step in bringing about industrywide belief changes."

The College of Music encourages its students to take advantage of the center's clinical resources, educational programs and research initiatives. The college also offers courses in music and medicine for graduate students and has a unique music and medicine optional related field of study for students seeking a doctorate of musical arts degree.

BY KELLEY REESE kreese@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Search for UNT College of Engineering dean succeeds with appointment
• UNT names Philip J. Romano inaugural recipient of humanitarian award
• Law conference addresses key higher education issues
• Faculty and staff can vote now for the 2003 Homecoming theme
• Five TAMS students named semifinalists in national Intel science competition
• Admissions Marketing Report awards best of show title to UNT undergraduate viewbook
• HIPAA isn't short for hippopotamus
• Making sure UNT maintains security

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