- Email: [email protected]
Beyond sport: Performance enhancement in music and work
Performance Enhancement & Health 2 (2013) 1–2
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Performance Enhancement & Health journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/peh
Editorial
Beyond sport: Performance enhancement in music and work
As noted in the editorial for Volume 1 Issue 1, a core aim for Performance Enhancement and Health (PEH) is to engage in a multi-faceted debate around the role of performance enhancing technologies. Yet when I talk to people about the journal, most conceive of the issue as one of sport and doping. There is no doubt that sport remains the dominant policy experiment for managing performance enhancing technology, and will be an ongoing feature of PEH. Indeed, the first Volume of PEH is testament to the importance of sport to the debate around performance enhancing technologies. For the second Volume the Editorial team is looking to broaden the debate with articles that explore the implications arising from the rich world of performance enhancing technologies and methods. Two areas emerge as a result of recent movements in the world of performance enhancement; one paper that appears in this Issue (Maslen, 2013) and the November 2012 report “Human Enhancement and the Future of Work”.
1. Performing arts and PEH In this issue we publish Maslen’s (2013) compelling examination of how practice of elite classical piano by females influences their musculoskeletal health. The paper critically evaluates Maslen’s own practice of classical piano and the epiphany that arose from being told to stop “playing like a girl”. In this instance, the method by which young women are taught to play piano is meant to enhance attractiveness to potential suitors to meet outdated Victorian social conventions rather than perform on the piano. As a consequence young women can be physically unprepared for the demands of elite classical music resulting in increased risk of injury. This means that while young women’s performance in terms of Victorian ideals of attractiveness is enhanced, it is potentially at the expense of their performance on their chosen instrument. The psychological consequences of being declared incapable of performing elite classical music could be significant if a young woman with talent is suddenly unable to pursue the career into which so much has been invested. This timely paper demonstrates the importance of thinking about the role of performance enhancement in terms of methods as much as artefacts. While it is conceptually easy to consider drugs or bionic implants as performance enhancing, the way in which piano is taught is intended to be performance enhancing. As a consequence it is very much at the centre of what PEH is designed to promote – evidence and debate around the health implications of performance enhancement. Maslen’s article also points to the important role of performing arts as a key subject area for PEH. The literature is growing 2211-2669/$ – see front matter © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2013.05.002
around the health implications for those who excel in performing arts. In classical music there has been ongoing discussion on the role of beta blockers to manage performance anxiety, stretching from the late 20th to the early 21st centuries (Brantigan, Brantigan, & Joseph, 1982; Kenny, 2011). The use of “doping” substances by ballet dancers has been brought to light, demonstrating elite dancers use performance enhancing drugs seen in elite athletes to help them recover from soft tissue injuries or manage weight (Sekulic, Peric, & Rodek, 2010). These may be entirely rational responses to the demands of elite performing artists seeking to cope with the rigours of their chosen field. As such, the methods by which artists enhance their performance and the consequences of those methods on their health become central questions for PEH. Having identified performing arts as an area PEH would like to see more on, I am pleased to welcome A/Prof Gene Moyle as an Associate Editor. A/Prof Moyle graduated from the Australian Ballet School before completing a doctorate in sport and exercise psychology. A/Prof Moyle is a widely respected expert in performance psychology across performing arts, sport and business. This unique combination of background and experience is a significant appointment for PEH.
2. Performance enhancement and work The combined efforts of the Academy of Medical Sciences, British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society were brought together to explore how enhancing technologies are likely to shape the future of work, and the implications of that future (Richardson, 2012). The November 2012 Report, led by Professor Genevra Richardson, focused on technologies likely to impact on work in the next decade. There is significant scope for technology to greatly enhance the workplace. For example, substances that improve concentration and overcome fatigue may radically change standards among surgeons, air traffic controllers or truck drivers. Equally, the ability to extend human sensory capacity (e.g. magnetic fields) may see the emergence of entirely new kinds of work. There could also be enhancements in terms of work-life balance or improvements in returning people to work following injury or illness. Such enhancements could lead to significantly better quality of life, at least among those able to access the technology. A central theme to the Report is that it seeks to put humanity at the forefront of discussion. That is, performance enhancing technology is a tool meant to enable and improve the human condition. Thus, while the Report acknowledges that technology can change what it means to be human, it also emphasises that tools should be
2
Editorial / Performance Enhancement & Health 2 (2013) 1–2
assessed by how they are used as much as what they can potentially do. This is achieved, in part, by the Report taking an explicitly cosmopolitan approach; the joint workshop included prominent thinkers from the humanities, and the physical and social sciences. For example, the plausibility of technological or medical advances is discussed next to the ethical, philosophical, psychological and economic implications. This even handed approach means no paradigm dominates, leading to a balanced discussion. This will hopefully give those responsible for establishing regulation of such technologies a richer understanding of the issues they confront, rather than using a single disciplinary lens. For example, the economic benefits of new technology are considered in the context of physical and mental health for individuals, alongside what that technology may mean for society at large (e.g. forcing citizens to augment to remain competitive at work). Two issues raised in the Report have direct implications for human health. The first relates to the implications of performance enhancing technology for workplace health and safety. New tools bring with them new complications as people adapt to their use and evidence of their implications emerge. For example, questions around radiation exposure arising from mobile phones saw a better understanding of how to use the technology. In this sense, performance enhancing technology may lead to wicked problems, where the attempt to enhance one aspect of the human condition throws up many more problems. For example, the Report argues that performance enhancing technology should never substitute for healthy working conditions, such as using stimulants to offset the impact of jetlag (p. 53). The second relates to the role of technology in overcoming “performance deficits” arising from disability. In this context, disabled people could gain improved access to work and society more generally. For example, brain–computer interfaces and social media could see intellectual contributions transcend physical barriers. The growth in prosthetic technology for the Paralympics could see some forms of physical disability disappear, and indeed could lead to performance that transcends “normals” without enhancement. Thus,
performance enhancing technology has the capacity to fundamentally change the way we understand disability and consequently the way health is conceptualised for these people. 3. Sport, performing arts, work and beyond While sport remains the dominant policy experiment with regulating the role of performance enhancing technology, it is becoming clear that other market sectors are going to need to come to grips with how they will respond to this rapid evolution. Like many other workplaces, performing arts is going to need to start developing a method to manage the role of performance enhancing technology. Like the Report from the joint workshop, these policies should be informed by a balanced array of work that places the health, wellbeing and integrity of people as at least equal in importance to economic, sociological, medical, engineering or other concerns. As PEH evolves, the journal is looking for papers to expand the discussion into the role and implications of performance enhancing technology across contexts, with sport, performing arts and work worthy starting points. References Brantigan, C. O., Brantigan, T. A., & Joseph, N. (1982). Effect of beta blockade and beta stimulation on stage fright. American Journal of Medicine, 72, 88–94. Kenny, D. (2011). The psychology of music performance anxiety. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Maslen, S. (2013). “Playing like a girl”: Practices and performance ideals at the piano. Performance Enhancement and Health, 2(1), 3–7. Richardson, G. (2012). Human enhancement and the future of work. London, UK: The Academy of Medical Sciences. Sekulic, D., Peric, M., & Rodek, J. (2010). Substance use and misuse among professional ballet dancers. Substance Use and Misuse, 45(9), 1420–1430.
Jason Mazanov ∗ UNSW-Canberra ∗ Tel.:
+61 2 6268 8071; fax: +61 2 6268 8450. E-mail address: [email protected]
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Performance Enhancement & Health journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/peh
Editorial
Beyond sport: Performance enhancement in music and work
As noted in the editorial for Volume 1 Issue 1, a core aim for Performance Enhancement and Health (PEH) is to engage in a multi-faceted debate around the role of performance enhancing technologies. Yet when I talk to people about the journal, most conceive of the issue as one of sport and doping. There is no doubt that sport remains the dominant policy experiment for managing performance enhancing technology, and will be an ongoing feature of PEH. Indeed, the first Volume of PEH is testament to the importance of sport to the debate around performance enhancing technologies. For the second Volume the Editorial team is looking to broaden the debate with articles that explore the implications arising from the rich world of performance enhancing technologies and methods. Two areas emerge as a result of recent movements in the world of performance enhancement; one paper that appears in this Issue (Maslen, 2013) and the November 2012 report “Human Enhancement and the Future of Work”.
1. Performing arts and PEH In this issue we publish Maslen’s (2013) compelling examination of how practice of elite classical piano by females influences their musculoskeletal health. The paper critically evaluates Maslen’s own practice of classical piano and the epiphany that arose from being told to stop “playing like a girl”. In this instance, the method by which young women are taught to play piano is meant to enhance attractiveness to potential suitors to meet outdated Victorian social conventions rather than perform on the piano. As a consequence young women can be physically unprepared for the demands of elite classical music resulting in increased risk of injury. This means that while young women’s performance in terms of Victorian ideals of attractiveness is enhanced, it is potentially at the expense of their performance on their chosen instrument. The psychological consequences of being declared incapable of performing elite classical music could be significant if a young woman with talent is suddenly unable to pursue the career into which so much has been invested. This timely paper demonstrates the importance of thinking about the role of performance enhancement in terms of methods as much as artefacts. While it is conceptually easy to consider drugs or bionic implants as performance enhancing, the way in which piano is taught is intended to be performance enhancing. As a consequence it is very much at the centre of what PEH is designed to promote – evidence and debate around the health implications of performance enhancement. Maslen’s article also points to the important role of performing arts as a key subject area for PEH. The literature is growing 2211-2669/$ – see front matter © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2013.05.002
around the health implications for those who excel in performing arts. In classical music there has been ongoing discussion on the role of beta blockers to manage performance anxiety, stretching from the late 20th to the early 21st centuries (Brantigan, Brantigan, & Joseph, 1982; Kenny, 2011). The use of “doping” substances by ballet dancers has been brought to light, demonstrating elite dancers use performance enhancing drugs seen in elite athletes to help them recover from soft tissue injuries or manage weight (Sekulic, Peric, & Rodek, 2010). These may be entirely rational responses to the demands of elite performing artists seeking to cope with the rigours of their chosen field. As such, the methods by which artists enhance their performance and the consequences of those methods on their health become central questions for PEH. Having identified performing arts as an area PEH would like to see more on, I am pleased to welcome A/Prof Gene Moyle as an Associate Editor. A/Prof Moyle graduated from the Australian Ballet School before completing a doctorate in sport and exercise psychology. A/Prof Moyle is a widely respected expert in performance psychology across performing arts, sport and business. This unique combination of background and experience is a significant appointment for PEH.
2. Performance enhancement and work The combined efforts of the Academy of Medical Sciences, British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society were brought together to explore how enhancing technologies are likely to shape the future of work, and the implications of that future (Richardson, 2012). The November 2012 Report, led by Professor Genevra Richardson, focused on technologies likely to impact on work in the next decade. There is significant scope for technology to greatly enhance the workplace. For example, substances that improve concentration and overcome fatigue may radically change standards among surgeons, air traffic controllers or truck drivers. Equally, the ability to extend human sensory capacity (e.g. magnetic fields) may see the emergence of entirely new kinds of work. There could also be enhancements in terms of work-life balance or improvements in returning people to work following injury or illness. Such enhancements could lead to significantly better quality of life, at least among those able to access the technology. A central theme to the Report is that it seeks to put humanity at the forefront of discussion. That is, performance enhancing technology is a tool meant to enable and improve the human condition. Thus, while the Report acknowledges that technology can change what it means to be human, it also emphasises that tools should be
2
Editorial / Performance Enhancement & Health 2 (2013) 1–2
assessed by how they are used as much as what they can potentially do. This is achieved, in part, by the Report taking an explicitly cosmopolitan approach; the joint workshop included prominent thinkers from the humanities, and the physical and social sciences. For example, the plausibility of technological or medical advances is discussed next to the ethical, philosophical, psychological and economic implications. This even handed approach means no paradigm dominates, leading to a balanced discussion. This will hopefully give those responsible for establishing regulation of such technologies a richer understanding of the issues they confront, rather than using a single disciplinary lens. For example, the economic benefits of new technology are considered in the context of physical and mental health for individuals, alongside what that technology may mean for society at large (e.g. forcing citizens to augment to remain competitive at work). Two issues raised in the Report have direct implications for human health. The first relates to the implications of performance enhancing technology for workplace health and safety. New tools bring with them new complications as people adapt to their use and evidence of their implications emerge. For example, questions around radiation exposure arising from mobile phones saw a better understanding of how to use the technology. In this sense, performance enhancing technology may lead to wicked problems, where the attempt to enhance one aspect of the human condition throws up many more problems. For example, the Report argues that performance enhancing technology should never substitute for healthy working conditions, such as using stimulants to offset the impact of jetlag (p. 53). The second relates to the role of technology in overcoming “performance deficits” arising from disability. In this context, disabled people could gain improved access to work and society more generally. For example, brain–computer interfaces and social media could see intellectual contributions transcend physical barriers. The growth in prosthetic technology for the Paralympics could see some forms of physical disability disappear, and indeed could lead to performance that transcends “normals” without enhancement. Thus,
performance enhancing technology has the capacity to fundamentally change the way we understand disability and consequently the way health is conceptualised for these people. 3. Sport, performing arts, work and beyond While sport remains the dominant policy experiment with regulating the role of performance enhancing technology, it is becoming clear that other market sectors are going to need to come to grips with how they will respond to this rapid evolution. Like many other workplaces, performing arts is going to need to start developing a method to manage the role of performance enhancing technology. Like the Report from the joint workshop, these policies should be informed by a balanced array of work that places the health, wellbeing and integrity of people as at least equal in importance to economic, sociological, medical, engineering or other concerns. As PEH evolves, the journal is looking for papers to expand the discussion into the role and implications of performance enhancing technology across contexts, with sport, performing arts and work worthy starting points. References Brantigan, C. O., Brantigan, T. A., & Joseph, N. (1982). Effect of beta blockade and beta stimulation on stage fright. American Journal of Medicine, 72, 88–94. Kenny, D. (2011). The psychology of music performance anxiety. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Maslen, S. (2013). “Playing like a girl”: Practices and performance ideals at the piano. Performance Enhancement and Health, 2(1), 3–7. Richardson, G. (2012). Human enhancement and the future of work. London, UK: The Academy of Medical Sciences. Sekulic, D., Peric, M., & Rodek, J. (2010). Substance use and misuse among professional ballet dancers. Substance Use and Misuse, 45(9), 1420–1430.
Jason Mazanov ∗ UNSW-Canberra ∗ Tel.:
+61 2 6268 8071; fax: +61 2 6268 8450. E-mail address: [email protected]