The working life of a saxophonist is not something most people associate with physical injury.
After all, how hard can it be?
But according to Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts PhD candidate and saxophonist Nikki Demandolx, ‘current research suggests that up to 93 percent of musicians have experienced a playing-related injury.’
Injuries can be career-ending, limit functionality in day-to-day life, and cause significant financial, emotional, occupational, and physical distress, Demandolx said, adding that, ‘many musicians also feel that being a performing artist is a strong part of their identity, and several studies have correlated performance-related injuries with poor mental health.’
Demandolx is now investigating the ways in which a holistic approach to injury prevention that draws on the disciplines of sports science, yoga and sports psychology might improve the health of saxophonists.
Wearing a heart rate monitor, Demandolx will give a live 20-minute performance this month, of three challenging pieces performed on three different saxophones (baritone, soprano and alto). Her blood lactate level and heart rate will be captured during each performance.
‘It’s a great way to assess the fatiguing effect on the body and see if there are any particular elements of the performance that are more taxing on the system than others,’ Demandolx said.
Addressing high rates of injury
Demandolx said preliminary findings from her study suggest several factors predict higher risk of injury in saxophonists, including overuse, poor conditioning, insufficient recovery and high practice load.
‘I know from my own experience that you can get a fair bit on pain in your wrists and back pain too, especially when playing a baritone [saxophone],’ Demandolx told Artshub. ‘I’ve had to take a two-month break to deal with pain and I know some of my colleagues who have left the profession due to injury.
‘Also, I’ve seen people wasting a lot of money they don’t really have on therapies and looking for answers that they didn’t get.’
Advances in sports medicine and training can be adapted to the world of music, Demandolx said. ‘We jokingly call ourselves “small-muscle athletes” but it’s actually true. For example, I think there’s potential in the idea of periodisation in training; that you have high-load and low-load days and you rotate the kinds of practise you do. These are things sports people have been doing for ages.’
As part of her PhD study, Demandolx is aiming to interview up to 20 saxophonists and capture data to see how practice and performance impact the body. She will then use the information to develop a program of targeted performance recovery sessions, practice scheduling and saxophone-specific exercises to improve performance and prevent injury at the same time.
Demandolx said sports science has been enabling performers to be at their peak and prevent injury with high training loads for decades. Similar techniques can be used to help saxophonists achieve their personal bests in a world that’s no less competitive than that of athletes.
‘There are a lot of sax players but not many positions available. It’s not a place where you can make a mistake and get away with it. It’s a high-performance, high anxiety situation a lot of the time. You have to be pretty much perfect – particularly in the classical world, which is where I am.’
Read: Shows are back on … but what’s happening backstage?
Demandolx has practised yoga (‘on and off’) since she was 12 and believes it too has a place in injury prevention, performance maximisation and anxiety management. ‘I’m looking at mental preparation and breath training, since the breath is such an important and fundamental part of saxophone playing,’ she explained.
‘I also find that it really helps to reduce tension in the muscles and that it’s a very good for helping you deal with the emotional side of music-making.’
