How to Keep Your Skin Healthy as a Performing Artist
Skin health is not about chasing an aesthetic ideal! Discover how performing arts professionals should keep their skin healthy online today with BAPAM.
Making a Positive Change Through Clinical Guidance
At BAPAM, we’re always striving to make a positive impact on individual performance and to help creative sector organisations. Learn how and why online here.
Performing Through Change – Performance Psychology and Menopause
Thank you to Dr Anna Waters for dedicating her BAPAM Performance Psychology guest blog to discussing how performers can navigate challenges of perimenopause and menopause from a performance psychology perspective. You can read Sophie Tott’s blog here and Dr June...
Thriving Through Change – Dr June Sheren
Thanks to Dr June Sheren, for contributing this companion piece to Sophie Tott’s blog sharing her experience of perimenopause as a DJ, Producer and Artist. You can read Sophie’s blog here. Dr Anna Waters has also written a companion piece about performance...
How To Build Healthy Performance Training into your Day to Day Routine
Healthy performance training keeps your body and mind feeling its best while also helping prevent injuries and burnout. Discover more and how to get started here.
How Performance Psychology Helps Prevent Injury
Did you know that strategies for meeting the psychological demands of your rehearsal schedule, expectations, and performances can also help you avoid physical injury? Our guest blog from Dr Anna Waters this month looks at the role of Performance Psychology in injury...
Why Ongoing Performing Arts Healthcare Practitioner Training Is Crucial
Performing arts healthcare training in the UK helps professionals support the mental and physical health of artists. Learn more about the benefits online here.
Short Days, Long Nights: How Performers Can Take Care in December
The dark winter days are here! How do you feel? The lack of light can affect how we think and feel. Read more about taking care of yourself in the winter here.
Ian Winspur, Obituary
We are saddened to announce the death of our trustee and colleague, Ian Winspur, who gave invaluable expertise and wisdom to BAPAM and our patients over many years. As an expert hand surgeon specialising in the care of musicians, Ian was a leader in the development of...
World Television Day: 5 Insider Tips For Working On Set
In honour of World Television Day, BAPAM shares five expert tips for staying healthy on TV sets. Learn how to thrive both on and off camera. Read more here.
40th Anniversary Press
Home » Main News We are thrilled to be celebrating BAPAM’s 40th anniversary in 2024. When the British Performing Arts Medicine Trust was founded in 1984 the vision was for doctors and health experts to work together with artists, researchers and educators to build a...
How to Practise Healthy Performance Training in the Winter
Do you have a healthy performance training routine for the winter? Check out BAPAM’s advice and health resources online today. Read more on the blog here.
Help keep BAPAM motivated for October!
75% of those working in the performing arts will face career-impacting physical or psychological health problems. Help BAPAM support a healthier, more sustainable creative sector.
Research: Removing The Fourth Wall – The Impact of Immersive Theatre on Actors’ Wellbeing
Home » London Researchers at University College London (UCL) are looking for actors who are working or who have previously worked in the immersive theatre genre to take part in a research study. Participation involves completing an anonymous online survey answering...
International Podcast Day 2024: Podcasts & Performing Arts
Happy International Podcast Day 2024! Celebrate with some of the best performing arts-related podcasts online. Read more and see top recommendations here.
From The Psychologist: Joined in Dance
Home » Main News For September 2024, the magazine of the British Psychological Society, The Psychologist, turned their focus to Science Communication. For this edition, the article Joined in Dance by BAPAM’s Monia Brizzi (Counselling Psychologist), and Dr...
Should Performers and Creative Professionals Have Non-Career-Related Hobbies?
Home » Archives for BAPAM When was the last time you got lost in a hobby? Life can be pretty busy. However, the benefits of non-career-related hobbies are too profound to ignore! Today, we’re examining why performing arts professionals should schedule time for...
Celebrating BAPAM’s 40th Anniversary
Home » Archives for BAPAM On 18 July, we were delighted to celebrate BAPAM’s 40th anniversary with a special event at the Royal College of Music. Friends and partners from across the performing arts, academic and medical community came together to celebrate four...
How Digital Minimalism Could Benefit Performing Artists
Home » Main News We won’t be the first to tell you that we’re all spending more and more time online! The average UK internet user spends around six hours and eight minutes online daily. Whether for work or leisure, it’s increasingly normal to scroll online for hours....
Research: Orchestral Musicians, Self-Care and Wellbeing
Home » Main News Researcher Sarah Gatford has put out a call for freelance professionals musicians in UK-based orchestras, to take part in her investigation into self-care strategies and their impact on wellbeing: Are you an orchestral musician? For my final research...
BAPAM Op-ed Published in Music Business UK Magazine
Home » Main News Protecting Our Performers: Why the Music Industry Needs an Occupational Health Service In the latest edition of MBUK, the leading trade magazine for the UK music business, our CEO Claire Cordeaux wrote about the industry’s need for an...
The Piano Trio Society mark BAPAM’s 40th Anniversary
Home » Main News This June, the Piano Trio Society shared a new article celebrating our 40th anniversary this year and covering the timeline from the 1984 founding, led by Dr Ian James, of the British Performing Arts Medicine Trust, the organisation that is known...
ABTT and BAPAM Launch First-of-its-Kind Guidance on Physical Health for Backstage Staff in Theatre
Home » Archives for BAPAM The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) and British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind resource dedicated to fostering good physical health for backstage practitioners in...
Summer Safety: Tips For Performing Outside in the Sun
Home » Main News From music festivals to outdoor productions, the summer months are busy for many performing arts professionals. Naturally, as the weather changes, your preparations and safety toolkit must also adapt to the warmer temperatures. You can’t rock up on...
Men’s Health Awareness Week 2024
Home » Main News When it comes to mental health statistics, it’s hard to know if the figures are representative of the true picture, especially as the data only tells us about mental health problems that have been reported, and not the cases that remain unrecognised....
Pride Month 2024
Home » Main News June is a time to unite, celebrate, and share identity Pride. As well as being a time to celebrate love, friendship and solidarity, Pride month is also a chance to raise awareness of the difficulties that LGBTQIA individuals and communities often...
Strategy, Routine and Your Best Performance: Berenice Beverley Zammit talks to Tahlia Norrish
Home » Main News In this guest blog, actor and writer Tahlia Norrish, talks with researcher, lecturer and violinist, Berenice Beverley Zammit about life as a professional musician, pre-performance routines, and the importance of physical fitness for performers....
On our Reading List: The Colour of Madness
Home » Publications As we come to the end of Mental Health Awareness Week, BAPAM’s Mental Health Ambassador, Anushka Tanna, highlights The Colour of Madness, an anthology of reflections on race and mental health that has been inspiring her work with BAPAM and our...
Mental Health Awareness Week: Moving More for our Mental Health
Home » Main News Today is the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, with this year’s theme being Movement: Moving more for our mental health To mark the week, we wanted to share a reminder about our upcoming mental health workshops with Help Musicians and Equity....
Mental Health Awareness Month With BAPAM
Home » BAPAM May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and BAPAM is taking the opportunity to spotlight the importance of speaking out about mental ill-health in the performing arts. From helpful resources to online events, we’re focusing on amplifying the conversation,...
Ways to Strengthen Your Freelance Career While Balancing Caring Responsibilities
Home » BAPAM Working in the Arts as Freelancers, Parents and Carers Pursuing a freelance career in the performing arts is complex and requires lots of planning and energy. When you add little ones into the mix, it may seem an even more daunting task. But it’s not...
Lay Member Sought for BAPAM’s External Mental Health Scrutiny Group
BAPAM is looking to recruit a Lay Member for our External Mental Health Scrutiny Group. What do we mean by a Lay Member? A Lay Member is someone who has personal experience of using health or care services. They may also represent a community affected by the...
BAPAM Reports Growing Need for Dedicated Performing Arts Health Service
Home » Archives for 2024 As we mark our 40th anniversary in 2024, the need for dedicated health support in the performing arts is greater than ever. We are thrilled to be celebrating BAPAM’s 40th anniversary in 2024. When the British Performing Arts Medicine Trust was...
PAMA Performance Arts Medicine Symposium, London, July 2024
Celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2024, BAPAM will co-chair PAMA’s 42nd international performance arts medicine symposium in London in July We are thrilled to be co-chairing the 42nd Annual PAMA International Symposium in London from 18-21 July. The symposium will...
Why You Should Put Rest First on World Sleep Day 2024
Home » Archives for BAPAM Do you fall asleep in seconds? Or do you need to count a few sheep before you drift off? To celebrate World Sleep Day, we’re looking at rest and relaxation and how it can affect your performing arts career. From the benefits of good...
How to Navigate Socialising as a Performing Arts Professional
Home » Main News As a performing arts professional, looking after your health is critical. But caring for your health doesn’t only involve getting good rest, eating a balanced diet, and checking in with your body. There’s scientific evidence that social relationships...
7×7 Journaling Challenge
Home » Creativity Our guest blog this month is by Nicky Torode, a coach, journaling facilitator and writer, who works with BAPAM on healthy practice training. Second month in. How have your 2024 intentions bedded in? Those needs and wants for the year...
5 Benefits of Attending BAPAM’s Online Events
Home » Performers When was the last time you joined an online event? Never? Don’t worry if online workshops are a foreign concept to you. You’re not the only one! Today, we’re looking at the many advantages of online events and what to do if you’re anxious about...Research: Career Identities and Wellbeing of Musical Theatre Performers
Home » Archives for 2024 Emma Risley is a Postgraduate Researcher from the University of Sheffield investigating the wellbeing of professional musical theatre performers in the UK. She is particularly interested in the role that identity plays within performers’...Research: Psychotherapists’ Experiences of Working with Clients Affected by Sexism or Misogyny in the Music Industry
Home » Research Researcher, Janine Ellis, is exploring the experiences of counsellors and psychotherapists working with clients who are affected by issues of institutional/interpersonal sexism or misogyny in the music industry. It aims to look at how prevalent these...
Malady in the Melody: Performance-related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Orchestras
Home » Orchestra Thanks to Dr June Sheren for contributing this article (adapted from Article for Lay Readership, Performing Arts Medicine Masters Dissertation 2022, UCL). Dr June Sheren is a Family Physician/General Practitioner from Singapore with special interest...
Bridging Mind and Body
Home » Main News Published in Therapy Today, BAPAM Counselling Psychologist, Monia Brizzi’s article Bridging Mind and Body describes how a complex systems approach helped a musician identify and understand the emotional roots of his physical symptoms. Thank you to...
Today is National Stress Awareness Day
Home » Main News Anushka Tanna: BAPAM Mental Health Ambassador I think it would be fair to say that stress is something we are all familiar with. Afterall, it is ubiquitous and unavoidable, and something that we will all experience throughout our lifetime. Due to the...
September Spotlight: Neurodiversity Within The Creative Sector
Home » Main News This September, BAPAM is spotlighting neurodiversity, what it means to be neurodivergent, and how you can navigate the creative industry. Many professionals within the performing arts and creative world are neurodivergent, but support and systems...
The Perfect Embouchure – The Maurice Porter Exhibition and Website
Home » Main News For any Brass and Woodwind players seeking a perfect embouchure, and health professionals working with them, the new Exhibition and associated website created by the British Dental Association (www.bda-porter-embouchure.com) is a must. We are grateful...
Stepping Up: Beginning Higher Education in the Performing Arts
Home » Education Taking the next step in your education is a significant achievement, especially when embarking on a degree-level course. After finishing your exams, preparing audition pieces, auditioning for several universities, and practising your skills over the...
BAPAM Health Resources Pack: Free to Teachers and Educators
Home » Main News During September and October, we are offering a free BAPAM Health Resources pack to UK-based teachers and colleges. Ideal for displaying in classrooms, rehearsal rooms, backstage, and sharing with colleagues and students, the pack contains printed...
Staying Healthy While Touring: Edinburgh Festival and Fringe 2023 Guide
Home » Main News Summer is finally here, and for many performers, this means it’s time to get out there and tour. There’s nothing quite like being on the road with like-minded artists and creators. From honing your performances through nightly shows, to taking in some...
JOIN OUR TEAM – Recruiting Helpline Administrator
Home » Archives for 2023 We are looking for an administrator to answer calls and emails from patients contacting BAPAM. Ideally you will have administrative experience in healthcare, experience of talking to patients on the phone and an understanding of the performing...
Poster: “Post” COVID 19 Pandemic Presentations in Performing Arts Medicine: Managing Boundaries and Meeting Need
Home » Main News BAPAM CEO, Claire Cordeaux presented this poster at the PAMA (Performing Arts Medicine Association) Symposium in New York, July 2023. A downloadable pdf version is available here BAPAM Service BAPAM provides clinical assessment and therapies to...
Why Performers Should Frequently Check In With Their Health
Home » Main News Each individual has their own health needs, and everyone’s ‘own best health’ differs. Within this spectrum of health, as an artist and performer, maintaining your personal optimal condition is essential to giving your best performance....
Get this Journal Started!
Home » Main News Our guest blog is by Nicky Torode, a coach, journaling facilitator and writer, who works with BAPAM on healthy practice training. Heard all the buzz about journaling? Perhaps, you’ve started and stopped? How do you journal and really feel the...
“The Show Must Go On” Mentality & How It Affects Creatives
Home » Performers Have you ever heard anyone utter, “The show must go on?” If you’ve worked in a creative field, you’re probably nodding your head. Whether there’s been a costume malfunction or the set has collapsed, performers and artists are always ready to give...
Ed Sheeran Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles
Home » Musicians When you see a famous singer performing and smiling with the press, many quickly dismiss the possibility of hidden mental health struggles. However, Ed Sheeran has recently spoken out about his struggles with depression and how he turned to drugs as a...
BAPAM, MU, Tonic Rider and YCAT launch mental health month for early career musicians
Home » Main News Reprising Last Year’s Mental Health Campaign: for the second year running, a group of leading charities launch a mental health campaign for early career musicians. The Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) are partnering with the Musicians’ Union (MU),...
Long Covid Q&A
Home » Main News Collected information following our recent long Covid webinar. If you would like to stay informed about future events please subscribe to our email newsletter. We send approximately one email per month and do not share your email address with anybody...Mike Shipley (1948-2022)
Home » Main News Dr Michael Edward Shipley, Consultant Rheumatologist, UCHL, BAPAM Mike Shipley, who died on 15 July 2022, had a lifelong interest in music and the performing arts, and as Consultant Rheumatologist at University College Hospital, London, it was...
PAM Rounds: CPD From UCL Performing Arts Medicine
Home » London PAM Rounds is a new series of face to face events bringing together health professionals and students to discuss performing arts medicine clinical cases. Organised by the UCL MSc Performing Arts Medicine department led by Dr Hara Trouli, PAM Rounds will...
Face to Face Performing Arts Medicine Clinics: Open for Booking Around the UK
Home » Main News BAPAM’s free face to face clinics around the UK are back up and running. Work or study in the performing arts and have a health problem impacting your practice? We can help. BAPAM provides free, expert clinical advice to musicians, actors,...
Peter Leathem, PPL CEO and Chair of the BAPAM Board of Trustees awarded OBE
Home » Health In his Majesty the King’s New Year Honours List, Peter Leathem has been awarded the honour of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (“OBE”) for services to the music industry. Leathem has been a director of PPL since 2006 and was appointed to the...
Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual
Home » Musicians Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual is to be published by Omnibus Press on 23 March 2023 in paperback and eBook. The paperback edition is available to pre-order now at https://touringmanual.com, Omnibus Press have kindly offered...
Research: Acrobat Participants Wanted
Bethany Shum is a Physiotherapist, conducting research that explores sources of pain, pain perception and pain self-efficacy among acrobats as part of MSc in Performing Arts Medicine at UCL. Acrobats can contribute by completing an online questionnaire (10-15...
Research: Emotional Experiences of Training in Musical Theatre at Drama school.
Bethany Dickinson, at Queen Mary University of London, is seeking participants for her research project on the emotional experiences of Musical Theatre graduates during their time at drama school. Bethany is interviewing participants aged 18 and over, who are not...
Research: Are You a Musician Playing Through Pain?
Researcher, Noudy Eleryan, at Cardiff University is investigating methods that musicians use to manage their playing-related pains, aches and injuries. Proficient instrumental musicians (e.g., an amateur, a hobbyist, or a professional musician) or university-level...
BAPAM Physiotherapists at 2022 Commonwealth Games
First ever clinical placement in performing arts medicine: a ‘massively exciting project, with a global reach’ Throughout the 2022 Commonwealth games, BAPAM Physiotherapists worked with Physiotherapy students from the University of Birmingham to look after...
BAPAM Launch New P.E.R.F.O.R.M.A.N.C.E Training Programme
Three-quarters of performers and creators experience health problems that impact their work, ranging from minor inconveniences to career-limiting conditions. Many of these conditions could be prevented by healthy practice. P.E.R.F.O.R.M.A.N.C.E highlights some of the...
Event Report: Visual Health in the Performing Arts
Event organisers, Dr Naomi Norton (Associate Lecturer in Music Education and Musicians’ Health and Wellness Coordinator at the University of York) and Sheryl Doe (Dispensing Optician, Allegro Optical), report on the ‘Visual Health in the Performing...
Managing Social Media: Advice for Creative Artists
Social media is so much part of our everyday lives. For artists and creators, social media can feel essential for promoting your work, building or presenting your artistic ‘identity’, staying up to date with collaborators, jobs, labels, promoters, agents,...
BAPAM Physiotherapists Oversee Performer Support at 2022 Commonwealth Games.
In a performing arts medicine first, coordinated by BAPAM physiotherapist, Dr Sarah Upjohn, and Judith Coe of the University of Birmingham School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, BAPAM physiotherapists are overseeing support for performers at the...
Advice on ASD and ADHD Assessments
We advise all patients seeking diagnostic assessments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to access these via the NHS in the first instance. Follow up treatment, if required, is generally provided by the NHS and...
New BAPAM Performing Arts Medicine Clinic in Belfast
We are delighted to announce that thanks to the hard work of BAPAM GP and Ulster Orchestra medical adviser, Dr Christine Hunter-Lavery, we start our face to face performing arts medicine clinic in Belfast this month. The monthly clinic offers specialist performance...
Research: Musicians’ Experiences Using Beta-blockers for Music Performance Anxiety
Are you a musician aged 18 or over? Do you use, or have you used beta-blockers for performance anxiety? Would you like to take part in a research project and receive a £10 Amazon voucher? Researchers at University College London (UCL) are recruiting...
Publication: Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Musicians
BAPAM-registered chartered physiotherapist Dominique Royle sent us her recent article which explores the management of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMD) in musicians. First published in In Touch 178 (spring 2022), which focused on occupational health,...
Join Research on Experiences of Music Students Through COVID-19 and Impacts on Health and Wellbeing
Hannah Dsouza, a Manchester based specialist physiotherapist who is currently researching for an MSc in Advanced Physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) is looking for UK based music conservatoire students to participate in her project, The...
Visual Health in the Performing Arts
Thursday 7 July, University of York, Department of Music Dr Naomi Norton, Allegro Optical and BAPAM present an event bringing together performing artists, clinicians, medical device manufacturers, and arts health and wellbeing organisations. Performing artists have...
Research: Meditation for Music Performance Anxiety
Serena Paese is a PhD student at the University of York conducting research on the use of meditation as a tool to counteract music performance anxiety. Serena is recruiting participants for a study on the effects of meditation on music performance and music...
Counselling for Dance Professionals from BAPAM and Dance Professionals Fund
Home » Dancers Mental health support from BAPAM and Dance Professionals Fund Eligible dance professionals can now access up to 6 sessions of free counselling, funded by Dance Professionals Fund and provided by BAPAM’s expert performing arts-specialist therapists. The...
Heathy Practice – Achieving your Goals for a Healthy Creative Career
Working in the performing arts is physically and psychologically demanding. There is a high risk of encountering health problems but proven techniques and strategies can help you keep well and achieve your creative goals. BAPAM have years of experience working with...
Call for Research Participants: Career-Changing Injury and Illness in Elite Professional Dancers
Painsong: A narrative study of career-changing injury and illness in elite professional dancers, with implications for clinicians Researcher, Jeremy Leslie-Spinks, is looking for former professional dancers whose careers were ended or radically changed by injury or...
Research: Healthcare for Injured Pianists
Healthcare for Injured Pianists – Invitation to a research project David Harvey is researching pianists’ views and experiences of access to healthcare for injuries that limit playing. David is a professional pianist and final year trainee Osteopath at the...Specialist Voice Assessment for patients in Northern Ireland
Are you a professional singer or voice user in Northern Ireland with a voice problem requiring a specialist clinical assessment? BAPAM, the medical charity that provides specialist medical assessments and advice to professional and student performing artists,...
Sustainable Creative Careers: Your Own Best Health – Evelyn Glennie
Picture: Evelyn Glennie by Jim Callaghan For the first in a new series of articles on maintaining our own best health, solo percussionist (and BAPAM patron) Dame Evelyn Glennie spoke with us about looking after mind and body while managing the pressures of global...
Guest Blog: What I Would Tell My 25-Year Old Self
Our guest blog is from yoga teacher and flautist Veronika Klirova who joins our Community Drop In on 1 February teaching Musicians’ Yoga to Manage Anxiety. Nearly eight years ago, I started a new job at one of the symphony orchestras in the UK. I was fresh out of...
Recruiting: Executive Medical Director
The British Association for Performing Art Medicine (BAPAM) is seeking an Executive Medical Director for 2 days a week (Monday essential) to support our growing clinical service for performing artists. A unique national CQC-registered charity, our purpose is to look...
Research: Playing Related Pain, Exercise and Mood
Are you currently a conservatoire student in the U.K. or Ireland? Have you experienced playing-related pain? Claire Austen, a Msc in Psychology student at the University of East London, is investigating the effects of a musician-specific exercise programme on...
Research: Self-reported Voice Problems and Coping Strategies in Western Classical and Carnatic singers
Aparna Ramachandran is a PhD researcher at City, University of London, a trained Indian Classical singer, and a Speech and Language Therapist specialised in singers’ voices. She is conducting research into “Self-reported voice problems and coping...Performance Science Research Post at Schulich School of Music, Montreal
Applications are invited for the position of Assistant or Associate Professor of Applied Performance Science Research at the Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Applications are to be reviewed in early December 2021. Information for...
Guest Blog: Things Musicians Don’t Talk About – Musicians Injury Awareness Week
With their first Musicians’ Injury Awareness Week taking place 15 – 21 November, classical music podcast Things Musicians Don’t Talk About focus on musicians’ stories of how health challenges affect their lives within our arts spaces and culture. In...
Call for papers: MHPC22, Oslo, September 2022
Submissions on musicians’ and performing artists’ health and performance are invited to the conference, Musicians’ and Performing Artists’ health and performance Integrating body and mind (MHPC22), in Oslo 22–24 September 2022. The MHPC22 will be a...
New Hearing Health Infographic
Produced with Dr Finola Ryan (Specialist Registrar in Occupational Medicine and UCL Performing Arts Medicine MSc graduate), our new infographic looks into three levels of hearing-related health, providing guidance on how to prevent hearing problems, as well as what...
British Voice Association Course: The Contemporary Commercial Music Singer
Course name: The Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) Singer Date: Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 November 2021 Venue: BVA@home online event Details: Singers, singing teachers and voice health professionals with an interest in the CCM performer’s voice and work cannot miss...
Take Part in the Fit Musician Survey
Performance Consultant, professional violinist and PhD candidate at the Royal College of Music, Berenice Beverley Zammit is researching instrumental musicians’ health through the Fit Musician Survey. Read on for more information on taking part…...
BAPAM At Sound of Belfast
BAPAM joins discussions about musicians’ support needs and services in Northern Ireland throughout a packed programme at Sound Of Belfast, taking place 4 – 18 November. The event combines live music with online and in person conversations and panels celebrating the...
Creativity and Wellbeing Training Sessions with PRS Members’ Fund
You must be a PRS member to register for this event. You can register for multiple events in this series here: Creativity and Well-being Workshops Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite As part of PRS for Music’s On with the Show campaign, BAPAM and PRS Members’ Fund...
Guest Blog: From Dancer to Osteopath by Toby Pollard-Smith
In our guest blog, Osteopath and former professional ballet dancer, Toby Pollard-Smith, considers his journey from dance to healthcare, and strategies for working collaboratively with performing artists to solve problems. Who am I and how did I get here? I am an...
BAPAM Joins Scotland’s Music Convention, Wide Days
On 12 – 13 August, BAPAM joined Scotland’s music convention, Wide Days, as a charity partner. 200 delegates from 23 countries around the world took part. We were delighted to share essential knowledge for healthy and sustainable creative careers in presentations...
Choice For Voice: British Voice Association Conference 2021
Virtual 3-day conference: 3-5th September 2021. BAPAM is very proud to be hosting a wonderful panel of experts in vocal health this week at the British Voice Association Choice for Voice Conference. The theme of the conference is ‘Crossing Boundaries in...
Hypermobility in Instrumental Musicians
Performance specialist physiotherapist Lucie Rayner, looks at hypermobility in the context of the unique physical demands placed on the musculoskeletal system by playing a musical instrument, and introduces strategies for hypermobile musicians to help mitigate the...
Research: Manual Therapists’ Perspectives of Caring for Injured Dancers
Researcher, Paula Andrade is recruiting physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors with experience of working with dancers for a qualitative study looking to broaden knowledge and improve healthcare for this underrepresented population. The study will form part of...
BAPAM Presentations at the Performing Arts Medicine Association Symposium 2021
BAPAM was very well represented at the PAMA symposium this year with no less than 6 presentations by BAPAM Practitioners and staff. Health Promotion Claire Cordeaux (BAPAM CEO) and Dr Pippa Wheble (GP Assessor and Trainer/Facilitator of our online Community Drop In...
Risk Assessment for Performing Arts Freelancers Returning to Workspaces after COVID-19 Lockdown
Most performers and many other workers in the performing arts are freelance and will be working in many different environments as we return to work following the COVID-19 lockdown. The environment you will be working in will be doing their own risk assessment, but if...Research: The Physical and Psychological Aspects of Being a Professional Orchestral Musician
A research team at the School of Psychology at Queen’s University-Belfast are conducting a project to examine the physical and psychological aspects of being a professional, working-age (18-65) orchestral musician in the UK or Ireland and how they interfere with daily...Studying the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dance Freelancers’ Mental Health and Wellbeing
If you are over the age of 18 and work as a dance freelancer, you may be eligible to participate in this research study. This is a collaborative research project between the University of Birmingham, One Dance UK and the National Institute of Dance Medicine &...
The BAPAM Vocal Rehabilitation Coach Project
In 2017 Vocal Rehabilitation Coach, Dane Chalfin, highlighted to BAPAM the benefit of singing rehabilitation coaches as part of the multidisciplinary team in specialist Voice Clinics which treat professional singers. At the time, there were a very few singing...
Empowering Transgender Voices Through Singing
Countertenor, teacher and LGBTQ+ advocate, Alexander Pullinger, was awarded a bursary by Sound Connections to research a pressing issue within classical singing, one that has profound health implications for the performing arts and society as a whole. Singing is well...
Patient Information Sheet: Mental Health Support for Musicians and the Music Minds Matter Scheme
Mental health is complex, and mental ill-health varies from performance anxiety, generalised anxiety and depression to more complex, enduring or acute conditions. There is no “one size fits all” solution. Mental health support for musicians BAPAM provides mental...
Research: Performing Artists’ Mental Health During Covid-19
Tanja Roos, researching at The University of Sussex Psychology School, is looking for performing arts professionals (including students), aged 18 or over, and based in the UK to fill out a 15-minute survey into their mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic. The...
BAPAM CEO Claire Cordeaux on Elevate Music Podcast
BAPAM join Elevate Music Podcast to explore how musicians can prepare for a return to live performance after a break In this final episode of the current series of the excellent Elevate Music Podcast, musician Lauren Aquilina talks about her experience of returning to...
The Hands-On Approach of Osteopathy and the Performing Arts Physician
Written by Dr Damon Murgatroyd MB ChB FLCOM, Osteopath, Dip MS Med Dr Damon Murgatroyd is a Fellow of the London College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he is a member of the education faculty and is a technique tutor there. He has worked in general practice and...
10 Tips for a Healthy Spine
Home » Archives for 2021 BAPAM Flexible Spine – Community Drop In Sitting for extensive periods of time at our computers and practicing more often now that lockdown restrictions are easing goes hand in hand with putting extra strain on the spine. This may...
Thinking about joining the MSc in Performing Arts Medicine?
PhD candidate, lecturer and trained actor, Julia Grieshofer, researches actors’ mental health at UCL. From June 2021/22, she joins the UCL MSc in Performing Arts Medicine team to lead the Psychology module on this programme, which over the past 10 years has grown into...
Perfectionism in Performing Artists
PhD candidate, lecturer and trained actor, Julia Grieshofer, researches actors’ mental health at UCL. From June 2021/22, she joins the UCL MSc in Performing Arts Medicine team to lead the Psychology module on this programme. Recently, she was invited as a speaker on...
Managing a return to performance
In part 4 of our article series covering aspects of returning to performance environments, and building up work schedules and routines in the light of the COVID 19 pandemic and lockdowns, Dr Naomi Brecker, Consultant Occupational Physician, considers the vital role of...
Returning to live performance: Why programme choice matters
In this blog, Dr Sarah Upjohn EdD MA MCSP, Specialist Performing Arts Physiotherapist, looks at how programme planning, including choice of repertoire, is important for instrumental musicians returning to or building up performance. In my work as a physiotherapist...
When the curtain goes up again: Injury prevention for dancers
Part 3 of our article series covering aspects of returning to performance environments and building up work schedules and routines in the light of the COVID 19 pandemic and lockdowns. BAPAM Physiotherapist Lucie Rayner looks at injury prevention for dancers, and...
Chief Executive’s Message, April 2021
The first few months of 2021 have been one of the busiest times in BAPAM’s history of clinical services. Rising mental health problems, preparing to return to busier work schedules and environments, plus difficulties accessing NHS services mean more people need...
Returning to work in the performing arts after having COVID-19
This article by BAPAM Physiotherapist, Lucie Rayner, is the second in our series covering aspects of returning to performance environments, and building up work schedules and routines in the light of the COVID 19 pandemic and lockdowns. We will update the article...
When the curtain goes up again: Building our fitness to perform
The global pandemic has brought unprecedented disruption to our lives over the last year. To protect public health and reduce disease transmission, we have endured stay-at-home orders and strict quarantines. Those who work in the Performing arts industry have been...
Long COVID: Patient Experience and Support Groups
Long COVID is an umbrella term that describes a cluster of symptoms related to an initial COVID infection where symptoms persist after the acute infection phase. It appears that Long COVID can affect the whole body including the respiratory, cardiovascular,...
Reflecting on Actors’ Mental Health and Resilience
This guest blog is written by PhD candidate, lecturer and trained actor Julia Grieshofer. Her research at University College London focuses on actors’ mental health and their resilience. Julia, after completing a BA in Performing Arts and Digital Communication...
Substance Use Amongst Working Musicians – A Research study
Participants are being sought to take part in a research study looking at the prevalence of substance use amongst working musicians. Anyone interested in taking part is being asked to fill in a questionnaire. The study forms part of PhD student Jeordie Shenton’s...
Eating Disorders in Musicians
By Dr Charlie Easmon Performers may be perfectionists and perfectionists are more prone to mental health problems and included in this are eating disorders. In at least 50% of people with eating disorders there is an existing mental health disorder of depression or...
RSM and BAPAM Healthy Practice Webinar Series 2021
This exciting 12-part webinar series has been carefully curated to focus on specific areas that can affect musicians’ health during their careers. Each session brings together specialist practitioners who are experts in their field of performing arts medicine. It is...
Sound Advice: Rhian Jones and Lucy Heyman talk Healthy Music Careers
Written by journalist and author Rhian Jones and vocal and performance coach & musicians’ health specialist Lucy Heyman, Sound Advice is a health-focused career guide for musicians working in the popular music industry. It features research-informed advice and...
Musicians’ health and wellness literature considered through the lens of the Behaviour Change Wheel
Researcher, lecturer and musician, Dr Naomi Norton’s paper ‘Considering musicians’ health and wellness literature through the lens of the Behaviour Change Wheel’ was published in the Journal of Music, Health, and Wellbeing in Autumn 2020. Naomi completed a PhD...
Free Online Alexander Technique Constructive Rest Sessions
To help artists and creative practitioners during the COVID-19 outbreak, BAPAM-Registered Alexander Technique teacher Cathie Kidger offers two free online Constructive Rest sessions a week. Cathie told us, people have been hugely appreciative and said it helped to...
Recruiting: Clinical Lead Mental Health
The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) is recruiting a Clinical Lead Mental Health for a project in partnership with Help Musicians which provides counselling/psychotherapy support to musicians. BAPAM is building on our successful long term...
BAPAM clinicians featured in Healthy Conservatoire Network site
A few of BAPAM’s clinicians have been featured in a new series of Healthy Performer films put together by The Healthy Conservatoires Network (HCN). The organisation which aims to support environments that promote and enhance the health and wellbeing of performing...
Season’s Greetings From BAPAM
As we approach the end of 2020 we would like to wish you a wonderful Christmas and New Year. It’s been a challenging year and we hope that 2021 will be better one for the performing arts. It was good to see many people join us at our online community drop ins and...
BAPAM Factsheet – Mental Health Support in a Crisis
As Christmas approaches and many offices including our own close for a few days to end 2020, we are very much aware that the need for mental health support amongst performers won’t change. Indeed at BAPAM during the course of this year we have seen a big...
Research Project on Musicians’ Health and Musician’s Focal Dystonia
Participants invited to take part in survey Anna Detari is a professional flautist and PhD researcher at the University of York, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Her research primarily looks at the previously unexplored links between psychosocial...
Training as a Therapist: My Experience
BAPAM’s new bursary scheme, in partnership with Help Musicians and PPL, provides support, funding and supervised placements for Black, Asian and minority ethnic performers and professionals in the music industry to undertake training to become a registered...
Self Care Tips for Creatives
Before becoming a counsellor, Denise Devenish grew up in a family steeped in the music industry and has been surrounded by musicians and people who work in the music industry her whole life. She has sung professionally, worked as a performer, and has a degree in arts...
Bursaries Supporting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Music Professionals Training as Counsellors and Psychotherapists
Home » Archives for 2020 BAPAM (the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine) has launched a new bursary scheme to improve cultural competence in therapy for individuals from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities working in the UK music industry. The...
Recruiting: Health Promotion Training Assistant
The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) is the largest provider of performing arts medicine in the UK. In the last year we have doubled the amount of health education we provide to support performance professionals to avoid health problems that...
Practitioners Online CPD Report: Lockdown Health of Performance Professionals
A vital element of our mission at BAPAM is supporting the development of clinical standards for healthcare in the arts, and sharing expertise with clinicians, healthcare and education professionals who support performers and creative practitioners. Although we miss...
Research on Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Diseases Among Musicians
Researcher Lisa Wetzlmair is studying Cardiovascular and pulmonary disease risk, health beliefs and knowledge among performing musicians and music students. She is hoping this demographic can help support the study by taking part in an online survey which has ethics...
Singers, Musicians and Hearing loss
Singers, instrumentalists, actors and performance professionals throughout the arts are understandably worried when they experience hearing problems, and often contact BAPAM with concerns about their ability to perform and work. If you read this article and take one...
Online Group Therapy for Performers during Lockdown
Over this lockdown period, as an additional support for creative practitioners with mental health concerns, BAPAM piloted offering a short online group therapy programme. Following these sessions, we spoke with Dr Tamara Karni Cohen, a GP and BAPAM Assessing...
BAPAM Healthy Practice Training Programme – what did the attendees say?
We have been offering three monthly sessions on “Keeping mentally well”, “ Preventing Injury” and “Vocal Health” since March. These have been very well attended online and we plan to continue to provide these for free in to 2021. BAPAM sent an evaluation form to the...
COVID-19 in Performing Arts – Impact, Challenges, Mitigations & Return To Normal Webinar
The webinar on the afternoon of 14 October 2020 was chaired by Dr Rickard Moen, the International Chair of the Society of Occupational Medicine, in conjunction with BAPAM. He started off the event by saying that culture is a hugely important part of our society, which...
Creativity and Motivation!
Participants at our Community Drop-in have spoken about the difficulty of finding the motivation to create new work during the COVID-19 outbreak and our facilitator Dr Pippa Wheble programmed a session on creative practice as a means of thinking about and developing...
Booking Open for BAPAM Online CPD Training Series
BAPAM training events are a key resource for healthcare and education professionals. We explore key topics in current performing arts medicine practice and share unique insights into performance health and wellbeing. The approach is multidisciplinary: physiological...
Creative Minds and Mental Health
Creative Minds and Mental Health or Keeping Mentally Well was the title of my discussion as a Panelist for BAPAM’s Healthy Practice Series in August 2020. Who am I to be asked to be a Panelist discussing such a topic? A fellow creative (Actress, Writer, West End...
Mental Health, the Creative Industries & Me: How to Cope in 2020 – Mandy Panel Session with BAPAM and ABTT
This Thursday, 17th September, BAPAM GP, Dr Tamara Karni Cohen, joins Mig Burgess of the Association of British Theatre Technicians for a Facebook Live panel session with the Mandy Network centred on mental health in the creative industries. Tamara and Mig will...
UPDATED FAQ: Returning to Performing Arts Work post-COVID 19 Lockdown
This list of frequently asked questions covers some of the key issues around returning to performance work after Covid-19 lockdown, but if you have other queries, please email them to info@bapam.org.uk with the subject Risk Assessment and we will put them to our team...
Introducing Mental Practice Skills: Focus, Imagery & Vision – Community Drop-In
Home » Main News This week’s blog draws on some helpful messages from our Community Drop-in which has been running over summer as part of our training and education programme. In the early sessions, some participants mentioned that they were struggling to find the...
We welcome Specialist Pain Physiotherapist to the BAPAM Directory
We at BAPAM are very fortunate to have an extensive list of health professionals on our Practitioners Directory, all of whom are experienced in helping creative professionals with health problems related to their work. The list contains over 200 health professionals...
Breathing for health and wellbeing – Community Drop In
Our Community Drop-in has been running all summer, facilitated by Dr Pippa Wheble and we’ve been delighted to have over 130 participants to date. Each participant has a copy of our Healthy Practice Diary and is encouraged to set goals and to use the sessions to...
Fundraising in Memory of Luke Westlake
We would like to offer our condolences and thanks to the family of actor, Luke Westlake, who are fundraising for BAPAM in Luke’s memory. These donations make a very real difference to our service, helping us to provide clinical consultations to performers with...
Summer 2020 Newsletter
Our Summer 2020 Newsletter is now available to read online. This edition features: Free Online Healthy Practice Training Sessions and Community Drop-in Covid-19 Advice Anxiety Management BAPAM 2019 Annual Review Updated Factsheets Articles and Press You can read all...
Applications to join the BAPAM Directory Invited from Music, Drama and Art Therapists
The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) is a highly regarded specialist charity supporting health in the performing arts through free clinical services, expert training, essential resources and clinical leadership. Our Directory lists...
A new age digital production – Labyrinth Project
Home » Main News A unique and interactive theatre production which promises to challenge, test and help the audience uncover secrets about themselves starts today. The Labyrinth Project is a 7-day digital experience where viewers navigate through a maze full of twists...
Managing Anxiety about Creative Work in the Covid 19 Pandemic
In this guest blog, BAPAM counsellor and therapist, Fiona Macbeth, offers practical advice for arts workers experiencing anxiety about work during the Covid 19 pandemic. There’s a lot that people who work and create in the performing arts could be doing, and should...
Free Online Alexander Technique Constructive Rest Sessions
Home » Main News Cathie Kidger, who is a BAPAM Registered Alexander Technique teacher, is offering free 30 minute Alexander Technique Zoom sessions to help artists and creative practitioners during the current pandemic. Cathie first had Alexander Technique lessons...
New BAPAM Website Launched
Home » Main News New BAPAM Website Launched For the past few months we’ve been focusing on creating a user-friendly resource and information hub for BAPAM’s unique specialist health support services for the performing arts and we are delighted to launch our new...
Fit to Sing! BAPAM Vocal Health Factsheet Updated
Whatever your style of singing and whatever your repertoire, you should take a holistic approach to your practising and performing. Our Fit to Sing! factsheet covers 12 tried and tested tips for healthy singing and has been updated for 2020. We are grateful to Millie...
FAQ: Returning to Performance Work After the COVID-19 Lockdown
Home » Dance This list of frequently asked questions covers some of the key issues around returning to performance work after Covid-19 lockdown, but if you have other queries, please email them to info@bapam.org.uk with the subject Risk Assessment and we will put them...
Warm Up Exercises for Musicians: 2020 Update
The go-to resource for musicians preparing to perform, our new and improved Don’t Cramp Your Style: Warm-Up Exercises for Musicians factsheet is now available online. These essential tips and warm up exercises for musicians are designed to prepare you for...
What happens during BAPAM community drop-in sessions?
Our weekly sessions started at the beginning of June and are designed to help performing artists to set goals and stick to healthy practice routines. It includes new techniques and strategies to help maintain mental and physical health now and into the future. Book...
Healthy Practice Community Drop In
Healthy Practice Community Drop In – supporting you to develop and sustain your healthy practice as a performing artist Knowing what you should do to keep healthy is one thing, adopting healthy practice as routine in your life is another. It can be hard to...
Return to work and study: Post COVID-19 Occupational Health Service for the Performing Arts
For more information contact claire.cordeaux@bapam.org.uk As lockdown eases and students and professionals start to return to work and study, institutions will need, in addition to their health and safety responsibilities, to assess the level of fitness to work and...
Managing Anxiety: BAPAM CBT Group for Performing Artistes
During the current social distancing period, we are pleased to be working with Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Dr Sidrah Muntaha, and GP, Dr Tamara Cohen, to offer free online group therapy for mild to moderate anxiety. This 6 session programme is for performance...
Healthy Practice Resources
As a companion to our Healthy Practice Webinar Series, here are collected BAPAM resources to plan and sustain healthy creative practice: Healthy Practice Diary Knowing what you should do to keep healthy is one thing, this diary is aimed at helping you to adopt healthy...
Mental Health Awareness Week 2020
Even at the best of times, maintaining good mental health while sustaining a career in the arts presents unique challenges. The current pandemic disrupts our communities, creative practices and ability to earn a living, and brings significant...
Free Online Symposium on Alexander Technique
Current Scientific Research and Models for the Alexander Technique A free online symposium outlining current scientific research and models for the Alexander Technique is taking place on Monday 18th May. The event has been shared by BAPAM Registered Alexander...
BAPAM Hearing Conservation Guidelines for the Performing Arts
The need to establish an effective hearing conservation strategy was spearheaded by the Healthy Conservatoires Network and was then developed by clinicians working with BAPAM. The launch of the document in March 2020 follows a consultation period which took place...
BAPAM Offerings During COVID-19
Home » Archives for 2020 BAPAM is continuing to offer clinical services during the outbreak by telephone and video consultation. We regret that for reasons of patient and staff safety, and in line with other health services, we are unable to offer face to face...
Music Support Partners With Mental Health App Offering 1000 People Free Access
Music Support, a peer-led music industry charity is partnering with the only NHS approved mental health app called Thrive offering free downloads for 1,000 people via their website. This is recognition of the impact COVID-19 crisis will be having on vulnerable music...
Online Survey on How COVID-19 is Impacting the Arts
On 1st April an online survey was launched by a research team based at the Royal College of Music and Imperial College London looking at the way COVID-19 is impacting the arts and cultural sectors. The study which is being coordinated by the HEartS research team is...
Mental Health Resources for COVID19
BAPAM GP Dr Tamara Karni Cohen has put together a list of resources on how to protect and look after yours and others’ mental health during this pandemic. These resources include apps and website from the UK as well as further afield. 1. From Australia,...
New BAPAM Clinic at Sage Gateshead
We are delighted to be working with Sage Gateshead who will host our new free Performing Arts Medicine clinic from Thursday 9 April as part of their programme supporting creative artists. Our GP, Dr Melanie Grundy, who also has a background in music and theatre arts,...
Coronavirus Advice for Performing Arts Workers and Organisations
GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public NHS 111: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 Corona Advice for Musicians http://www.coronamusicians.info/ Support and advice for all musicians – collaboration between Help Musicians, the...
Covid 19: BAPAM Services Update
Home » Archives for 2020 As a result of coronavirus (Covid 19), BAPAM is currently delivering all clinical assessments by telephone. Please do contact us if you have a health problem relating to your performing art and we will schedule a telephone consultation with a...
Orchestra Musicians Required for Research
A PhD researcher based at Liverpool John Moores University and a 5th year physiotherapist student based in France are looking for participants to take part in a study about pain in musicians. The pair are specifically looking at pain beliefs in orchestra musicians....
BAPAM is Recruiting!
Home » Archives for 2020 We are looking for regional administrators to support BAPAM’s work in Northern Ireland, Scotland, North of England (covering Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool), West Midlands and Cardiff.) You will support the running of BAPAM’s regional...
Report: Australian Society of Performing Arts Health Conference 2019
It was a great privilege to be invited to Sydney to speak at the Australian Society of Performing Arts Health (ASPAH) conference at the end of 2019, and inspiring to hear about the great practice happening in Australia. The conference Lasting the Distance: a Lifetime...
Ballet Dancers Needed for an Online Survey
Home » Archives for 2019 Are you a professional ballet dancer, studying the art form or an amateur performer? If this is you, then your experience may help contribute towards initiatives which will help the health and performance of dancers in the future. Dancers are...
BAPAM Registered Psychotherapist Moves to Bath
Home » Archives for 2019 BAPAM registered Psychotherapist Alison Penfold who had a successful practice in London for years has moved to the city of Bath. Before retraining and becoming a BACP Accredited Integrative Therapist, Alison worked as a classical singer. She...
Laryngeal Manual Therapy (LMT) and Head and Neck Massage: BAPAM Guidance
In the light of recent press about a death following manipulation (www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-50397867) and the publication of research last year on the dangers of head and neck massage if practised by improperly trained salon employees...
Hearing Conservation Guidance for the Performing Arts: A Consultation
Home » Hearing BAPAM has produced new best practice guidance for hearing conservation in the performing arts. You can download the consultation document here. The guidance is being consulted on until February 2020. All comments are very welcome and respondents are...
Crafted Talks – Peer Led Discussions for Performers
A singing and vocal coach from Manchester is organising an event aimed at facilitating an open discussion around the challenges performers have faced during their careers. Kathy Brooke is behind the idea of “Crafted Talks” which was inspired by her personal experience...
Free Health Assessments for Performers in Liverpool
If you make a proportion of your living from, or study in the performing arts, and have a physical or psychological health problem related to your work, BAPAM can help you. A specialist monthly clinic in Liverpool is available for performers. The clinic is led by GP...
Keeping the Performing Arts Workforce Healthy: Performing Arts Health Champions
Research into poor mental and physical health within the performing arts workforce consistently finds that 70-75% of our population report both mental and physical health problems. That’s much higher than the national average. Over 80% of arts professionals are...
Research: The Wellbeing of Musicians Across the Lifespan
Musicians sometimes spend a lot of time looking at what is wrong, which can give more energy to challenges and create a downward spiral. Positive psychology is influenced by the idea that in spending more time focusing on what’s right, we allow ourselves to...
Guest Blog: Getting to Know Your Emojis : )
Psychotherapist, Fiona Macbeth In a guest blog for BAPAM, psychotherapist Fiona Macbeth considers the importance of emotional awareness for performers and some simple techniques for managing overwhelming feelings. Fiona ran the counselling service at one of the bigger...
Have Your Say on The Government’s Occupational Health Consultation
Home » Main News You may not have heard about the current government consultation: “Health is everyone’s business: proposal to reduce ill-health related job losses”. The consultation seeks views on different ways in which government and employers can take action to...
BAPAM Welcomes PR Guru Jonathan Morrish as New Trustee
Home » Main News BAPAM is very lucky to be adding to its list of trustees, a real stalwart in the world of public relations. Jonathan Morrish started in the music industry as a freelance music writer in the seventies, contributing to a number of different...
BAPAM Nominated for Industry Minds Awards
Home » Main News BAPAM has been nominated for its work in supporting the mental and physical health of those working in the performing arts industry. The nomination is part of the inaugural Industry Minds Awards which takes place this September. Industry Minds is a...
Healthy Performance Training Series
BAPAM is proud to announce the start of a series of training sessions for performers to keep them healthy and able to sustain a performing arts career. The sessions kick off in Belfast at the Oh Yeah Music Centre this September, with more planned in cities across the...
Mental Health and Wellbeing Services for Performing Artists: Guidance for the Performing Arts Sector
Consultation Paper BAPAM is pleased to have brought together a working group of clinicians and performing arts organisations interested in addressing challenges to the mental health and wellbeing of those who work in the sector. The group has produced guidance to...
Day Dedicated to Performing Arts Medicine
Attended by doctors, physiotherapists, osteopaths and a number of students and professional performers, PAM day at UCL offered time for networking and discussions on the health and rehabilitation of performing artists. The day consisted of talks by experts in...
BAPAM Flying the Flag Stateside at PAMA 2019
This report gives a small flavour of some of the highlights of a packed conference programme with content covering all forms of the arts and many of the conditions that performing artists suffer from. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear from experts across the...
Alexander Technique Research Update
If you’re interested in the ergonomics of musicianship then you may remember a previous post where we featured the research of Alison Loram. Alison is a violinist and BAPAM-registered Alexander Technique teacher working with performers. Alison is also a research...
Healthy Touring Checklist and Rider
Home » Health Promotion British Association for PERFORMING Arts Medicine Healthy Touring Checklist and Rider Introduction This guidance provides practical advice for artists and performers on keeping healthy while touring or working away from home. It is a...
BAPAM Resources Used in PhD Research on Pain and Discomfort in String Players
The International Journal of Music Education has published an article based on a PhD research which featured a BAPAM produced health resource. The research looked at playing-related discomfort and pain among two groups of music students in a higher education...
Musicians Wanted for UCL Masters Research
Professional and amateur violinists and viola players are being sought for a study as part of a master’s thesis research project for the MSc Performing Arts Medicine programme at University College London. The study by Sarah Lesjak will investigate how changes to the...
Contemporary Dance and Injury workshop
A day dedicated to contemporary dance and injury management is taking place in the capital on 9th June. The event geared specifically for the dance community will take place at Core Clapton in East London. The workshops will be led by dance professionals, plus...
Musical Theatre Acts Raise Mental Health Awareness in the Industry
A group of singers who have featured in musicals in London and around the UK will be getting together for a special cabaret show to raise funds for BAPAM. The aim of Music for the Mind – which takes place on Tuesday 4th June – is to help tackle mental health in...
Fundraising Concert for BAPAM Featuring Two Harpsichords
BAPAM relies heavily on the generosity of key funders for delivering specialised services to the performing arts community. We are also equally grateful for many individuals and local groups who also support us through fundraising at events such concerts and talks. On...
Performing Arts Medicine (PAM) Day 2019
There’s less than a month to go until a one-day course providing an introduction to Performing Arts Medicine. The annual PAM day is aimed at health professionals, performers, those studying and working in health sciences and performance academies. PAM day will...
NHS Specialist Voice Clinics Vocal Rehabilitation Coach Pilot
BAPAM is excited to announce the start of a new pilot project, in which we are funding a Vocal Rehabilitation Coach (VRC) to work alongside clinicians in NHS Professional Voice User Clinics. Vocal health problems in singers and actors are often multifactorial,...
NHS Specialist Voice Clinics Vocal Rehabilitation Coach Pilot
BAPAM is excited to announce the start of a new pilot project, in which we are funding a Vocal Rehabilitation Coach (VRC) to work alongside clinicians in NHS Professional Voice User Clinics. Vocal health problems in singers and actors are often multifactorial,...
Event Report: Occupational Health in the Performing Arts Industry – The Original Gig Economy
Health in the performing arts industry – whose responsibility? Every year BAPAM helps with hundreds of inquiries about health problems related to working in the performing arts. These include musculoskeletal problems caused by strain and intensive use of parts of the...
BAPAM Psychosocial Working Group
BAPAM has convened a Psychosocial Working Group to bring together clinicians including doctors, clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors, charities working with performing arts professionals to support mental health, and academics conducting key...
Hand Surgeon and Professor of Piano Joint BAPAM Clinic
There are intrinsic relationships between health and performance excellence, and educational and clinical expertise in the performing arts. In overcoming medical problems, specialist diagnostic and medical expertise can be complemented by performance technique and...
New Clinics in Liverpool and Belfast
As part of our commitment to reach and support performers throughout the UK, we are pleased and excited to announce new regional clinics, this time in Liverpool and Belfast starting in May 2019. BAPAM are delighted to be working with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic...
The Relationship Between Occupational Demands and Well-Being of Performing Artists: A Systematic Review
Simone Willis, a Performance Science researcher at Cardiff Metropolitan University, has shared with us this recently published paper on the relationship between occupational stress and well-being in performing artists. The aim of this systematic review was to...
Psychosocial Practitioner Peer Supervision Group
BAPAM is pleased to support the Peer Supervision Group for psychosocial practitioners who work with performing arts clients. This group, whose inaugural meetings took place in 2018, opens up the conversation between performing arts and psychological practice. It is...
A Major Event in Occupational Health
Home » Musicians Are you a freelance performer, regularly working on short contracts and short-term engagements? BAPAM in collaboration with the Occupational Medicine Department of the Royal Society of Medicine is organising an event looking at Occupational health in...
The Relationship Between Occupational Demands and Well-Being of Performing Artists: A Systematic Review
Simone Willis, a Performance Science researcher at Cardiff Metropolitan University, has shared with us this recently published paper on the relationship between occupational stress and well-being in performing artists. The aim of this systematic review was to...
Open Evening for Performing Arts Medicine Course
Are you a health professional and have an interest in working with performers? Or you may already treat some performers and want to be able to give them the best treatment possible. Then an open evening on 13th March is your chance to find out more about UCL’s...
BAPAM Regional Clinics Update!
We’re excited to unveil more specialist BAPAM medical assessments for performing artists at our regional clinics in Birmingham and Glasgow during the month of March. Birmingham In addition to the musculoskeletal clinic led by BAPAM physio Louise Curley on 8th and 22nd...
Call for Research Participants
Are you a professional musician and do you engage heavily with social media and social networking sites? Tom Wegg-Prosser, final year MSc student in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths University is looking for solo artists, lead singers, dance and...
Trustee Recruitment
We are are looking for skilled and experienced individuals to join our Board of Trustees and help guide the organisation in assuring service quality, developing new and existing partnerships and expanding our services throughout the performing arts industry. To apply,...
January 2019 Newsletter
Our January 2019 Performing Arts Medicine Newsletter is archived here. Contents: New clinics Healthy practice training for performing arts professionals and students BAPAM and the Royal Society of Medicine Event: Occupational Health in the Performing Arts Industry:...
Free Health and Wellbeing Webinar Series with ISM
Tuesday 5th February to Tuesday 26th February We have teamed up with the Incorporated Society of Musicians to present a series of free webinars looking at musicians’ health. Our performance health experts will lead the sessions, exploring solutions to problems...
Clinical Governance Toolkit
Home » Archives for 2019 British Association for PERFORMING Arts Medicine Clinical Governance Toolkit Introduction Check our health resources for more advice and resources, including guidance on warm-ups, physical and mental health, vocal health, nutrition and...
Occupational Health in the Performing Arts Industry: The Original Gig Economy
Registration for this event is now open. Training arts professionals in healthy practice skills is vital, but we believe that healthy individuals also require systematic support from the industry that is built on their work. The majority of workers in the performing...
Performing Arts Medicine (PAM) Day
It’s been a busy year for all things Performing Arts Medicine (PAM). Here’s a look back at one of the highlights of the year. The annual PAM DAY 2018 was held at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health on 21st July and organised by the Department of Performing...
BAPAM Performance Environment Day
What would an ideal performance environment look like? Is such a thing even possible when we work in such widely different spaces? How do our environments affect our health, our creativity, our social relationships? What can healthcare professionals, technicians,...
A Nod to BAPAM’s Work in October’s Edition of Classical Music Magazine
Home » Archives for BAPAM A write-up about BAPAM concluded a series of articles on health and wellbeing in the prestigious music publication. Our charity was the focus of a two page spread and was described as the umbrella organisation which is the “go-to point” for...
Do It Differently
A brand new fund has been set up to support the careers of 20 independently-driven music creators by one of BAPAM’s major funders Help Musicians UK. The Do it Differently fund is being called the most comprehensive support for this group of performers yet. Worth a...
Music Promoter Skiddle Chairs Mental Health Panel
BAPAM Director Claire Cordeaux was invited to be part of a panel at an event organised by music event promoter Skiddle. The panel discussion was titled mental health in the music industry and was organised off the back of a survey the promoter had conducted amongst...
Rock and Pop Weekend 2018
A who’s who of voice experts will be gathering at the British Voice Association’s weekend workshop in London for singers, vocal coaches and voice professionals this November. Geared especially for the genres of rock and pop, a range of some serious big hitters from...
Top Tips for Those Considering a Career in Psychotherapy
Psychotherapist and music industry consultant Tamsin Embleton of Embleton Psychotherapy shares some top tips for those considering a career in psychotherapy. It’s a guide Tamsin created following conversations with musicians and other professionals within the...
Surge in Demand for Backstage Therapists Due to Pressures of Social Media
The pressures of performing in today’s social media culture means more and more therapists are working backstage to support performers in need according to an article in the Sunday Telegraph. BAPAM registered psychotherapist Helen Brice who is featured in the article,...
BAPAM Training Day: The Performance Environment
Home » Archives for 2018 The countdown is on for BAPAM’s last Training Day of the year, which draws on experts from across the performing arts industry, medicine, education and research. This year’s event takes place on Saturday 17th November in London and focuses on...
August 2018 Newsletter
Read our August 2018 Newsletter here Scotland clinics Arts Specialist Psychologists and Psychotherapists PPL CEO Peter Leathem Appointed BAPAM Chairman BAPAM Training Day: The Performance Environment Forthcoming...
BAPAM featured in Pianist Magazine
Home » Archives for 2018 The internationally renowned Pianist magazine has devoted a four page article on healthy piano playing and what to do when injury strikes, giving a nod to the work BAPAM has been doing in the field. The article written by journalist and former...
Arts Health Practitioners in Focus: Arts Specialist Psychologists and Psychotherapists
Arts Health Practitioners in Focus: Arts Specialist Psychologists and Psychotherapists In collaboration with key partners in the industry, BAPAM is developing a framework for best practice in mental health care and support in the performing arts. When we asked...
Alison Loram Muscle Function Research Published
Home » Archives for BAPAM Alison Loram is a BAPAM-registered Alexander Technique teacher with expertise in the technique’s application to performance and practice, and ergonomics of instrumental playing/singing. She is a graduate of UCL’s Performing Arts Medicine MSc,...