Applied Performance Sciences Hub

Transforming what we know into what we do

About us

The Applied Performance Sciences Hub is a cross-departmental initiative based in the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, the first of its kind in the Americas!

At the Applied Performance Sciences Hub (APS Hub) we are dedicated to helping musicians unlock their full potential. Our transdisciplinary approach provides a unique setting where music makers, performers and leaders can explore the latest research and solutions in performance science. Our team of expert educators, performers and researchers from diverse backgrounds to tailor our initiatives in response to individual and/or organizational needs.

Informed by performance science research, we are focused on enabling transformative change by building individual and institutional capability to equip the current and next generation of musicians with the range of skills, tools and strategies required to sustain a successful, meaningful, and healthy career in a constantly evolving landscape.

Our Priorities for Action

Optimal performance - We equip musicians with a variety of tools and strategies aimed at developing, enhancing, and optimizing their practice and overall performance.

Wellness & safe playing - We believe that happy and healthy musicians are better able to create, perform, and enjoy their art. To help musicians achieve their full potential, we offer health education initiatives and other tools to support the whole person.

Artistic and personal growth - We are dedicated to cultivating a community of artists and creative professionals who are committed to building their careers and making a positive impact in the world as artist-citizens.

Sustainability in music careers - We are committed to supporting performers with the specialized skills and adaptive thinking needed as an artistic citizen in today’s rapidly changing world, ensuring social, economic and social ecological wellbeing, now and into the future.

Understanding the world in which we live

We recognize and understand the challenges and opportunities of the modern world, and we are committed to providing the context and resources necessary to support the next generation of musicians. With the vision to enable transformative change, we acknowledge the world in which we live and that is shaping the experiences of current and new generations of musicians.

The Virtual and Digital world – for the first time we have an adult population that does not know how the world was before the internet, carrying the grandeurs and tragedies of every day in real time in their pockets. The overload of information and misinformation makes decision making - and choice - difficult.
Health and Wellbeing – The centennials (the generation born in the 2000s) is the most likely of all generations to have mental health challenges (APA, 2018). The prevalence of anxiety and musculoskeletal problems among young and professional musicians can be as high as 93%! Music students and the workforce are demanding meaningful, integrated, and effective solutions in education and work settings that support their health and wellbeing.
Diversity –the current generation of young people expect and welcome a culturally diverse world, and action is demanded when it is lacking.
Climate Change and Sustainability - actions are demanded to show commitment to climate change, fostering shared accountability in this matter.
Economic, Social and Political Instability – wars, refugee crises, financial hardship, economic inequality, epidemics, across the globe are perpetuating a feeling of instability and unpredictability, affecting greatly the youngest generations.

This context adds to the already unstable landscape of a gig economy, bringing additional challenges to those studying and working in music settings.