About

Musical excellence requires far more than talent and hours of practice — it also relies on sustainable physical preparation, effective self-management, and a healthy performance mindset. This AUSTA webinar series brings together specialist expertise from a physiotherapist and psychiatrist to support musicians in building the foundations for long-term performance health.

Across the series, participants will explore key topics including physical conditioning for musicians, injury prevention, pain management and recovery, as well as the psychological demands of performance such as perfectionism, motivation, resilience, and burnout prevention. Each session combines evidence-informed content with practical strategies that musicians can apply immediately in their practice routines, rehearsals, and performance preparation.

This series is designed for performers of all instruments and levels, and supports musicians to pursue high standards while protecting both their physical wellbeing and mental health — helping ensure music-making remains strong, sustainable, and enjoyable across a lifelong performance journey.

These sessions will be recorded and available to watch for two weeks after the event. 

March 10 - Fit to Play: Strength, Injury Prevention and Pain in Musicians - With David Peirce

David has enjoyed a 35 year career helping people perform at their best. He is a passionate clinician who has drawn from world researchers and practical experience to develop his approach to performers' healthcare. His early career was rugby union focused working at elite level in Australia and the UK before returning home where his attention was turned to the arts world (that happens when you marry a dancer..) While looking after Qld Ballet, a chance meeting at the 2007 IADMS conference with Dr Bronwen Ackermann was the catalyst for an exploration of the world of music and musicians. 

He has consulted to the QSO (11 years), worked with over 20 mainstage musical theatre productions and more importantly, has developed a practical approach to musicians care based on the principles, research and learnings from elite sport and the much less researched music industry. 

Music is passionate, creative, emotive and expressive but, also, physical. While many approaches to musician's care focus on relaxation and effort reduction, David proposes not to challenge these philosophies, but to include a realisation of the physicality of music - to condition, prepare, play and recover.

This webinar will answer questions including:

• Why do musicians need physical training - isn't playing enough?
• Why should physical (and all health) management be a part of practice?
• What proof is there that physical training helps musicians?
• What are the best exercises to do ?
• What do I do if I get pain playing?
• Does pain mean I have bad technique?

March 24 - Perfectionism in Performance: Striving for Excellence Without Burnout - with gemma frost 

Gemma Frost is a registered clinical psychologist based in Brisbane, Australia, who works in private practice with adults facing a wide range of psychological and life challenges. A key part of her work involves helping people understand patterns such as perfectionism and supporting them to respond to pressure and difficulty in ways that are adaptive, sustainable, and aligned with wellbeing.

Alongside her broader clinical work, Gemma has a personal interest in working with performers, which has led to a focus on how different approaches to success, high standards, and self-evaluation can impact not only performance outcomes, but also health, resilience, and longevity over time. She is particularly interested in how people can strive towards excellence without allowing this pursuit to overtake wellbeing — supporting resilience not just across a career or goal pursuit, but during the process and beyond it.

This webinar is aimed at performers more broadly (not limited to string players), and will cover:

• Understanding perfectionism in performers
  • The distinction between healthy striving towards excellence and unhelpful or maladaptive perfectionism.
• How unhelpful perfectionism can undermine performance
  • Including its impact on motivation, confidence, learning, enjoyment, and long-term performance outcomes.
• Perfectionism, resilience, and career longevity
  • How a striving-based mindset supports resilience, adaptability, and sustainability across a long performance career.
• Practical strategies and action steps
  • Ways performers can:
  • Notice when striving tips into unhelpful perfectionism
  • Shift internal expectations and self-talk
  • Take concrete steps towards a more productive, values-aligned approach to excellence

Contact Event Organiser