A Day in My Life as a Music Performance Student: How can a musician protect themselves from self-sabotage in preparation for their professional career ?

Jack O'Reilly

About this exposition

Musicians spend a lot of time practising to create and repeat the best version of their repertoire. The skill of being self-critical has its benefits in this scenario, however it can have a negative effect on performer's well-being which can lead to self-sabotage. This project explores the importance of understanding "self-sabotage" and what musicians can do to prevent and possibly help these symptoms. The methodology included studying reflective journal entries to identify personal areas to improve, as informed by the use of Seligman's PERMA-H model. This was used to create a well-being toolkit, creating an example of how musicians can increase awareness of their mental health and what measures can be put in place to help cope with feelings of self-sabotage. The deliverable of this research is an audio documentary that showcases a typical day of music performance student at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) that outlines how this musician employs elements of their well-being toolkit to protect themselves from self-sabotage.

type	research exposition
keywords	Podcast, recording, music, well-being, Professional career
date	06/04/2025
published	26/06/2025
last modified	26/06/2025
status	limited publication
affiliation	Royal Irish Academy of Music
copyright	Jack O'Reilly
license	CC BY-NC-ND
language	English
url	https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/3555035/3555034
published in	Royal Irish Academy of Music
portal issue	2. Summer 2025

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A Day in My Life as a Music Performance Student: How can a musician protect themselves from self-sabotage in preparation for their professional career ? (2025)