Music Health and Safety

We employ safe lifting and carrying techniques, adapted from the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Safety Requirement for a Safe Workplace.

Points to emphasize:

• Carry heavy or awkward equipment as a team
• Bend to lift an object; don’t stoop
• Lift with the strong leg muscles, not the weaker back muscles

Proper methods of lifting and handling protect against injury. Proper lifting makes work easier. You need to “think” about what you are going to do before bending to pick up an object. Over time, safe lifting techniques should become a habit.

Following are the basic steps of safe lifting and handling heavy music equipment or instruments.

1. Size up the load and check overall conditions. Don’t attempt the lift by yourself if the load appears to be too heavy or awkward. Check that there is enough space for movement, and that the footing is good. “Good housekeeping” ensures that you won’t trip or stumble over an obstacle.
2. Make certain that your balance is good. Feet should be shoulder width apart, with one foot beside and the other foot behind the object that is to be lifted.
3. Bend the knees; don’t stoop. Keep the back straight, but not vertical. (Tucking in the chin straightens the back.)
4. Grip the load with the palms of your hands and your fingers. The palm grip is much more secure. Tuck in the chin again to make certain your back is straight before starting to lift.
5. Use your body weight to start the load moving, then lift by pushing up with the legs. This makes full use of the strongest set of muscles.
6. Keep the arms and elbows close to the body while lifting.
7. Carry the load close to the body. Don’t twist your body while carrying the load. To change direction, shift your foot position and turn your whole body.
8. Watch where you are going!
9. To lower the object, bend the knees. Don’t stoop. Make sure your hands and feet are clear when placing the load.

Make it a habit to follow the above steps when lifting anything – even a relatively light object.

Hearing health is essential to your lifelong success as a musician. Your hearing can be permanently damaged by loud sounds, including music. Technically, this is called Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Such danger is constant. Noise-induced hearing loss is generally preventable. You must avoid overexposure to loud sounds, especially for long periods of time.

The closer you are to the source of a sound, the greater the risk of damage to your hearing mechanisms. Sounds over 85 dB (your typical vacuum cleaner) in intensity pose the greatest risk to your hearing. Risk of hearing loss is based on a combination of sound or loudness and duration.

Recommended maximum daily exposure times (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - NIOSH) to sounds at or above 85 dB are as follows:

• 85 dB (vacuum cleaner, mp3 player at 1/3 column): Eight hours
• 90 dB (blender, hair dryer): Two hours
• 94 dB (mp3 player at 1/2 column): One hour
• 100 dB (mp3 player at full volume; lawnmower): 15 minutes
• 110 dB (rock concert, power tools): Two minutes
• 120 dB (jet planes at take-off): Without ear protection, sound damage is almost immediate

Certain behaviors (controlling volume levels in practice and rehearsal, avoiding noisy environments, turning down the volume, etc.) reduce your risk of hearing loss. Be mindful of those earbuds!

When working in the MIDI Lab, keep your monitoring levels low. This will protect your hearing and maintain your essential ability to notice detail. If your neighbor can hear the music from your headphones, or the music can be heard from outside of the studio door, then you are monitoring with too much volume.

• When performing in either electric or acoustic ensembles, practice at safe volumes. Additionally, the use of earplugs and earmuffs can help to protect your hearing health.
• Day-to-day decisions can impact your hearing health, both now and in the future. Since sound exposure occurs in and out of school, you also need to learn more and take care of your hearing health on a daily, even hourly, basis.
• It is important to follow basic hearing health guidelines.
• It is also important to study this issue and learn more.
• If you are concerned about your personal hearing health, talk with a medical professional.
• If you are concerned about your hearing health in relationship to your program of study, consult the appropriate contact person at your institution.

For more information, check out the other NASM-PAMA hearing health documents, located on the NASM website.

Adapted from The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) Protecting Your Hearing Health: Student Information on Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

The neuromusculoskeletal system refers to the complete system of muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and associated nerves and tissues that allow us to move and to speak and to sing. This system also supports our body’s structure. The “neuro” part of the term “neuromusculoskeletal” refers to our nervous system that coordinates the ways in which our bodies move and operate.

The nervous system consists of the brain, the spinal cord, and the hundreds of billions of nerves responsible for transmitting information from the brain to the rest of the body and back again in an endless cycle. Our nervous systems allow us to move, to sense, and to act in both conscious and unconscious ways. We could not listen to, enjoy, sing, or play music without these structures. In fact, making any change in our approach to movement, particularly to the array of complex movements needed for the performance of music, means working closely with our nervous system so that any automatic, unconscious or poor habits may be replaced with healthy, constructive, and coordinated movement choices.

Here are some basic protection tips for all musicians:

• Gain the information about the body that will help you move according to the body’s design and structure. The parts of the human body most relevant to movement include the nervous system, the muscular system, and the skeletal system. Muscles move our bones at joints. Our bony structure is responsible for weight delivery and contributes to the support we need to move with ease and efficiency. There is nothing inherent in the design of our bodies or our instruments that should cause discomfort, pain or injury.
• Learn what behaviors or situations put your neuromusculoskeletal health at risk and refrain from these behaviors and situations.
• Always warm up before you practice, rehearse, or perform. It takes about 10 minutes before muscles are ready to fire at full capacity.
• Monitor your practice to avoid strain and fatigue. This means taking breaks when needed and avoiding excessive repetition or practice time if you notice fatigue, strain or discomfort.
• Use external support mechanisms when necessary, such as neck straps, shoulder straps, proper bench or chair height.
• For vocal health, be sure to drink plenty of water (at least eight glasses a day) and limit your consumption of caffeine and alcohol. Avoid smoking.
• Be aware that some medications, such as allergy pills, may dry out your tissues. Be aware of side effects and consult your physician if you have questions.
• Maintain good general health and functioning by getting adequate sleep, good nutrition, and regular exercise.

Note: This document has been adapted from the NASM-PAMA documents on Musicians’ Health and Safety.