Partnership between Bahiana and NEOJIBA benefits instrumentalists

A partnership between Bahiana and the State Centers of Youth and Children's Orchestras of the State of Bahia (NEOJIBA) has been promoting activities for the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries with young instrumentalists from the Castro Alves Orchestra (OCA). The work involves the 25 young musicians from OCA and the 5th semester students of the Physiotherapy course who participate in the curricular component Laboratory of Movement III, under the supervision of Prof. Sandra Porciúncula Mendez. The joint work between the two institutions has taken place since the second half of 2014."

Divided into groups, students carry out research on the instruments selected for intervention and on the implications of their handling, such as risk factors for the development of injuries and the main complaints of musicians. Afterwards, they are invited to watch an orchestra rehearsal and get to know the environment. Together, we draw therapeutic goals and they draw up a plan of action”, explains Prof. Sandra Porciúncula Mendez, noting that the plan is better defined after the first meeting with the musicians, because students can make the correlation between what was researched in the literature. scientific research and the speech of instrumentalists.

From then on, follow-up meetings take place, which is when Physiotherapy students seek to make the players aware of the need for self-care and develop routine practices that can be performed before, during or after rehearsals and presentations. Each meeting includes orientations, integration dynamics, warm-up, self-massage, mobility exercises, stretching and muscle strengthening.

For Sandra, when participating in activities like this, the students from Bahiana they grow professionally, as they assume responsibility for caring for other people. "I notice that initially they show insecurity and fear for what they don't know yet, but they are proud to be able to collaborate in a social action. Upon meeting the orchestra, they are delighted with the discipline and dedication of such young boys, many say they are learning more than teaching musicians something. Students realize that they are representing the Bahiana, Physiotherapy, demonstrate growth when they assume the responsibility of being ahead (even supervised) of strangers and are confronted with their own form of self-care. They gain a lot in self-confidence," he says. 

Regarding the musicians, the teacher reports that they "appreciate the moment of relaxation in groups and learn some care and exercises that they can perform before and after rehearsals and performances. Some of them comment that they can apply what they learned in their daily lives, but many still have this difficulty".