What's On

Speaker

Dr Anna Détári Royal College of Music

About

According to estimates, the prevalence of various forms of neurodivergence (ND) is much higher among musicians than in the general population. Despite this fact, we know very little about the lived experiences of ND musicians in musical settings, such as educational institutions and places of employment. The lack of information potentially leads to a lack of appropriate support, understanding, and inclusion of ND personnel in these spaces.

To advance our understanding of the lived experience of this previously understudied population, we conducted a Participatory Action Research (PAR) study: a string of conversations where members of the community (neurodivergent musicians, music educators, music researchers, and neurotypical allies; N = 15) were invited to discuss various aspects of their vocational education, professional lives, and careers. The meetings were recorded, transcribed, and analysed with thematic analysis. In alignment with the guiding principles of PAR, all participants were invited to contribute to the analysis and written outputs to ensure their autonomy and utilise their unique expertise to the fullest.

Two main themes and a list of action steps emerged from this research. The first theme related to the internal experience of being neurodivergent in musical settings, including cognitive and physiological differences, ND identity, (lack of) authenticity and masking, misfitting, and grief over lost opportunities due to challenges associated with ND characteristics. The second main theme covered the challenges within institutional environments, such as the relationship with one-on-one teachers, person-centred versus product-centred pedagogies, schedules, support services, and transitioning from higher educational settings to professional settings. The suggested action steps were arranged into four main themes: education, responsibility, communication, and evidence, arguing for support systems based on the lived experience rather than pre-conceived medical models, compulsory training for staff, training in non-academic topics for ND musicians, peer-to-peer support, and more community-led research.

This PAR study is just an initial exploration into the neurodivergent experience, severely limited by the fact that all participants had awareness of their neurodivergent characteristics, were able to self-advocate, and many of them had established careers. More research is needed to give voice to those neurodivergent musicians who are less empowered and more dependent on support.

Biography

Dr Anna Détári is a classically trained flautist (BMus, MA) and music psychologist (MSc, PhD). Her primary interest is musicians’ health and wellbeing; she is conducting research into performance-related disorders, particularly Musician’s Focal Dystonia, the psychosocial environment of musicians and its impact on physical and mental health, and neurodivergent musicians. She is a Lecturer in Performance Science at the Royal College of Music and a member of the Centre for Performance Science, a collaboration between RCM and Imperial College.

Tickets 

Free admission, no ticket required 

This event will end at approximately 5.30pm.