Heart Rate Response of Professional Musicians When Playing Music

Area of Science:

• Music Performance Physiology
• Occupational Health in Musicians

Background:

• Professional musicians experience physiological stress during performances.
• Understanding heart rate (HR) response provides insight into this stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the physiological stress (HR response) in musicians playing music standing up.
• To analyze the impact of music genre on HR response.
• To identify physiological factors influencing music-induced HR response.

Main Methods:

• Monitored HR response in 27 professional musicians during rehearsals and performances.
• Calculated percent maximal HR (%MHR) relative to age-predicted maximum.
• Used multiple regression analyses to assess initiators like years of experience, event type, instrument, and tempo.

Main Results:

• Average %MHR was 52% during rehearsals and 59% during performances.
• Music genre significantly affected HR response (p=0.01).
• Body mass index and music tempo were significant contributors to HR response (r²=0.506, p=0.001).

Conclusions:

• Professional music performance induces significant HR increases.
• Music genre plays a role in the intensity of physiological response.
• Body mass index, music tempo, and instrument type explained 50% of the HR response.