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Student Health
The Student Health Centre in Malmö can help students with all kinds of
problems related to student life including physical, mental or social
problems. Ergonomics and instrument-specific knowledge are essential as
is knowledge of how students use their bodies in the process of making
music. Stress and other complications found in a student’s social
environment as well as study habits and progress are always in focus.
Sound environments are also in focus today, as students may fall victim
to subjective hearing disorders such as tinnitus, hyperacusis,
distortion and the like. The team of experts at the centre includes
doctors, physical therapists, curators and audiologists.
During
the first week of the first year of study, students are given lectures
on ergonomics for musicians and hearing as well as two group classes on
physical balance in movement and the importance of resting.
Physiotherapists
and doctors run seminars on the mental and physical strains associated
with being a musician. These seminars are held for various student
groups at the Academy.
Physiotherapists hold courses in ergonomics
for musicians at the school. These courses are for students of the Music
Teacher’s Programme and consist of five one hour classes held over a
five week period during the first year of study. A further two hours of
classes are offered in the third or forth year of study.
There
are no compulsory ergonomics classes for students of the Performance and
Church Music Programme, but all first year students are offered
ergonomic consultations with a doctor. An optional course of 7.5 credits
is offered which is named Anatomy and Physical Experience and is taught
by a physiotherapist. The course provides students with information on
human anatomy and stress as well as practical exercises which are
carried out both with and without an instrument and where the objective
is to obtain stable, relaxed positions both at rest and in movement.
The
most common complaints received by the Student Health Centre concern
pain and thereafter anxiety, stress and stage fright. Pain is most
commonly experienced in the shoulders, arms and back. Often, pain is
caused by poor posture and strain on muscles and joints. Other
explanations can be stress and anxiety, which may also give physical
symptoms. Experience has shown us that although ergonomics are
important, the ways in which students manage tension and relaxation
physically are just as important. Conversations at the centre are often
focused on thoughts and feelings which affect daily activity. The ways
in which everyday situations are managed can most often be linked to
increased physical tension. We discuss the ways in which students manage
the demands placed on them and how goals can be formulated and more
easily integrated into the student's daily life. Such changes can also
be significant for a student’s attitude towards him/herself and the
efforts he/she makes. Self confidence and a positive self image are of
vital importance for reaching good study results, and also for a
student's overall health. Instruction on obtaining good habits in taking
care of oneself includes getting into the habit of warming up and
cooling down, giving oneself time to recover and specific exercises
which aim to obtain a positive physical balance and which promote a
stable and relaxed musical process. More information on ways in which a
musician can improve his/her everyday living and working conditions can
be obtained from the following website:
www.artist-musikerhalsan.se
Last modified 5 Mar 2013
Artist- och Musikerhälsan
Ö. Rönneholmsv. 9 B
Tel:
040-237293
E-post: info@aomh.se
Hemsida:
www.artist-musikerhalsan.se