{"id":6419,"date":"2015-08-23T23:00:55","date_gmt":"2015-08-23T22:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/?p=6419"},"modified":"2015-08-21T07:20:57","modified_gmt":"2015-08-21T06:20:57","slug":"performing-arts-medicine-how-can-it-add-to-ones-clinical-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/2015\/08\/23\/performing-arts-medicine-how-can-it-add-to-ones-clinical-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Performing Arts Medicine: How can it add to one’s clinical practice?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dr Farrah Jawad <\/strong><\/p>\n

The MSc in Performing Arts Medicine (PAM) at UCL provides a great opportunity to appreciate the issues affecting the performing artist and draw on similarities between performing artists and athletes.\u00a0 Performing artists train for many hours, sometimes in suboptimal conditions, and are subject to acute and chronic injury and illness just like athletes.\u00a0 As a part-time PAM MSc student whilst continuing with my full-time Sport and Exercise Medicine training, I have been learning about these issues pertaining to the performing artist in lectures and in seminars.<\/p>\n

\"orchestraLast term we had a seminar with David Hockings, Principal Percussionist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Head of Percussion at the Royal College of Music, who talked to us about the challenges musicians can face, often rehearsing and performing for many hours with insufficient lighting, adjustable seating, carrying heavy instruments and equipment in between performances, and more.\u00a0 There are vast ergonomic differences between instruments that make up a percussion section, let alone the entire orchestra, and there can be great variation in the types of injuries performing artists can sustain subsequently.\u00a0 The same, of course, applies to different dance disciplines and the MSc in PAM is a chance to consider all of this.<\/p>\n

I am about to enter my second year of the part-time MSc PAM course, which can be taken full or part-time.\u00a0 There is also a postgraduate diploma course available.\u00a0 There are eight compulsory modules which include:<\/p>\n