The aim of this research is to provide a theoretical framework of the Alexander Technique for organists. Frederick Matthias Alexander was an Australian actor who developed a technique to enable and enhance his own performance. This innovative technique is now used across the world, including South Africa. In this study the researcher provides a Literature Study of the Alexander Technique. Furthermore, he investigates and reports on the practises of a number of organists. A multiple case study approach was adapted and data was collected by means of questionnaires, personal observations and informal interviews. The data gathered in this study is described and analysed. The study culminates with a description of a theoretical framework for the application of the Alexander Technique for organists.

Occupational burnout is a concern to the health and longevity of clergy and musician careers. However, no known study has assessed occupational burnout among pastoral musicians. A literature review revealed pastoral musicians anecdotally experienced multi-tasking, workplace politics, inequality of workload, competing liturgical styles, lack of job security, lack of financial security, and lack of rest, among other indicators of burnout. Therefore, the aims of this paper were to: (1) describe pastoral musicians as a population; (2) identify the prevalence rate of burnout among pastoral musicians; (3) investigate the relationship between pastoral musicians' burnout and religious coping; and (4) investigate the relationships between pastoral musicians' burnout and depression, anxiety, and stress. In 2021, an online questionnaire was designed to assess burnout among pastoral musicians. Dissemination techniques included emails to members of the Hymn Society of North America and via social media to collect data from pastoral music directors in the United States of America. The survey yielded n = 1,050 respondents: 83.8% experienced one or more symptoms of burnout (41.3% with low efficacy; 12.4% with high emotional exhaustion; 21.3% with high cynicism; 8.8% with burnout). Ineffectiveness was positively correlated with negative religious coping. Emotional exhaustion and cynicism were positively correlated with negative religious coping. COVID-19 affected 91.3% (n = 936) of pastoral musicians. This study contributed quantitative and qualitative analysis to pastoral musician research. Findings demonstrate burnout is prevalent among American pastoral musicians.

Jusqu’à 93% des musiciens sont affectés par des troubles musculo-squelettiques liés à la pratique instrumentale, dont particulièrement les violonistes qui combinent les facteurs de risque principaux : une posture asymétrique et contraignante, le maintien d’une charge (le violon et le membre supérieur gauche) dans une position quasi-statique, la répétition de mouvements à haute vitesse et la pression des doigts (sur le manche de l’instrument), tous entrainant l’accumulation de fatigue musculaire. Il est crucial d’aménager leur environnement de travail afin de réduire l’accumulation de la fatigue. Les dispositifs d’assistance au mouvement sont utilisés dans le milieu industriel pour réduire les activations musculaires et potentiellement ralentir le développement de la fatigue musculaire. La modification de la dynamique de l’environnement des violonistes via l’application d’une force antigravitationnelle nécessaire au maintien du membre supérieur gauche et de l’instrument pourrait cependant perturber leurs mouvements et affecter leur performance musicale. L’objectif de ce projet de maîtrise est donc d’évaluer l’adaptation motrice à un dispositif d’assistance au mouvement en comparant (O1) la cinématique et (O2) l’électromyographie des membres supérieurs et du cou ainsi que (O3) la performance musicale avec et sans assistance. Quinze violonistes issus d’orchestres professionnels et de programmes de cycles supérieurs en interprétation musicale ont été recrutés. Les participants ont été équipés de 61 marqueurs réfléchissants et de 11 capteurs électromyographiques pour enregistrer leurs mouvements et activations musculaires. Afin de quantifier l’adaptation motrice, les violonistes ont répété une séquence musicale de 13 secondes sans (contrôle), avec (adaptation), et sans (post-adaptation) assistance par un dispositif passif (Kinova O110, Boisbriand, QC, Canada) exerçant une force antigravitationnelle au niveau du coude gauche. Les conditions ont été répétées une semaine plus tard pour évaluer la réadaptation. Neuf à douze mois plus tard, les participants ont écouté des enregistrements audio de leur performance avec et sans assistance et ont évalué leur performance musicale en aveugle. Des modèles linéaires mixtes ont été utilisés afin de comparer la cinématique, l’électromyographie et la performance musicale des conditions avec et sans assistance. L’augmentation de l’erreur angulaire de tous les degrés de liberté du membre supérieur gauche suggère que l’utilisation d’un dispositif d’assistance au mouvement a perturbé la cinématique des violonistes. L’adaptation très sélective de la cinématique articulaire observée au cours de la condition d’adaptation était probablement due à l’absence d’erreur de prédiction de la performance musicale nécessaire pour guider l’adaptation motrice. En effet, la comparaison de la performance musicale avec et sans dispositif n’a montré aucune différence significative, indiquant que les violonistes experts peuvent maintenir un haut niveau de performance malgré la modification de leur patron moteur. En outre, la similarité des angles articulaires et des activations musculaires entre les conditions avec et sans dispositif est restée forte. Enfin, la réduction des activations du deltoïde médian et du trapèze supérieur gauches avec l’assistance est prometteuse quant à l’utilisation des dispositifs pour limiter l’accumulation de fatigue musculaire et réduire la prévalence des troubles musculo-squelettiques liés à la pratique du violon. / Up to 93% of musicians are affected by playing-related musculoskeletal disorders, and particularly violinists who combine the major factors leading to these disorders: an asymmetrical and constrained posture, quasi-static weight (violin and left upper-limb) holding, quick repetitive movements, and finger pressure (onto the instrument’s neck), all leading to muscle fatigue accumulation. It is crucial to adjust violinists’ working environments to prevent muscle fatigue accumulation. Dynamic assistive support (DAS) is used in industrial settings to reduce muscle activations and thus potentially slow down fatigue development. Modifying violinists’ environmental dynamics by introducing the anti-gravitational force needed to support their left upper-limbs and instruments may perturb their movements and impair musical performance. The objective of this Masters’ project is thus to investigate motor adaptation to DAS by comparing upper-limb and neck (O1) kinematics, (O2) electromyography, and (O3) musical performance with and without DAS. Fifteen violinists were recruited from professional orchestras and graduate programs in music performance. Participants were equipped with 61 reflective markers and 11 electromyography electrodes to record kinematics and muscle activity, respectively. To quantify motor adaptation, violinists played a looped 13-second excerpt without (control), with (adaptation), and without (washout) DAS provided by a passive device (Kinova O110, Boisbriand, QC, Canada) applying an anti-gravitational force at the left elbow. All conditions were repeated one week later to test for potential savings. Nine to twelve months later, participants listened to their own audio recordings playing with and without DAS and blindly assessed their performances. Linear mixed models were used to compare DAS and no-DAS conditions’ kinematic, electromyography and musical performance data. The increase in angular error for all left degrees of freedom suggests that DAS perturbed violinists’ kinematics. The highly selective kinematic adaptation observed during the adaptation condition might have been due to the absence of auditory feedback prediction errors needed to drive motor adaptation. Indeed, musical performance with and without DAS showed no significant difference, indicating that expert violinists can maintain a high level of performance despite changes in motor output. Additionally, similarity of joint angles and muscle activities between DAS and no-DAS conditions remained strong. Finally, reduced activations of left medial deltoid and superior trapezius in assisted conditions make DAS a promising tool to limit violinists’ muscle fatigue accumulation and prevent playing-related musculoskeletal disorders.