Knowledge
ExchangeE
At the centre of the APS Hub’s mission is an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. To foster this approach, we offer a wide range of opportunities to engage and connect with researchers, scholars, and performers in different disciplines. We are committed to facilitating the dissemination of information, expertise, and insights among individuals and groups with diverse backgrounds and interests in research, performance, and science.
Overview
Since the launch of the APS Hub, we have worked extensively in creating different talk series to facilitate knowledge exchange. To date, we have had great success with our three talk series, namely the Musicians’ Performance and Wellbeing (MPW) Webinar Series, Morning Sparks, and Breaking Ground Conversations.
Musicians’ Performance and Wellbeing (MPW) Webinar Series
The Musician Performance and Wellbeing (MPW) Webinar Series organized by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (UK), Help Musicians (UK), and the Applied Performance Sciences Hub, Schulich School of Music (McGill University, Canada). The series was guided by the question: How can we support musicians and institutions to thrive and meet the current and future artistic and workforce challenges? In this series of three webinars, we invited professional musicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, and music organisation leaders for a provocative dialogue in which panelists shared tools to support physical and mental performance, to discuss culture, and to share tools to support physical and mental performance and affect culture change in orchestras. Simultaneous translation to Spanish and Portuguese was available at our webinars, powered by the Academy for Impact through Music (AIM). Click here to learn more about this series.
Morning Sparks
The Morning Sparks Talk Series focuses on topics and issues from other disciplines that are applicable to music research, performance, and education contexts. We invite experts in their respective fields to share their work and knowledge.
Breaking Ground Conversations
Breaking Ground Conversations is centered around topics and issues that are underrepresented in the literature and in discussion. This series seeks to shed light on these topics through engaging researchers, practitioners, educators, and others, anchored by active conversations and discussions.
Our events
March 17, 2025
Musicians’ Performance and Wellbeing (MPW) Webinar Series
Leading culture change for health and wellbeing in orchestras
We will share perspectives from around the world on how professional orchestras have been embarking in the process of organizational development, with a focus on creating environments that actively support performance optimisation and musicians’ health and wellbeing.
March 13, 2025
Morning Sparks Talk Series
Why research works (or not) in the real world: Learning with implementation science
We invited Dr. Guillaume Fontaine from the Ingram School of Nursing (McGill University) deliver a talk about implementation science. One of the biggest challenges in research is to see the successful uptake, application, and integration of evidence-based findings into real-world practices. Implementation science has been focused on understanding the enablers and barriers to uptake in research implementation, and on assessing the effectiveness and sustainability of research-informed interventions over time. Although implementation science has mainly developed within the health sciences, in this talk we will explore the intersections with applied music performance sciences.
February 17, 2025
Musicians’ Performance and Wellbeing (MPW) Webinar Series
What’s in your mind? Myths & realities about supporting mental performance with orchestral musicians
We will examine the impact of psychological support in performance careers, challenges in accessing certified providers, and embedding mental performance and mental health provision in professional music contexts.
January 27, 2025
Musicians’ Performance and Wellbeing (MPW) Webinar Series
A symphony of good sense: Supporting physical readiness in orchestral performance
We will discuss practices in supporting musicians’ physical readiness from around the world. We will share a toolkit with practical guidance for orchestras that may be considering procuring physiotherapy services to support the physical health of their musicians.
March 18, 2024
Breaking Ground Conversations
Women’s Health Taking the Musical Stage
We organized an event dedicated to conversations about the challenges, stigma, and science surrounding women's health and its impact on music performance, and the lived experience of women musicians. A recording of the conversation is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX7cc2YpG-A
Past roundtables
December 13, 2022
Embedding Resilience and Wellness in Music Pedagogy
 Panellists shared strategies that have had a positive impact on students’ wellbeing and learning. Top priorities in support of embedded resilience and wellness for students and actions that could be taken to achieve them were also discussed.  
  
October 20, 2022
Together towards a holistic education for healthier musicians: Celebrating what we are doing and going forward
Panelists discussed the initiatives and resources available to students, though also raised concerns about barriers and how to minimize them. Barriers included lack of time, heavy workload, lack of flexibility and acknowledgement of the role of wellbeing in educational programs. There is a need to reevaluate the current curriculum, and to take time to reflect and connect with others.
May 26, 2022
Together towards a holistic education for healthier musicians: An opportunity to break barriers? 
Panelists discussed ways to embed wellness into the current learning practice. These included opportunities to practice performing, healthy relationships and communication, clearer rationales in learning objectives, and more physiological content (especially for instructors).