New Healthy Conservatoires Website Launches
Central is excited to be supporting the launch of the New Healthy Conservatoires Website.
Central is an active member of the Healthy Conservatoires Network, which aims to support environments that promote and enhance the health and wellbeing of performing artists enabling them to achieve their full potential and to build healthy and sustainable careers. This new website will provide a focal point for the network as well as a way of distributing resources to conservatoire and industry partners. The Network is a part of Healthy Conservatoires, whose focus is on inspiring the creation of educational and professional environments that promote health and wellbeing.
Healthy Conservatoires was formed in 2015, following research initiated by Conservatoires UK (CUK) in 2010 and a series of town hall meetings to address issues affecting musicians and calls for better prevention, treatment and support for playing-related physical and psychological problems. In 2013, a successful bid to the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for Musical Impact resulted in a project investigating the physical and mental demands of making music. The project confirmed the need for radical change in the way that musicians’ health is safeguarded and how musicians are trained to look after their health and wellbeing.
In response, the Musical Impact team constituted Healthy Conservatoires in 2015. The Network now includes over 150 members from among CUK staff and students including representatives from Central, plus members from the UK performing arts sector as well as over 50 conservatoires, schools and universities internationally. Members commit to lead change in their organisations, generate and share innovative action, provide leadership and advocacy, and set an example for active health promotion.
The Healthy Conservatoires Network provides a forum where members can engage with innovation and evidence-informed practice, as well as access peer support in creating and maintaining healthy conditions for studying and working.
Central’s Senior Lecturer in Voice, Daron Oram, represents Central on the Network’s Steering Group, which comprises key representatives from each of the performing arts disciplines within Conservatoires UK, as well as stakeholders in research, education, practice and policy in performing arts health and wellbeing. The Group oversees the strategic direction of Healthy Conservatoires and monitors its performance.
Additional funding was recently secured thanks to the generous support of the AHRC, which will enable further Network meetings to be held, provide for administrative support, assist with the further development of the Network and allow for the production of a series of films about performer health and wellbeing.
Of his role on the Health Conservatoires Network’s Steering Group, Daron Oram said:
“The healthy conservatoires network provides valuable resources to support the wellbeing of performers across all disciplines. There is a wealth of information and research within each of the specific performance disciplines and the network is an effective way to share an disseminate this knowledge for the benefit of all performers. Our recent AHRC grant will allow us to develop some really exciting resources for actors, dancers, musicians and circus artists, all of which will be available on this new web-site”
Central staff have been active at Network Meetings, sharing their research and best practice surrounding safeguarding heatlh and wellbeing in the performing arts. Recent staff talks have been let by Daron, as well as by Vanessa Ewan, Debbie Green and Karin Schuck and have covered areas including Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, actors and body image, wellbeing and more.
To learn more about Healthy Conservatoires and to find out how to join the network, please visit the Healthy Conservatoires Website.
