Royal Liverpool Philharmonic has partnered with UK charity Help Musicians to launch ‘A Symphony of Good Sense’, a pioneering new toolkit designed to support the physical health and wellbeing of orchestral musicians.
Authored by BAPAM clinician and educator, Dr Sarah Upjohn, a leading UK musicians’ physiotherapist, ‘A Symphony of Good Sense’ provides physiotherapists and healthcare professionals with comprehensive information to help tailor health and wellbeing provision to musicians’ needs.
Musicians face high injury rates, which can lead to significant negative impacts on their performance, health, wellbeing and careers. Multiple research studies over decades demonstrate that 77-89% of professional orchestral musicians may experience injuries. In response, the partners have produced additional guidance for professional orchestras to help introduce physical health programmes for their musicians.
‘A Symphony of Good Sense’ identifies common playing-related injuries across each section of the orchestra and outlines practical approaches to implement meaningful risk-reduction strategies, promote early identification of work-related musculoskeletal issues and speed recovery to ensure long-term occupational health.
The new resource highlights the BAPAM Directory of Practitioners as an essential tool for those seeking specialist physiotherapists and other clinical experts experienced supporting orchestral musicians, and signposts to BAPAM’s free clinical services providing diagnostic assessment and occupation-specific health care.
Liverpool Philharmonic, which employs over 80 professional musicians in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and In Harmony Liverpool, has been a pioneer in transforming the support enabling musicians to thrive artistically and personally through its Musicians’ Performance and Wellbeing programme. Launched in 2015, the programme provides a comprehensive range of physical and mental health support, and wide-ranging professional development opportunities such as training and performance psychology. The organisation has worked closely with the charity Help Musicians, BAPAM (British Association for Performing Arts Medicine) and the higher education and performance science sectors to advance the knowledge base in musicians’ health and wellbeing in the UK and internationally.
‘A Symphony of Good Sense: An Introduction for Physiotherapists Working with Orchestral Musicians’ can be accessed here: https://www.bapam.org.uk/a-symphony-of-good-sense-toolkit/
‘Supporting Physical Readiness in Orchestral Performance: Guidance for Orchestras’ can be accessed here: https://www.bapam.org.uk/orchestral-performance-toolkit/
Peter Garden, Executive Director of Performance and Learning at Liverpool Philharmonic said: “Our world class musicians are central to providing exceptional performances and activities week in week out that entertain, inspire, move and engage thousands of audiences and participants. It is vital that we do all we can to create the environment and conditions in which they can thrive as artists and enjoy long, healthy and sustainable careers. We are incredibly grateful to Sarah Upjohn, our friends at Help Musicians, BAPAM, and everyone who has enabled the creation of ‘A Symphony of Good Sense’. We hope it will both inspire and provide practical help for orchestras and physios to improve the support for musicians’ health and wellbeing in the UK and beyond.”
Sarah Woods, Chief Executive at Help Musicians said: “A career in music can be exhilarating but there are risks too; injuries can be common and with many musicians working as freelancers, this can have a devastating impact on both career development and financial stability. Since 1921, safeguarding musicians’ health has been at the heart of what we do at Help Musicians. That’s why supporting the research behind Symphony of Good Sense has been so crucial to our work to prevent issues which can derail careers. Helping to ensure that musicians have healthy, long lasting careers; bringing us all such joy from their creatively for many decades.”
Dr Sarah Upjohn said: “When Liverpool Philharmonic and Help Musicians approached me to write something that would help physiotherapists who are not used to working with musicians, we decided it had to include some musical terminology to make physiotherapists aware of the sort of language used in the classical music industry. As a result, I might be the first physiotherapist ever to have written a Symphony…Writing this has been a fantastic process and a team effort: from first draft to final document, we have incorporated feedback from insightful, knowledgeable and generous colleagues from around the world. The finished document looks amazing, and importantly, is an absolute goldmine of useful information. Lovely Musician Colleagues: I hope that it helps enable positive change.”
Dr Finola Ryan, Executive Medical Director, British Association for Performing Arts Medicine said: “Bringing together occupational health principles and performing arts medicine, I strongly support these guidelines as part of an orchestras’ health risk management strategy. Although the physical demands of professional playing cannot be completely avoided, these recommendations give orchestras practical tools to implement meaningful risk-reduction strategies and promote early identification of work-related musculoskeletal issues. If orchestras are unable to work with a physiotherapist specialising in performing arts medicine, this detailed guidance for physiotherapists new to working with orchestral musicians provides practical implementation support for orchestra managers and offers valuable resources in supporting musicians’ occupational health and sustainable careers.”
‘A Symphony of Good Sense: An Introduction for Physiotherapists Working with Orchestral Musicians’ can be accessed here: https://www.bapam.org.uk/a-symphony-of-good-sense-toolkit/
‘Supporting Physical Readiness in Orchestral Performance: Guidance for Orchestras’ can be accessed here: https://www.bapam.org.uk/orchestral-performance-toolkit/
About Sarah Upjohn EdD MA MCSP HCPC Registered
Sarah is a Performing Arts Medicine Physiotherapy Practitioner, Researcher and Educator, working mainly with instrumental musicians. She has extensive clinical experience in assessing & treating playing-related musculoskeletal injuries in instrumental musicians, and she is passionate about injury prevention, and promoting musculoskeletal well-being in musicians.
Sarah is the physiotherapist at The Purcell School for Young Musicians and well-being lead for the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain. She is an assessing clinician and educator for BAPAM and is a member of the Steering Group of the Healthy Conservatoires Network. Additionally, Sarah regularly contributes to teaching within a variety of UK music education (pre -conservatoire and conservatoire) settings. She has a Doctorate of Education from the University of Cambridge, and has had her research findings accepted for presentation at National, International and World Conferences (UK National Physiotherapy Conferences – 2012, 2017 and 2019, International Conference on Performing Arts Medicine – The Hague 2018, International Society of Music Education World Conference – Baku, Azerbaijan 2018, Musicians Health and Wellbeing Conference – Oslo 2022, Performing Arts Medicine Association International Symposium – New Orleans 2020, London 2024, Washington DC 2025).
About BAPAM
British Association of Performing Arts Medicine: BAPAM: https://www.bapam.org.uk
BAPAM is a British Charity. It can provide rapid access to a variety of health practitioners experienced in working with performing artists. Initial consultations are either face to face or online, and are free. This initial consultation can signpost a player to what is needed next. BAPAM’s website has extensive resources for musicians and clinicians, including training, CPD, factsheets, etc.
About Help Musicians
Help Musicians is powered by a love of music, which is why we empower and support those who create it.
For over 100 years, Help Musicians has been working hard to make a meaningful difference to the lives of musicians across the UK. With over 70% of the UK’s musicians working in a freelance capacity and 43% earning less than £14,000 a year from music, it’s a precarious profession often filled with ups and downs. Opportunities are hard-won whilst challenges come along all too easily, with unsteady income and physical and mental health concerns common issues.
Today, the charity provides modern solutions to new and timeless challenges. From health services and business upskilling to financial grants that unlock opportunities, we’re here to help and support musicians to thrive in their careers and lives.
Help Musicians is entirely funded by music lovers. If you love music, join us to support all who make it possible. Donate today: www.helpmusicians.org.uk
About Liverpool Philharmonic
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is one of the country’s leading music organisations with a mission to transform lives through music. First established in 1840, it is the largest music organisation and one of the largest cultural organisations in the city of Liverpool.
At the heart of Liverpool Philharmonic is the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the UK’s oldest professional symphony orchestra, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir. The historic, Art Deco Liverpool Philharmonic Hall is one of the UK’s leading concert halls and regularly hosts internationally acclaimed artists. The Music Room venue allows audiences to get closer to live music and experience local and emerging artists. Together, both venues present around 400 diverse concerts and events each year from classical, rock, pop, folk and jazz concerts, to comedy, film and spoken word.
Rooted in the city, Liverpool Philharmonic’s extensive learning programme is recognised as a leader in its field for quality, reach and impact. 60,000 young people participate in Liverpool Philharmonic’s learning and community engagement programmes each year and over 21,500 people living with mental and physical ill-health have benefited from the ground-breaking Music and Health programme run in partnership with the NHS.
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
The award-winning Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is the UK’s oldest continuing professional symphony orchestra. The origins of the Orchestra’s concert series date back to the formation of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic by a group of Liverpool music lovers in 1840.
The Orchestra is central to Liverpool’s cultural offering and presents over 100 concerts each season in its home, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, as well as concerts in venues across the region. Liverpool Philharmonic premieres and commissions significant numbers of new works by major international composers, and also supports and mentors a range of emerging composers from Liverpool and the North West.
Liverpool Philharmonic has long been an ambassador for Liverpool through an extensive touring schedule throughout the UK and internationally, including their most recent tour of Japan in May 2024, and through broadcasts and recordings. Over 10 million people listen to Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra recordings on Spotify. Collaborations with international artists from rock and pop have included Sir Paul McCartney, and other major artists from Liverpool such as Elvis Costello, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra received the 2024 Gramophone Classical Music Award in the orchestral category, making this their third Gramophone Award. Other notable recognitions including: Association of British Orchestra’s Award, South Bank Sky Arts Award for Classical Music, two Royal Philharmonic Society Awards, a BBC Music Magazine Award and many more.
Domingo Hindoyan joined the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as Chief Conductor in September 2021 and from the outset has enjoyed a hugely successful partnership with the Orchestra. His contract has now been extended to 2028. Together they have performed critically acclaimed concerts at home in Philharmonic Hall and on tour in venues including The Royal Albert Hall and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. The Orchestra and Hindoyan have also achieved recording success with four internationally celebrated albums since 2021. Hindoyan joins a distinguished line of musicians who have led the Orchestra during its illustrious history including Max Bruch, Sir Charles Hallé, Sir Henry Wood, Sir Malcolm Sargent, Sir John Pritchard, Sir Charles Groves, Libor Pešek KBE and Vasily Petrenko.