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Entries in career advice (19)

Friday
Sep302022

Don't Give Up: How To Thrive As a Musician With Chronic Pain


Image Source: Pexels

Being a musician is an enriching experience. Whether you pursue it as a career or as a hobby, it is an invaluable creative outlet and technical activity. However, you may find yourself experiencing challenges that disrupt your progress. One of the most common of these is chronic pain.

One study of professional musicians found that 66% of respondents reported experiencing chronic pain. While there can be various influencers of this, the outcome tends to be a reduced ability and joy in pursuing the craft. Yet, this doesn’t mean you should give up. There are options to mitigate these negative experiences effectively. 

Let’s dive a little deeper into how to thrive as a musician with chronic pain. 

Get to Know the Triggers

As with so many other areas of life, knowledge is a powerful tool. The more you can understand chronic pain, the better able you’re likely to be to manage it and pinpoint the right solutions. Remember that experiences of chronic pain can be relatively subjective. As such, your approach to learning needs to take into account both your personal perspectives as well as information from external sources.

One area that many people struggle with here is recognizing what influences their symptoms. Take some time to review the common contributors to chronic pain, including both lifestyle elements and illnesses. Excess weight can put additional pressure on joints, which can influence osteoarthritis. In some cases, poor posture can contribute to muscular strain and digestive issues. Compare these elements to your personal experiences. When you play your instrument, do you tend to have a stooped posture? Have you experienced traumatic injuries that impact your fingering technique in certain circumstances? 

If you’re still unclear, it can be worth looking to key figures in your musical field that experience similar challenges to yours. Many top musicians have started to talk about their experiences. Max Weinberg — drummer for the E-Street Band — discovered his hand pain was not from drumming too hard but from drumming with poor technique. Searching out such anecdotes can point you in the right direction for information. However, it’s also worth reaching out within your musical circle. Many musicians face chronic pain issues and some of your connections may be able to share solutions.

Develop Tailored Practice Routines

The last thing you want is for your chronic pain to put a dent in your musical development. Therefore, once you have a good understanding of your triggers and symptoms, it’s important to develop practice routines that consider your pain. Take what you know about the condition and tailor your activities and schedule to both account for and better manage it.  

This could include specific practice exercises to strengthen your body against the symptoms. In some cases, targeted physical training can relieve the pressure that triggers or exacerbates your pain. Many musicians utilize the Alexander Technique to gain a mindful awareness of the body. Some people find this helps them adopt healthier habits while enhancing their musicianship. If you’re a string musician, it may be helpful to review your technique to establish where you can reduce strain, alongside performing strength-building exercises.

However, it’s also vital not to overextend yourself during your tailored practice routines. Part of your approach here is to be aware of your limits and schedule around these. Indeed, if you’re taking lessons, you may find traveling to the practice itself to exacerbate elements of pain.  Taking virtual lessons can provide you with the flexibility to navigate your symptoms while improving your skills. However, getting the most out of online classes still requires focus and dedication. Be fully engaged with the process and ensure you’re well prepared for your lessons. Make sure you have an environment both free of distractions and comfortable enough not to trigger pain symptoms early.

Identify Sources of Support

Living with chronic pain as a musician is a very personal challenge. However, this doesn’t mean you only need to rely on your personal reserves to navigate it. It’s vital to identify key sources of support that can help you through it. This is not just important for the physical experience, but also to maintain your mental wellness

Firstly, it’s important to identify those in your circle that can be genuine figures of support. If you’re in a band or orchestra, open up to your colleagues about your experiences. Of course, you may gain some empathy and moral support here, but that’s not the only advantage. It also serves the practical purpose of being able to plan studio time and practice sessions to mitigate any negative effects. 

Identifying key sources of treatment and therapy is also a vital support system. This doesn’t necessarily mean relying on medication alone. Physiotherapy, psychological counseling, and potentially alternative therapies may be helpful. Remember to plan for this if you’re going on tour in an unfamiliar location, too. Take the time beforehand to search for and note professionals and facilities you can utilize if you need them on the road. Remember that traveling for long periods may exacerbate your symptoms, too, so identify exercise facilities on your route.

Conclusion

Chronic pain can certainly be a difficult hurdle to overcome as a musician. It’s important to gain a better understanding of both the common causes of pain and those specific to your circumstances. You can then develop more mindful practice routines and seek out appropriate treatment resources. With some knowledge, focus, and planning, you can ensure you thrive as a musician in spite of these health challenges.


 

Don't Give Up: How To Thrive As a Musician With Chronic Pain

Thursday
Jul082021

A guide for musicians on building a team and avoiding industry sharks

I’ve been speaking with a lot of clients lately, both about the work we do together on their websites, and the bigger picture of their careers. A common thread that has been coming up in conversation is that around building a team, and the mixed experiences they’ve had around this.

Many of the concerns that we’ve discussed recently have included: Ul>

  • How to identify what roles you need to fill in your team, and how to find the RIGHT people to fill these roles
  • The impacts of hiring people/companies who simply don’t deliver what they say they will
  • Consultants offering bad or irrelevant device (AND charging over-the-odds for it)
  • Poor expectation management (especially when it comes to PR campaigns).
  • Click to read more ...

    Thursday
    May132021

    How to find a producer who won't break your heart

    “The Right Producer Can Make All The Difference!” is an upcoming webinar featuring the co-founders of ItyDity and sponsored by Bree Nobel of Profitable Musician. The Webinar is focused on how songwriters fail to achieve the professional recording sound they want due to three major roadblocks: Working with the wrong producer A lack of knowledge, tools and communication Getting jerked around

    Click to read more ...

    Friday
    Mar132020

    How Has The #MeToo Movement Impacted The Music Industry?

    Though the phrase “me too” was first used by sexual assault survivor Tarana Burke in 2006, it wasn’t until 2017 when actress Alyssa Milano tweeted and encouraged others to use the hashtag #MeToo if they were victims of sexual assault. That was the hashtag that officially made the phrase “me too” into a movement.” As of 2018, #MeToo had been used on Twitter over 19 million times

    Click to read more ...

    Thursday
    Feb212019

    Tips For Writing A Music Resume Which Will Get You Results

    Guest post by Chloe Bennet 

    Music industry absolutely requires you to have a professional, engaging and well formatted resume to get the job hunt success that you are looking for. Music is a field in which there is a fluid collection of skills which you need to be able to demonstrate you have on paper, and not all of them are that simple to explain. It can be a daunting task trying to go about proving your suitability for a music firm through the resume, especially if having a good resume is a pre-requisite to earning yourself an interview.

    So, with that all said, here are some methods for writing a great music resume.

    Click to read more ...

    Monday
    Dec172018

    How To Reach Any Guitar Teaching, Music Career Or Guitar Playing Goal Quickly

    It’s very easy to become a massively successful professional musician, guitar instructor or guitar player when you follow these three steps:

    Click to read more ...

    Wednesday
    Apr112018

    3 Things To Do If Your Job Doesn’t Match Your Music Career

    What if your job isn’t flexible enough for you to take the next step in your music career? You’re going to have to find a way to make the band your priority. Only bands who truly want to bring their music to a wide audience will get there.

    Click to read more ...

    Wednesday
    Sep272017

    In the Music Business? 3 Tips To Safely Relocating

    If you’re in the music business and your career is taking off, there may come a time when you will need to relocate. Whether this is a temporary move to collaborate with another musician or a permanent relocation to be a part of another music community, this can create a major headache if you don’t know how to relocate safely. Here are four things to keep in mind if you have to pull up stakes for the sake of your music career.

    Click to read more ...

    Wednesday
    Apr262017

    Simple Growth Hacks That Are Necessary For Building A Solid Music Career

    As the great Louis Armstrong once said, “Musicians don’t retire; they stop when there’s no more music in them.” Despite the challenges of the industry, you should never stop trying to find ways to keep making good music and growing your career.

    My take on this topic is not just based on inspirational quotes and fancy sayings. It comes from having been involved in music as a marketer and entrepreneur.

    Over the past few years, I have worn several hats on the business side of music, from managing upcoming artists to starting companies. My experience has given me an insider’s perspective into how different people approach their careers and the little things some people do differently (or don’t do), which sometimes makes the difference.

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    Thursday
    Dec152016

    How To Not (Or, How To) End Up In The 27 Club 

    It was very romantic. In March of 1971, infamously hard-drinking and hard-drugging frontman for The Doors, Jim Morrison, went to live with his girlfriend in her Paris apartment. He took long walks by himself in the most romantic city on Earth. He surveyed the haunts that Arthur Rimbaud, his poetic idol, had frequented, and went to see the poet’s grave. He gazed out at the Seine and thought about what it would be like to be no one. But then, three months after his arrival in the city, his girlfriend found him dead in the bathtub. She said it was a heroin overdose. The official cause of death was apparently heart failure.

    Click to read more ...

    Thursday
    Dec082016

    The 5 Worst Things About Being A Musician Around The Holidays

    You might have noticed it’s December and everyone is full of cheer.  But the winter holidays aren’t just about decorations and egg nog.  When you’re a musician, there are also some pretty annoying sides to this time of year.  Here’s our rundown of your worst holiday moments as a musician.

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    Friday
    Oct282016

    Is There Room For Old Fashioned Values In Today’s Music Industry?

    Getting a record deal has never been easy. Even back in the days when the A&R man was your friend and an artist could make a substantial living from physical sales alone - you still had to be discovered, and nurtured, by someone with clout, connections, resources and know-how. But perhaps a musician was judged more on talent back then, rather than a hook or gimmick.

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    Wednesday
    Aug312016

    10 Things Artists Must Have To Succeed Today In The Music Business

    There are many things an artist must have to succeed, and then there are a few things that will make life easier. Today, I am focusing on the necessities. We all know the music business is currently changing, but there have always been changes in the music industry. How we adapt to those changes determines our outlook and success. Perhaps I’m used to change because I’m from the rap world, which was new to music in the 1980s and rap just began making money for the labels heavily in the 1990s–so it’s a relatively new art form. Today, independent rap artists can build successful careers that feed themselves and their families without having to sign to a major record label. Here’s what is needed for that to happen, for rappers and for all artists and musicians looking to build a successful career:

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    Monday
    Apr042016

    DIY Musicians: Trying To Do Everything Is Hurting Your Chances of Success

    This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids Blog

    Pretty much every indie musician I’ve talked to has two big problems: there’s just too much to do, and despite putting a lot of time and effort into their career, they feel stagnant, like they’re not making any progress.

    In this article, we’re going to solve these two problems with one stone. If you want to go further, I have a time management and productivity ebook as well as a goal-setting ebook that you can download for free to keep the momentum going in your music career.

    Click to read more ...