Tonic Rider partner with BAPAM, MU and YCAT to launch mental health month for early career musicians.
Tonic Rider are delighted to partner with Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), Musicians’ Union (MU) and British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) for years mental health campaign for early career musicians, and will be providing a webinar at the end of the month long campaign.
From the press release...
The month-long campaign runs from April 1st to April 29th, and will include an Introduction to Mental Health webinar from Tonic Rider and 1-2-1 coaching sessions with Marion Friend MBE. There will also be plenty of opportunities to join the conversation on our social channels. All events and resources will be accessible and free of charge.
Kate Blackstone, Project Manager at YCAT, said:
"In the last year I have seen musicians being a lot more open to talking about mental health in the industry, which is so key to breaking the taboos that can still exist. That’s why it’s more important than ever to be signposting musicians to sources of advice and support. We are very proud to be reiterating our commitment to the maintenance of Early Career Musicians’ Mental Health."
This year, Tonic Rider joins last year’s line-up to provide an Introduction to Mental Health webinar at the end of the month. The webinar will explore common mental health difficulties young classical artists experience, with guidance on how to support ourselves and someone who may be struggling. There will also be time for discussion at the end of the webinar.
Jeordie Shenton, Tonic Rider Coordinator, said:
“We are delighted to partner with YCAT and provide a Tonic Rider webinar for their mental health campaign. Young classical artists encounter many stressors as part of the early stages of their career, therefore, it is important to highlight the impact these can have on mental health and teach skills for musicians to support themselves, their colleagues and the wider music community."
The Musicians’ Union’s Young Freelancers’ Guide to Mental Health in the Music Industry is free to download for non-members, and contains advice on mental health difficulties as well as activities for the maintenance of good mental health. More recently, union members have been concerned about the cost of living crisis and its impact on mental health. Rose Delcour-Min, Education and Health and Wellbeing Officer at the Musicians’ Union explains: “The UK cost of living crisis is a major concern for us all, and the impact it has on our members’ mental health is just one of the areas it impacts. The Musicians’ Union is committed to helping musicians get help and access the much-needed support and services that protects their careers and their health. We’re delighted to partner again with YCAT for this year’s Mental Health Month, alongside BAPAM, and Tonic Rider, with whom many MU members have already accessed specialist support through their membership benefits.”
It is especially important for early career musicians to know where to find support all year round, which is why the campaign focuses on resource-sharing in addition to the events. Phoebe Butler, from The British Association of Performing Arts Medicine, details how their organisation can help: ‘We’re committed to sharing knowledge about healthy and sustainable music practice. Many of the health problems BAPAM help with in our free clinics are preventable, so getting access to the best, evidence informed information is key. We’re delighted to collaborate on this initiative to improve mental health for early career classical artists.’
Musicians’ Mental Health Month runs from April 3rd to April 28th, 2023. For further information about events, please visit our events page.
