Raising the Bar: Learning and Thriving in the Spotlight | Aaron Williamon, Royal College of Music, London

Few pursuits are as dynamic and enjoyable as making music. The results of recent research, however, suggest that stress and anxiety are widespread among musicians and that healthy approaches to training and working in music are far from uniform throughout the profession. This lecture will review the latest developments in the field of performance science to examine how musicians can equip themselves with skills to manage the constant pressure to excel. For that to happen, music educators, administrators and policy makers must play an active role in providing supportive environments where health and wellbeing is considered integral to professional music training.

Aaron Williamon is Professor of Performance Science at the Royal College of Music in London.