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News & events


BAPAM news | Events | BAPAM in the media | Previous events

BAPAM news

  • New posters, cards and leaflets from BAPAM
    We now have a set of 12 A5 posters available free of charge to anyone who can display them for us. You can preview them on our publications page and order copies of the posters online. You can also order mutliple copies of our credit-card-sized reminder cards, leaflets and the 2006 Annual Review.
  • BBC News piece on hypermobility
    Hypermobility affects many of the performers we see here at BAPAM. This BBC article features both Professor Howard Bird, Consultant Rheumatologist at our Leeds clinic, and famously hypermobile composer, Sergei Rachmaninov. Take a look here.
  • Performing Arts Medicine at UK Festivals
    During July and August, we travelled to The Big Chill, Rise, The International Festival of Emerging Artists, I Love Peckham and Lambeth County Fair to raise awareness of Performing Arts Medicine and BAPAM's services among performers working at the events.
  • Courses in Music Biology - Cardiff
    Dr Alan Watson runs a two-module evening class which deals with the psychological and anatomical basis of performance and related health issues. Aimed at musicinas, students musical and medical, and health professionals, it assumes no prior knowledge of biology but presents extensive specialist information from a uniquely musical perspective. Further details can be obtained from watsona@cardiff.ac.uk or the web pages of the Department of Lifelong Learning, Cardiff University.

    Module 1: Physical Principles of Instrumental Performance (Autumn Semester)
    Module 2: Singing and Wind-Playng: Hearing and Stress (Spring Semester)
  • Virtuoso Stress
    Here's an interesting item - the webcast of an experiment into performance stress, conducted at the London Science Museum's DANA Centre in June 2008, using bioengineered equipment to measure musicians’ heart rate, breathing rate and stress response as they perform. What exactly do virtuoso musicians go through when they play live before an audience?

    Look out for BAPAM's Health Promotion Officer, Sanchita Farruque!

    Click the link: http://www.danacentre.org.uk/events/2008/06/17/405

Events

  • Induction days
    The next induction days are scheduled for Friday 19th September and Friday 14th November at BAPAM's offices in London. The sessions will run from 9.15am to 4.30pm and are free of charge to participants (lunch is not provided). To apply for a place, or to find out more, email Clare Hicks: clare@bapam.org.uk

    Our induction days are an introduction for practitioners and specialists, teachers, and anyone else who is interested in the scope of BAPAM's work.
  • Training days
    On Saturday 8th November at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, BAPAM presents an event on health and the young musician. This conference is part of the RNCM's Music, health and happiness 3-day conference and practitioners associated with BAPAM will get a discount for the whole conference. Check www.rncm.ac.uk for details. You can register an interest in attending the BAPAM part of the conference by emailing Clare Hicks: clare@bapam.org.uk
  • International Symposium on Performance Science
    Organised by the Royal College of Music's Centre for Performance Science, the 2007 symposium was entitled 'Theories, Methods and Applications in Music'. Researchers and practitioners at every level were invited to submit papers on work exploring the interface between skilled artistry and scientific discovery. The proceedings are now available online. Click here to access this fascinating archive.

Bapam in the media
  • Classical Music magazine
    We have been mentioned twice in Classical Music magazine recently: in November 2007 (beta blockers) and in April 2008 (musicians’ hearing). Here is the article about beta blokers:

    Bottling it
    For many musicians, the pressures of appearing on stage or working in the pit are difficult to take without a little pharmaceutical help. John Robert Brown takes a look at the stage fright movement. Download 'Bottling it' article [6,336KB pdf file].

    To see a copy of the article on musicians’ hearing (26th April 2008 edition), contact the publisher, Rhinegold on 020 7333 1720
  • BMJ Careers Focus
    The BMJ Careers Focus published an article about BAPAM on 3rd November 2007. You can read the article on the BMJ website: 'Is there a doctor in the house? Ruth Hansford reviews the role of a charity providing medical support for musicians and artists'.

Previous events
  • Core Issues training day
    Friday 6th June at the Royal Society of Music in London. 'Core Issues': the day covered Health and Safety issues affecting performers, and included sessions on protecting hearing (especially with reference to the Noise at Work regulations now in effect) and core stability. Speakers included Paul Checkley (Harley Street Audiology Clinic), Bradford Backus (Royal College of Music) and Chris Clark (Royal Opera House). Speakers for the afternoon sessions will include John Tanner (British Institute of Musculoskeletal Medicine) and Elisa Withers (Australian Physiotherapy & Pilates Institute). For further details and to apply for this event, contact Clare Hicks: clare@bapam.org.uk
  • Psychological Issues training day
    Our training day on psychological issues affecting performers was held at the Royal Society of Musicians in London on 16th November 2007. It covered a wide range of topics including addictions, eating disorders, performance anxiety and so on, and looked at various therapeutic approaches as well as performers' views on these issues.
  • Heads and Necks training day
    The Heads and Necks training day, held in June 2007 at the RSM, was a very diverse conference covering everything from the cervical spine upwards: eyes, ears, nose and throat, faces and jaws, and headaches and migraines.
  • Training day on Dystonia
    In November 2006 we held a training day on the subject of musicians' focal dystonia. The training day, hosted in the impressive surroundings of Chetham's School of Music in Manchester and organised by Dr Jon Sussman of BAPAM's Manchester Clinic team, covered the science of dystonia, instrument-specific dystonias, and what treatments are available. We also heard from a musician – a brass player who had suffered from dystonia and is now performing again. It was a lively day and a welcome opportunity for our practitioners to explore this elusive subject.

    The cost of training days is £55 (£35 for students and free to BAPAM volunteers). To register an interest, email Clare Hicks: clare@bapam.org.uk