Flourish

Dr Naomi Norton joins us to share her journey and discuss how we need to rethink musicians' health and wellbeing so that musicians can flourish.

Find out more about Naomi: https://www.york.ac.uk/arts-creative-technologies/people/naomi-norton/

Check out the ISME Musicians' Health and Wellness Special Interest Group: https://www.isme.org/our-work/special-interest-groups/musicians-health-and-wellness

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Show your support by following us on Instagram (@musicians.flourish) or giving us a 5-star review on your podcast streaming platform. Find out more about our project at https://musiciansflourish.org

Hosted by Michelle Robinson

Produced by Matty Johnson

Directed by Akiho Suzuki

Flourish is generously funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any health-related concerns or medical conditions.

In this special episode, we welcome back Dr Raluca Matei to discuss her new position paper on health promotion in tertiary music education.

The paper was presented in July 2025 at the First Global Summit on Occupational Health in Music, hosted at John Hopkins University. The presentation can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR2sPBSVXog

The final paper is currently being prepared for publication in an open-access peer-reviewed journal. More information about the process, including the full list of co-authors and contributors, can be found at https://sbastep2.wixsite.com/postn-papr-health-ed

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Show your support by following us on Instagram (@musicians.flourish) or giving us a 5-star review on your podcast streaming platform. Find out more about our project at https://musiciansflourish.org

Hosted by Michelle Robinson

Produced by Matty Johnson

Directed by Akiho Suzuki

Flourish is generously funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any health-related concerns or medical conditions.

As musicians, it is common to feel that you have to practise a certain amount every day. Or that more practice is the key to feeling more confident on stage. But is this really true? In this episode, pianist, neuroscientist, and researcher Dr Edoardo Passarotto unpacks these issues by sharing his findings on the links between practice and anxiety, and the potential dangers of practising excessively.

Find out more about Edoardo on his website: www.edoardopassarotto.com

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Show your support by following us on Instagram (@musicians.flourish) or giving us a 5-star review on your podcast streaming platform. Find out more about our project at https://musiciansflourish.org

Hosted by Michelle Robinson

Produced by Matty Johnson

Directed by Akiho Suzuki

Flourish is generously funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any health-related concerns or medical conditions.

Dr Céleste Rousseau shares her experiences as a physiotherapist and a researcher working with orchestral musicians to prevent musculoskeletal disorders.

Find out more about Céleste on her website: https://celesterousseau.fr/

Other links:

• French Association for the Health of Performing Artists (Association Française pour la Santé des Artistes de Performance): https://afsap.fr/
• Podcast "I broke a leg" co-hosted by Cèleste (French only): https://podcast.ausha.co/i-broke-a-leg-2

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Show your support by following us on Instagram (@musicians.flourish) or giving us a 5-star review on your podcast streaming platform. Find out more about our project at https://musiciansflourish.org

Hosted by Michelle Robinson

Produced by Matty Johnson

Directed by Akiho Suzuki

Flourish is generously funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any health-related concerns or medical conditions.

Content warning: This episode contains discussions of mental health issues including suicide.

In this episode, Dr George Musgrave joins us to discuss the wellbeing challenges associated with working in the music industry today.

Find out more about George on his website at https://www.drgmusgrave.com/

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Show your support by following us on Instagram (@musicians.flourish) or giving us a 5-star review on your podcast streaming platform. Find out more about our project at https://musiciansflourish.org

Hosted by Michelle Robinson

Produced by Matty Johnson

Directed by Akiho Suzuki

Flourish is generously funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any health-related concerns or medical conditions.

Pianist, teacher, and researcher Isabella Mazzarolo joins us in this episode to discuss how music studio tutors can help their students manage performance anxiety.

Read some of Isabella's work:

• A rapid music performance anxiety scale that can be used by musicians and educators
• A systematic review on music educators and performance anxiety

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Show your support by following us on Instagram (@musicians.flourish) or giving us a 5-star review on your podcast streaming platform. Find out more about our project at https://musiciansflourish.org

Hosted by Michelle Robinson

Produced by Matty Johnson

Directed by Akiho Suzuki

Flourish is generously funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any health-related concerns or medical conditions.

In this episode, Dr Raluca Matei discusses the complexity of health and how we need to take a broad, holistic approach if we are to support musicians's health - and this includes taking a look at cultural norms and traditions in Western classical music that are often accepted without questions.

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Show your support by following us on Instagram (@musicians.flourish) or giving us a 5-star review on your podcast streaming platform. Find out more about our project at https://musiciansflourish.org

Hosted by Michelle Robinson

Produced by Matty Johnson

Directed by Akiho Suzuki

Flourish is generously funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any health-related concerns or medical conditions.

Musicians' focal dystonia is a task-specific neurological disorder that is characterised by uncontrollable movements and can appear in any part of the body which plays a role in sound production (e.g., hands, embouchure). In this episode, Dr Anna Détári shares what she has learnt about MFD through her research and her own experiences with MFD as a professional flautist.

Find out more about Anna and her work on her website: https://www.musicians-focal-dystonia.com/

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Show your support by following us on Instagram (@musicians.flourish) or giving us a 5-star review on your podcast streaming platform. Find out more about our project at https://musiciansflourish.org

Hosted by Michelle Robinson

Produced by Matty Johnson

Directed by Akiho Suzuki

Flourish is generously funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any health-related concerns or medical conditions.

How common are musculoskeletal conditions among musicians? What are the risk factors? In this episode, epidemiologist and physiotherapist Dr Jessica Stanhope discusses these questions by sharing findings from her PhD research.

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Show your support by following us on Instagram (@musicians.flourish) or giving us a 5-star review on your podcast streaming platform. Find out more about our project at https://musiciansflourish.org

Hosted by Michelle Robinson

Produced by Matty Johnson

Directed by Akiho Suzuki

Flourish is generously funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any health-related concerns or medical conditions.

Musicians are often under pressure to deliver outstanding performances, which can lead to performance anxiety. In this episode, Dr Veronika Jana Lubert shares her knowledge and experiences as a researcher, psychological coach, and violinist on how we can apply techniques from sport psychology to help musicians perform their best under pressure.

Find out more about Veronika on her website (https://www.veronikajanalubert.com/en/home/) or her LinkedIn page (https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronika-lubert/).

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Show your support by following us on Instagram (@musicians.flourish) or giving us a 5-star review on your podcast streaming platform. Find out more about our project at https://musiciansflourish.org

Hosted by Michelle Robinson

Produced by Matty Johnson

Directed by Akiho Suzuki

Flourish is generously funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any health-related concerns or medical conditions.