Elite athletes regularly turn to sports psychology and targeted physical exercises to improve their performance, yet when it comes to musicians, the same practices might sound a little odd. After all, they’re not running hundreds of yards during a game; they predominantly sit and play. Yet, studies estimate that 90% of professional musicians eventually suffer from playing-related pain or injuries due to misuse or overuse, not to mention hearing decline. Furthermore, many report anxiety or depression.

That’s why James Brody, associate professor of oboe at the University of Colorado Boulder, launched the Musicians’ Wellness Program (MWP) 25 years ago within Boulder’s College of Music. Back then, it was groundbreaking — the first of its kind to help musicians prevent and recover from injuries, as well as maintain mental health.

“It became glaringly obvious this was a necessity when students came to me with injuries 30 years ago,” he says, comparing it to athletic training. “When a Buffs football player gets injured, Coach Deion Sanders enlists a team of professionals to ensure a swift recovery.”

Photos courtesy of CU Boulder

MWP employs somatic techniques like the Alexander Technique and body mapping to improve posture, movement and overall well-being by changing maladaptive, habitual patterns of tension and movement. For example, violinists become slightly rotated to the left, since that’s the arm fingering and supporting the instrument.

“If there’s no education provided and no awareness from the musicians themselves in terms of what they’re doing with their bodies while they’re playing their instrument, then it can lead to a lot of issues down the line,” says Emily Gee, MWP’s new program director. “Alexander Technique and body mapping work to help the musician understand truly where their body is anatomically, and then how that relates to their ability to play their instrument or to sing, and how all those parts work together.”

Other classes and interventions include counseling, psychiatric services, group therapy, nervous system regulation, decibel awareness and hearing precautions and exercises for breathing and vocal health.

“It’s not just about one class that people can elect to take; it’s really about bringing this sense of a supportive health and wellness environment into the entire college,” she says. “We’re educating on strategies for health promotion, injury prevention and mind-body tools that support the students to maintain a healthy body and a healthy mind for life.”

Nicole Peters, who graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in flute performance, has had severe scoliosis, making breathing difficult since she was 7. She tried releasing tension on her own but still experienced shortness of breath.

“Everything was shifted, and my whole breathing mechanism was scrunched,” Peters says. She began taking MWP classes her freshman year.

“It’s been life-saving for me, and I think it’s worth everyone taking a look whether you’re at the computer or playing a musical instrument,” she says. “It’s worth considering how you’re using your body because there are so many injuries that are preventable.”

Brody, who retired July 31, 2025, after 39 years of teaching, built a legacy that has helped countless performers like Peters increase longevity in their fields, as well as resilience and well-being. Five years after he launched MWP, the National Association of Schools of Music issued a mandate for music programs to address wellness. But to this day, there are no specific requirements or ways of enforcing it, Gee says. Brody’s pioneering program formed a curriculum based on the knowledge that peak performance begins, continues and ends with how musicians care for themselves.

“The more comfortable musicians can be — the more relaxed and truly in touch with their sensory system and that mind-body connection practice — the more that they’ll be able to connect with their audience, as well,” Gee says.

While a certain amount of adrenaline in performance can be helpful, too much “can be extremely debilitating and negatively impact musicians’ quality of life, so finding a balance of that is important,” she says.

Without MWP or other interventions, performers often resort to beta blockers, substances or alcohol, Gee says, also pointing out that musicians have a long tradition of believing that playing through pain is simply part of the job.

“The CU Boulder College of Music is trying to help their students beat the odds,” she says, adding that the program continues to be groundbreaking because few music programs nationwide offer dedicated wellness programs, outside of a course or two. “We are one of the only colleges of music to have dedicated time and resources for a musician wellness program, including a full-time director. What Jim did to found the program and set it up in this way is now setting us up to continue to be a groundbreaking program in the future.”

Since taking over last fall, Gee has expanded the program by integrating her expertise as a doctor of physical therapy and yoga instructor, while collaborating more closely with embedded psychotherapist Matthew Tomatz to offer mind-body activities. She’s also looking for research opportunities to address occupational health disorders within the performing arts medicine community, as well as collaborating with the school’s wellness and sports centers.

The program has already shared a wealth of knowledge at international conferences, and, in Boulder, it continues to sustain creative expression through a greater understanding of body-mind practices.

Kimberly Nicoletti
Writer
kimberlynicoletti.com

Originally published in the winter + spring 2025-26 issue of Well.