Certification as a Health-Promoting Music School

The Centre for Music Physiology at ZHdK offers music schools the opportunity to become a certified “health-promoting music school”. The certificate shows that a music school actively promotes a healthy working environment for their teachers and students. It is recommended by the Association of Swiss Music Schools (VZM).

Requirements

The following requirements must be met for certification:

  • Hold the following courses listed below at your own music school (free participation for teachers or students in Course 4)
  • Free opportunity for teachers at their own music school to attend a specific number of music physiology consultations with experts in music physiology/music and preventive medicine at ZHdK during and after certification*
  • Hold a music physiology refresher course at least every three years

*For all other individual consultations exceeding the subsidy amount, the discounted price of CHF 140 per 60 minutes applies for teachers and students of music schools certified in music physiology.

Courses required for certification

  • 1. Introductory presentation on music physiology entitled “Musicians’ health and prevention”

    Topics and working method: 

    Recognising occupational risks, playing music and practising without discomfort, prevention from the outset, interesting information about the structure of the body and physiological control when making music. Simple, practical exercises in body awareness and tension distribution when sitting and standing.

    Objective:

    Demonstrate preventive techniques for the participants’ own music-making and teaching practice. Familiarize the participants with points of contact for music physiology and with literature on topics related to music physiology. 

    Duration: 60–90 mins.   Location: Music school   Number of participants: flexible   Price: from CHF 500

  • 2. General practical introductory course

    Topics and working method:

    Practical physical exercises in movement, posture, breathing, balance and coordination, and in distributing tension effectively for optimum results when playing music and performing on stage in terms of disposition or readiness to succeed. Gaining awareness of typical healthy and unhealthy postures and movement patterns when making music. 

    Course objective:

    Optimize self-awareness, student observation and understanding of basic psychophysical relationships when making music and teaching. (Only possible after completing the general introductory course, separated by: upper/lower strings, brass and woodwind, keyboard instruments, guitar/electric guitar, harp, accordion, percussion, voice.)

    Duration: 3 hrs.   Ort: Music school   Number of participants: 6 to 12   Price:  CHF 1000

  • 3. Instrument-/voice-specific advanced courses

    (only possible after completing the general introductory course, separated by: upper/lower strings, brass and woodwind, keyboard instruments, guitar/electric guitar, harp, accordion, percussion, voice)

    Topics and working method:
    Advanced course for individual instrument groups and voice. Use of the skills acquired on the participants’ own instruments in the introductory course. Discipline-specific disposition, strengthening and relaxation exercises, special ergonomic tools, answers to typical discipline-specific questions using strategies grounded in physiology.

    Course objective:
    To optimize participants’ own music-making and teaching skills by drawing on music physiology analysis and solution options.

    Duration: 3 hrs.   Location: Music school   Number of participants: 3 to 8   Price: CHF 1000

  • 4. Performance training for mixed groups of music students

    Topics and working method: 

    Exercises in taking a constructive approach to a performance situation and to stage fright. Building a personalized “performance choreography”. Suitable breathing and physical exercises as well as support for dealing with typical physical and mental reactions to performing. Exercises to build confidence when performing and to develop personal modes of expression based on extracts from pieces of music, sound exercises, etc.

    Course objective:

    Confidence when performing in a variety of audition situations, preparation for examinations, school concerts, competitions, etc.

    Dauer: 2 × 90 Min.   Ort: Musikschule   Teilnehmerzahl: 6–8   Preis:  CHF 1000

    (can also be continued with topics that build on each other)

  • 5. Certification as a “health-promoting music school” by ZHdK/VMZ

    Music schools must have completed the above-mentioned courses for teachers (Courses 1–3) and students (Course 4): 

    • Introductory presentation
    • General practical introductory course
    • Instrument-specific advanced course
    • Performance training for mixed groups  

    Duration: School-specific   Location: Music School/ZHdK   Price: Official certification is carried out after individual consultation/examination and for a fee of CHF 1200

    Upon certification, a music school undertakes to hold a music physiology refresher course every three years and offer its teachers ongoing free opportunities to attend a specific number of music physiology consultations with experts in the music physiology/music and preventive medicine field at ZHdK.*

    * For all further individual sessions with teachers and students of music schools certified in music physiology, the reduced rate of CHF 140 per 60 minutes applies.

Advice and application

Dr. Oliver Margulies
Coordination Centre for Music Physiology
email
+41 43 446 51 27