Practice, Health & Well-being at the Royal Conservatoire

The Royal Conservatoire devotes care and attention to the practice, health and well-being of its students. The practice of a musician or a dancer includes everything they do in order to become the artist they want to be, and this encompasses learning processes as well as looking after themselves in a holistic way. In order for the necessary skills, knowledge and metacognition to be developed, a student needs to be balanced, robust and flexible as a learner and as a person. The World Health Organisation defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Well-being or wellness is often explained as “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy”. While the topic of students’ health and well-being has become even more apparent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, music and dance conservatoires in particular have given this subject special attention for a while now. This is because musicians and dancers face a constantly changing professional practice for which they need to be mentally prepared. On top of this, a performance career may include physical hazards, like hearing problems, injuries, and performance anxiety. Knowing how to prevent and cope with possible physical and psychological stressors is therefore an important part of a student’s training.

The Royal Conservatoire aims to train healthy musicians and dancers, by offering support in various approaches: via individual attention by way of student counsellor and personal tutor, within the curricula and via electives such as Yoga, Alexander Technique for musicians, Quality Practice and Music Making and the Brain. And alongside the curricula via sessions, there are workshops and extra services including a dedicated “Your Health & Practice” toolbox with resources on the conservatoire’s intranet. In addition, our Dance department has its own medical team.

Click on a segment of the sidebar for more information on how the Royal Conservatoire supports its students in their practice, health and well-being.