Mental Health, The Performer and Coaching Resilience Certificate with Dr George Musgrave

Join Dr George Musgrave – co-author of Can Music Make You Sick? Measuring the Price of Musical Ambition (2020), an Amazon Number 1 Bestseller in the Sociology of Work – for a deep dive into the social and psychological experiences of musical career creation and development, as well as the effects of the music industry and its practices on mental health.

Spring Immersive

28th, 29th & 30th April & 1st May 2025

Please note that these dates may be subject to change due to George’s external commitments. Final confirmation TBC. All sessions will be available on playback.

12-2pm London Time

  • Fully online
  • Live classes led by Dr George Musgrave
  • Accredited by The Institute of Training and Occupational Learning (ITOL)
  • Upon completion of the course, you will receive an official ITOL-accredited certificate, a badge for your website/social media and a profile on our student page

Overview

Welcome to Voice Study Centre’s Voice Professional Certificate programme. We will be offering a series of micro-credentials to develop learning, teaching and boost your CV. This is one of them!

 

Tutor: Dr George Musgrave

Though the positive health and well-being benefits of singing and music-making have been well-evidenced by Singing for Health research from all over the world, context is key and research has also shown how music’s effects can change once we use it differently i.e. to pursue a career, become professional, use it as employment. When music becomes central to one’s life in this way, and as a means of financial stability rather than simply fun and enjoyment, it brings with it emotional challenges such as uncertainty over professional status and definitions of success, as well as high levels of pressure to succeed.

Taking this into account, in addition to UK government drives to promote engagement with music among younger people, an expansion of music and music business courses in UK Higher Education, and a general increase in young musicians developing professional ambitions (see Bonde et al.’s 2018 study on a random sample of 25,000 adult Danes), there is now a greater need than ever to prepare musicians (especially psychologically) for their careers in the right way.

Join Dr George Musgrave – co-author of Can Music Make You Sick? Measuring the Price of Musical Ambition (2020), an Amazon Number 1 Bestseller in the Sociology of Work – for a deep dive into the social and psychological experiences of musical career creation and development, as well as the effects of the music industry and its practices on mental health.

Dr Musgrave will present an overview of current research on career musicianship and mental health before exploring an array of specific themes, including success (and the management thereof); career sustainability; and cultural, social and symbolic capital. A comprehensive look at the ethics and morality of the industry provides the finale to this course.

This course is fully accredited by The Institute of Training and Occupational Learning (ITOL).

Upon completion of the course you will receive an official ITOL branded certificate to confirm your accreditation.

28th, 29th, 30th April & 1st May 2025

Class Times: 12-2pm London Time

Please note that these dates may be subject to change due to George’s external commitments. Final confirmation TBC. All sessions will be available on playback.


Syllabus

Schedule Topics

Session 1

Mental health and the music industry: current evidence

  • The latest global research findings relating to career musicianship and mental health will be introduced
  • This includes those who point towards personality factors and those who point towards psychosocial career stressors
  • The key areas of affective stress on musicians’ lives will also be explored

Session 2

What is success? And how does it impact well-being?

  • Data suggests that not only do career musicians define ‘success’ in different ways, but also that how they define success can have an enormous bearing on well-being
  • This session will discuss and seek to answer questions around what success in a singing career looks like, what a sustainable career means, and the ways in which career goals and expectations can be managed

Session 3

Capitalising on Capitals: Bourdieu, Branding and Career Development

  • Building on the previous session, this one will introduce the theory of Pierre Bourdieu’s forms of capital (cultural, social and symbolic forms of capital, as opposed to traditional economic forms of capital)
  • This will in turn encourage participants to think about how to maximise and convert different forms of capital in their professional lives

Session 4

Music industry ethics and decision-making

  • Participants will encounter music industry practices which some have suggested might be unethical and might have harmed mental health
  • A key example is the tragic loss of Swedish DJ and producer Avicii and the media coverage which asked questions (fairly or not) of his manager
  • This final session will pose the following questions: ‘What are music industry ethics?’ and ‘Is there such a thing as music industry morality?’

Course Details

Where will the course take place?

Online

What time will the course take place?

The course will run over a four-day period, and you can attend it in real time or watch it on catch-up.

Course Dates: 28th, 29th, 30th April and 1st May 2025

Please note that these dates may be subject to change due to George’s external commitments. Final confirmation TBC. All sessions will be available on playback.

Class Times: 12-2pm London Time

Cost: £100

Class Instructor: Dr George Musgrave


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