Kris Chesky

• PhD
• Managing Director at University of North Texas

Student musicians are at risk for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) as they develop skills and perform during instructional activities. Studies using longitudinal dosimeter data show that pedagogical procedures and instructor behaviors are highly predictive of NIHL risk, thus implying the need for innovative approaches to increase instructor compet...

The trombone is a popular, versatile, and unique member of the brass family of musical instruments. Yet the musculoskeletal health concerns of trombonists are grossly understudied. The purpose of this study was to develop and apply a novel online research strategy for assessing musical and non-musical demographics along with prevalence, frequency,...

Singers health

Musician earplugs (MEP) are intended to reduce the risk for noise induced hearing loss among musician populations while providing flat attenuation characteristics. However, survey data suggest that low use rates among musicians are associated with negative listening experiences due to perceived alterations in the spectral characteristics of music....

The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) recently ratified a new health and safety standard requiring schools of music to inform students about health concerns related to music. While organizations such as the Performing Arts Medicine Association have developed advisories, the exact implementation is the prerogative of the institution. O...

Participation in marching band requires intense physical and mental requirements, altered and potentially elevated biomechanical demands related to performing musical instruments while marching, routine exposures to elevated noise levels and at times hazardous weather conditions, and time commitments for practice and travel. Unfortunately, there ar...

Due to the prevalence of music performance anxiety and the emergence of new biofeedback technologies used to decrease anxiety, student musicians were recruited to participate in an experimental repeated-measures study to identify effects of heart rate variability coherence biofeedback training and emotional self-regulation techniques on music perfo...

This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence of self-reported playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) and stress-related health problems among percussionists. Data for the present study were extracted from the University of North Texas Musician Health Survey (UNT-MHS) data set. Subjects (n = 279) were included if they identified aux...

Previous study on the etiology of musculoskeletal problems among elite pianists, including college piano majors, suggest that playing-related pain is traceable, in part, to intrinsic factors such as flexibility and hand size. Musculoskeletal problems among other piano groups, particularly teachers, are less understood. The purpose of this study was...

Because musicians have a critical dependence on hearing, and because exposure levels of music are known to be potentially hazardous to hearing, one might assume that hearing conservation is a critical and valued core educational component to any and all music instruction. However, in most music educational settings, there has been little or no ment...

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe self-reported problems among guitarists and to examine differences associated with type of guitar played. Data for the study were extracted from the University of North Texas Musician Health Survey (UNT-MHS) data set. Subjects for the present study (n = 520) were included if they identified acou...

Although pianists commonly report pain and musculoskeletal problems from playing, the related research literature on this topic is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between pain and several independent playing-related and anthropometric variables. Subjects included 35 piano majors attending a large college of m...

HPSM recognizes fundamental challenges in responding to the health risks associated with learning and performing music. In addition to current research showing that young musicians enter college with existing problems, the underlying physiological and psychological mechanisms for performance injuries are multidimensional and involve both individual...

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe self-reported problems among guitarists and to examine differences associated with type of guitar played. Data for the study were extracted from the University of North Texas Musician Health Survey (UNT-MHS) data set. Subjects for the present study (n = 520) were included if they identified acou...

Featuring chapters by the world’s foremost scholars in music education and cognition, this handbook is a convenient collection of current research on music teaching and learning. This comprehensive work includes sections on arts advocacy, music and medicine, teacher education, and studio instruction, among other subjects, making it an essential ref...

This study applied the multidimensional anxiety theory to musicians by examining the intensity and direction of cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence over multiple performance requirements among college music majors. This study assessed and compared teacher and student perceptions of the student's performance anxiety and its subse...

This article describes findings from two separate convenience samples of popular musicians' health status, access to and use of health care, health habits, and related attitudes surveyed in 1996-1997. Sample 1 consisted of 111 musicians attending one of three regional music conferences (in Portland, OR, Austin, TX, or San Francisco, CA). The findin...

Studies in the social sciences imply a relationship between levels of employment and potential adverse effects on health. The lack of information regarding musicians makes it difficult to describe and prepare for the potential adverse relationships between musicians' economic patterns and health. The purpose of this study was to characterize econom...

The primary aim of this study was to investigate how mouthpiece forces may vary as a function of the setting in which the musicians are asked to perform. Ten college-level trumpet players were assessed while playing the same pieces of music in a jazz big band rehearsal and a controlled laboratory/clinical setting. Trumpet force was measured using a...

This study examined the medical problems of musicians who primarily perform on a brass instrument. Data for this study (N = 739) were extracted from the University of North Texas Musician Health Survey data set. Subjects were included if they indicated either trumpet, trombone, French horn, or low brass as their primary instrument. Prevalence rates...

One aspect of double reed performance warranting consideration involves the biomechanical stress placed on the human body through the performance of these instruments. At present, inadequate information exists that can effectively answer questions regarding the types of physical problems experienced by oboe and bassoon players and the percentages o...

Musculoskeletal problems are considered significant health factors for performing artists, especially instrumentalists. Although numerous studies exist that document the extent to which musicians experience these problems, serious consideration has not been given to musicians who play the keyboard, or the type of music played by each instrumentalis...

This paper reports university music majors' self reported drinking habits and perceptions of chemical use among music majors and professional musicians. Reported drinking levels of the sample were generally lower than national college student averages. Their perceptions were that chemical use among professional musicians were quite low. Twenty-nine...

Jazz education plays a prominent role in the music education of students in secondary and postsecondary schools. Although there is some research relative to health risks posed to professional musicians, little information is available as it relates to young musicians at the collegiate and secondary levels. The primary purpose of this study was to a...

The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of hearing problems reported from a heterogeneous group of musicians as a function of both primary performance area and primary instrument. Information for the investigation was obtained from the University of North Texas Musician Health Survey that allows musicians to report medical problems v...

From the beginning and throughout a musician's career, the perception of drug use among other musicians may be an important factor in developing attitudes and behaviors related to his or her own drug use. This study examines musicians' perceptions of the extent of widespread drug use among musicians. A heterogeneous sample of musicians (n = 3,278)...

This study compared counseling center client music majors with counseling center client non-music majors, and clients with non-clients with respect to their experience of various stressors. No significant difference was found between the music and nonmusic majors seeking counseling. With respect to the music students, only one of seven items (i.e.,...

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of ear canal resonance on the spectral characteristics of sounds produced by musicians' instruments in relation to risk factors associated with noise-induced hearing loss. Nine musicians, each playing a different instrument, were chosen as subjects for the investigation. The spectrum level...

Physiologic changes that occur in the auditory mechanism, as a function of aging and noise exposure, are well documented. However, it is difficult to determine the specific effects of aging without consideration of noise exposure. For younger people, the exposure to loud noise is the dominant factor for hearing loss, but as age increases, the effec...

Performance anxiety, alcohol problems, and social/emotional concerns of lower-division music and non-music major students were evaluated and compared. Three hundred fifty-nine subjects (n = 359) participated in the study. Measures included two versions of the Performance Anxiety Inventory (PAI), the Young Adult Alcohol Problems Screening Test (YAAP...

This paper reviews advances in applications of music and music vibration for the control of pain. Reviewed are clinical and basic research studies that justify and direct such applications as well as technologic advances of the Music Vibration Table for delivering music vibration. Introduced is the possible application of music vibration as a preem...