Sara Ascenso

Current and Future Research

Sara’s research focuses on occupational health and wellbeing. She has also been involved in arts & health research, especially the investigation of the psychological impact of community music engagement for vulnerable populations. Current projects focus on musicians’ work orientation, work meaning, positive education in conservatoire settings and basic needs satisfaction at work in the creative industries.

Research Areas

• Positive Psychology
• Performance Psychology
• Arts & Health

Research Funding

AHRC, Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT, Arts Council England

Selected Outputs

• McCrary, J., Ascenso, S., Savvidou, P., Schraft, S., McAllister, L., Redding, E., Bastepe-Gray, S., & Altenmüller, E. (2022). Load and fatigue monitoring in instrumental musicians using an online app: A pilot study. Frontiers in Psychology, 1056892. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1056892
• Ascenso, S., Delle Fave, A., Perkins, R., & Williamon, A. (2022). Fostering Musicians’ Wellbeing In G. McPherson.(Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Music Performance . OUP.
• Ascenso, S. (2021). Flourishing Through Music Creation: A Qualitative Investigation of the Lullaby Project Among Refugee and Incarcerated Communities. Frontiers in Psychology, 12:588905.
• Ascenso, S., McCormick, J., & Perkins, R. (2019). Leadership in the transition from music student to professional musician: The Civic Orchestra of Chicago Fellowship In J. Rowley., D. Bennett., & P. Schmidt.(Eds.) Leadership of Pedagogy and Curriculum in Higher Music Education . Routledge.
• Ascenso, S., Perkins, R., Atkins, L., Fancourt, D., & Williamon, A. (2018). Promoting wellbeing through group drumming with mental health service users and their carers. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Health and Wellbeing, 13(1), article 1484219.
• Ascenso, S., Perkins, R., & Williamon, A. (2018). Resounding Meaning: A PERMA wellbeing profile of classical musicians. Frontiers in Psychology(9, 1895), 1-14.
• Ascenso, S., Williamon, A., & Perkins, R. (2017). Understanding the psychological wellbeing of professional musicians through the lens of positive psychology. Psychology of Music, 45, 65-81.
• Fancourt, D., Perkins, R., Ascenso, S., Atkins, L., Kilfeather, S., Carvalho, L., Steptoe, A., & Williamon, A. (2016). Group drumming modulates cytokine response in mental health service users: a preliminary study. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics(85), 53–55.
• Fancourt, D., Perkins, R., Ascenso, S., Carvalho, L., Steptoe, A., & Williamon, A. (2016). Effects of group drumming interventions on anxiety, depression, social resilience and inflammatory immune response among mental health service users. PLoS ONE, 11(e0151136), 1-16..
• Perkins, R., Ascenso, S., Atkins, L., Fancourt, D., & Williamon, A. (2016). Making music for mental health: how group drumming mediates recovery. Psychology of Well-Being, 6(11), 1-17.

Conference Contributions (Selection)

• Ascenso, S. “Myths and good news on musicians’ mental health”. Keynote at the 21st SwissMedMusica Symposium, Biel, Switzerland, 2025.
• Ascenso, S.; Marujo, H. Á.. “What If?: Understanding perceptions of Positive Psychology’s actual and possible societal impact among MAPP alumni in Portugal”. Paper presented at the 9th IPPA World Congress on Positive Psychology, Brisbane, 2025.
• Ascenso, S.. “Resounding Meaning: A cross-sectional profile of meaning in life, meaningful work and psychological distress among musicians”, Paper presented at the 9th IPPA World Congress on Positive Psychology, Brisbane, 2025.
• Ascenso, S.. “Music, health and wellbeing at a British conservatoire: A case study of research-led practice, embeddedness, and partnership”. Paper presented at the 42nd PAMA International Symposium, London, 2024.
• Ascenso, S.. “Creating conditions for musicians to thrive: Cultivating mental health”. Paper presented at the National Conference of the Association of British Orchestras, January, Bristol, 2024.
• Ascenso, S.. “A Cross-sectional Profile of Classical Musicians’ Mental Health and Illness”. Paper presented at the 11th European Conference on Positive Psychology, Innsbruck, 2024.
• Ascenso, S.; Marujo, H. Á.. “MAPPing the impact of 10 years of applied positive psychology post-graduate training in Portugal: A qualitative study”. Paper presented at the 8th IPPA World Congress on Positive Psychology, Vancouver, 2023.
• Ascenso, S.. “Positive Psychology: A new lens on musicians’ wellbeing”. Paper presented at the INTERACT guest lecture series, March, Montreal, 2021.
• Ascenso, S. Musicians’ Basic Psychological Needs at Work, paper presented at the International Symposium on Performance Science, Schulich School of Music,  October 2021
• The Lullaby Project: Refugee mothers and orchestral musicians mutually enhancing wellbeing given at  9th European Conference on Positive Psychology, Budapest, 2018.
• Ascenso, S. Preventing Music Performance Anxiety given at  King’s College London, London, 2018.
• Ascenso, S. Mind the Mind: Findings on mental health in dance given at 28th Annual Conference of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, Helsinki, 2018.
• Sayes, A., Ascenso, S., & Araújo, L. Do Beta-adrenergic receptor blockers have a place in the treatment of Music Performance Anxiety? given at the International Symposium of the Performing Arts Medicine Association, Snowmass, Colorado, 2017.
• Ascenso, S. Mind the Mind: A profile of mental health in the performing arts – graduate award keynote given at the International Symposium on Performance Science, Reykjavík, 2017.
• Ascenso, S. More than the absence of disorder: The lost lens on musicians’ psychological wellbeing given at International Symposium of the Performing Arts Medicine Association, Snowmass, Colorado, 2017.
• Ascenso, S., McCormick, J., & Perkins, R. Minding the gap in musicians’ transition from student to professional: The Civic Fellowship at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Proceedings of the 21st International Seminar of the ISME Commission on the Education of the Professional Musician, International Society for Music Education, University of St. Andrews, 2016.
• Ascenso, S. Minding the gap in musicians’ transition from student to professional: The Civic Fellowship at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra given at  21st International Seminar of the ISME Commission on the Education of the Professional Musician, University of Saint Andrews, 2016.
• Ascenso, S. Making Music for Mental Health: The psychological impact of learning to drum given at  Proceedings of the International Symposium in Performance Science (pp. 62-63), Kyoto, 2015.
• Ascenso, S. Creative Practice as Mutual Recovery: Making music for mental health given at Connected Communities Festival, Derby,  2015.
• Ascenso, S. Allegro con Brio: The wellbeing of musicians given at Conservatório della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, 2015.
• Ascenso, S. Health, Happiness and Meaning: A study of professional musicians’ wellbeing given at  Reflective Conservatoire Conference, London, 2015.
• Ascenso, S., & Williamon, A. Work-satisfaction and work-orientation of professional musicians given at  7th European Conference on Positive Psychology, Amsterdam, 2014.
• Ascenso, S., & Perkins, R. ‘The more the merrier’? Understanding the wellbeing of professional musicians in collaborative and solo work settings given at  Proceedings of the International Symposium on Performance Science (pp. 383-388), Vienna, 2013.
• Ascenso, S., Perkins, R., & Williamon, A. Allegro crescendo: Profiling wellbeing of classical professional musicians given at  Third World Congress on Positive Psychology, Los Angeles, 2013.

Other

• Ascenso, S. and Perkins, R. The impact of community engagement for musicians. Classical Music Magazine, 2016, Rhinegold,
• Ascenso, S., The Lullaby Project: Characteristics of Change and Mechanisms of Impact – Research Report, 2018, The Irene Taylor Trust, London
• Ascenso, S., Finding Meaning in Music: Research report, 2016, London Music Masters, London

Talks, Workshops and Masterclasses (Selection)

• Cognitive restructuring for performance anxiety prevention, Worshop at the 21st SwissMedMusica Symposium, Biel, Switzerland, November 2025.
• Prevention and Management of Music Performance Anxiety. Oxford University, 2025. Oxford.
• Talk (with Miriam Akhtar): What is the Positive Psychology approach to mental health? 4th Conference of the NHS-Universities Partnership Conference NHS Greater Manchester/ RNCM. 2025. Manchester.
• Hope and Musicians’ Wellbeing. 20th Anniversary of the Crescendo Summer Institute of the Arts, Tokaj, Hungary, 2024.
• Confidence to perform – Preventing performance anxiety. Workshop at the 20th anniversary of the Crescendo Summer Institute of the Arts, Tokaj, Hungary. 2024.
• Creating conditions for musicians to thrive: Cultivating mental health, National Conference of the Association of British Orchestras. 2024. Bristol. UK.
• Music Performance Anxiety: Prevention and management workshop , Oxford, Oxford University, UK, March 2023
• Musicians’ wellbeing , Oxford University, February 2023.
• Positive Psychology: A new lens on musicians’ wellbeing , INTERACT guest lecture series, McGill University (online), March 2021
• Creative Practice as Mutual Recovery: Making music for mental health , Connected Communities Festival, Derby, June 2015.
• Prevention and Management of Music Performance Anxiety , Workshop, King’s College London, 2018
• Mental Skills for Optimal Performance , Crescendo Summer Institute of the Arts 2017, Tokaj, Hungary,
• Finding Meaning in Music , Seminar Series, Wigmore Hall, London, 2016
• Musicians’ Psychological Wellbeing , Crescendo Summer Institute of the Arts 2016, Tokaj, Hungary,
• Positive performers: New perspectives from psychology , Performance Matters: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Performers’ Practice, Health and Wellbeing, British Association for Performing Arts Medicine, London, 2014

Professional Activity

• Honorary Lecturer in Psychology at University College London
• Lecturer in Performance Psychology and Learning Support Advisor (Learning Enhancement Unit) at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
• Visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Music (MSc in Performance Science)
• Visiting lecturer in Performance Psychology at the National Superior Academy of Orchestra, Metropolitan Orchestra of Lisbon (Portugal).