Looking after performing artists’ physical and mental wellbeing

Suitable for 14-19-year olds (secondary and high schools, and college), this article and accompanying activity sheet can be used in the classroom, music clubs and at home.

This resource links to KS4 and KS5/Grade 9-10 and Grade 11-12 music and drama.

It can also be used as a careers resource and links to Gatsby Benchmarks (UK):
Gatsby Benchmark 2: Learning from career and labour market information
Gatsby Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers

• This teaching resource explains the work of Professor Aaron Williamon, a performance scientist at the Royal College of Music, London. He is supporting the health and wellbeing of performing artists through a range of collaborative and interdisciplinary projects.

• This resource also contains an interview with Aaron and offers an insight into careers in performance science. If your students have questions for Aaron, they can send them through the Futurum Careers website.

• The activity sheet provides ‘talking points’ (based on Bloom’s Taxonomy) to prompt students to reflect on Aaron’s research and challenges them to explore how emotions are intimately connected with performance.

This resource was first published by Futurum Careers, a free online resource and magazine aimed at encouraging 14-19-year-olds worldwide to pursue careers in science, tech, engineering, maths, medicine (STEM) and social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy (SHAPE).

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