Personality traits in musicians with different types of music performance anxiety.

Introduction: This study investigated the relationship between personality traits and MPA in the course of a specific performance.

Methods: For this purpose, symptoms of MPA, functional coping with MPA and performance-related self-efficacy of a sample of 393 musicians including 23% professional, 49% non-professional orchestra musicians and 28% singers in amateur choirs were categorized and then used to analyze differences in the personality traits. The questionnaires used were the NEO-FFI and the PQM.

Student motivation to study music and sport - a comparison between study subjects and study programs on intrinsic and extrinsic motivational aspects.

Instruction: In both subjects, music and sport, the engagement with the subject content - learning an instrument or training in a sports club - usually begins in early childhood. This makes these subjects special and similar. It is therefore of interest to examine the motivation for choosing music and sport as subjects for university study.

Ancillary and instrumental body movements during inhalation in clarinetists.

Background: Playing a musical instrument requires physical movements that are involved in sound production and movements with more expressive and communicative characteristics. Both movements co-occur during a performance; however, the interaction between the movements is still unclear.

Methods: Using motion capture technology, the movement patterns of clarinetists were analyzed at certain points in a performance to investigate how instrumental and ancillary movements interplay.

Dispositional and performance-specific music performance anxiety in young amateur musicians.

Introduction: Research on Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) among amateur musicians is of great interest due to inconsistent results in literature. In addition, amateur music represents an important part of musical culture in Germany. Accordingly, the performance experiences of young wind players represent a relevant issue for research and musical practice.

A coupled experimental and statistical approach for an assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection risk at indoor event locations.

Indoor event locations are particularly affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. At large venues, only incomplete risk assessments exist, whereby no suitable measures can be derived. In this study, a physical and data-driven statistical model for a comprehensive infection risk assessment has been developed.

Social contact, practice, organization and technical knowledge: Experiences of music students in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For music students, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact, forcing them to adapt to certain coronavirus regulations laid down by the state. In this study, the experiences of music students in three consecutive semesters under different coronavirus-related conditions are investigated. At the end of three semesters, the lockdown semester [SS (Summer Semester) 2020: April - July], a partially opened semester [WS (Winter Semester) 2020/21: October - February] and a mostly opened semester (SS 2021), a total of 152 music students at the University of Music Freiburg were asked to fill in an online survey.

Associations Between Ancillary Body Movements and Acoustic Parameters of Pitch, Dynamics and Timbre in Clarinet Playing.

When playing an instrument, there are two main categories of body movements: instrumental movements, which are necessary for the sound production, and ancillary movements, which are associated with individual musical intentions and expressions. In this study, the particular purpose of ancillary movements of clarinet player was investigated especially in respect to how these movements were related to the musical structure of the piece and to specific audio parameters. 3D motion capture data of 19 clarinet players performing the same piece were analyzed regarding common motion patterns during the performance and in accordance with acoustic features related to pitch, dynamics (RMS energy) and timbre (spectral centroid and flux).

Coronavirus vaccination rates in cultural areas in Germany.

Vaccination is a significant preventive measure to contain the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Vaccination rates can provide useful information on the potential spread of infection in a given population. In this study, vaccination rates and attitudes towards vaccination in cultural sectors, specifically the music sector, have been investigated.

Live Music Performance: The Relationship Between Flow and Music Performance Anxiety.

Most studies exploring the relation between flow and Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) have focused on the disposition of generally experiencing flow and the occurrence of MPA. Little is known about the connection between experiencing flow and MPA as it relates to a specific performance. In this study, flow and MPA have been investigated in 363 orchestral musicians in relation to a particular live music performance.

The spread of breathing air from wind instruments and singers using schlieren techniques.

The spread of breathing air when playing wind instruments and singing was investigated and visualized using two methods: (1) schlieren imaging with a schlieren mirror and (2) background-oriented schlieren (BOS). These methods visualize airflow by visualizing density gradients in transparent media. The playing of professional woodwind and brass instrument players, as well as professional classical trained singers were investigated to estimate the spread distances of the breathing air.

Musical Practice in Music Students During COVID-19 Lockdown.

The pandemic situation has forced students in higher education to use alternative learning routines due to reduced activities at universities and educational facilities. Especially music students needed to adapt their musical learning to this particular situation. Mostly affected by the lockdown was the musical practicing behavior, especially when practicing at the University of Music was not possible.

Airflow and Air Velocity Measurements While Playing Wind Instruments, with Respect to Risk Assessment of a SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Due to airborne transmission of the coronavirus, the question arose as to how high the risk of spreading infectious particles can be while playing a wind instrument. To examine this question and to help clarify the possible risk, we analyzed 14 wind instruments, first qualitatively by making airflows visible while playing, and second quantitatively by measuring air velocity at three distances (1, 1.5, 2 m) in the direction of the instruments' bells.

Classifying Different Types of Music Performance Anxiety.

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a commonly present topic among musicians. Most studies on MPA investigated effects of a more general occurrence of MPA on performances. Less is known about individual variations of MPA within a performance, more specifically at the times before, during, and after the performance.

[Aerosols and SARS-CoV-2: Statement of the "Expert Group Aerosols" on the development, infectivity, spread and reduction of airborne, virus-containing particles in the air].

Aerosols are currently seen as one of the main transmission routes for SARS-CoV-2, but a comprehensive understanding of the processes and appropriate action/adaptation of protection concepts requires the exchange of information across interdisciplinary boundaries. Against this background, the Baden-Württemberg state government launched in October 2020 a multidisciplinary "Expert Group Aerosols" comprising engineers, natural scientists and medical professionals. In its statement, the group has compiled the current state of knowledge in all relevant disciplines in the context of airborne SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Comparison of Postural Stability and Balance Between Musicians and Non-musicians.

Good postural stability and balance provide a basis for optimal movement. For instrumental musicians, particular postures are demanded during long periods of playing and practicing. These postures can potentially also affect the postural control system even in situations when the musician is not playing the instrument.

Long-Term Effects of a Voice Training Program for Teachers on Vocal and Mental Health.

Objectives: The voice is an important occupational tool for teachers. Voice training programs have been shown to help strengthen the voice health and endurance. However, longitudinal studies on voice trainings are sparse.

Vocal Health, Voice Self-concept and Quality of Life in German School Teachers.

Objectives: For school teachers, the voice is a mandatory occupational tool during teaching. Several studies, however, proved that teachers are at high risk of developing voice disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the voice health, voice self-concept, and quality of life in German teachers.

Dipeptidyl-Peptidase Activity of Meprin β Links N-truncation of Aβ with Glutaminyl Cyclase-Catalyzed pGlu-Aβ Formation.

The formation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides is causally involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A significant proportion of deposited Aβ is N-terminally truncated and modified at the N-terminus by a pGlu-residue (pGlu-Aβ). These forms show enhanced neurotoxicity compared to full-length Aβ.

[An across-scales analysis of the voice self-concept questionnaire (FESS)].

Background: The questionnaire for the assessment of the voice selfconcept (FESS) contains three sub-scales indicating the personal relation with the own voice. The scales address the relationship with one's own voice, the awareness of the use of one's own voice, and the perception of the connection between voice and emotional changes. A comprehensive approach across the three scales supporting a simplified interpretation of the results was still missing.

Analysing the vocal behaviour of teachers during classroom teaching using a portable voice accumulator.

Purpose: Teachers are at a considerable risk of developing vocal health problems due to intensive voice use during teaching. This study investigated factors related to the teacher's voice during a teaching situation.

Methods: Overall, 113 teachers were recorded during a typical class lesson, lasting on average 48 min.

Purification of recombinant Aβ(1-42) and pGlu-Aβ(3-42) using preparative SDS-PAGE.

Recombinant expression and purification of amyloid peptides represents a common basis for investigating the molecular mechanisms of amyloid formation and toxicity. However, the isolation of the recombinant peptides is hampered by inefficient separation from contaminants such as the fusion protein required for efficient expression in E. coli.

Factors for and against establishing and working in private practice correlated with work-related behavior and experience patterns of Ferman physicians in Schleswig-Holstein: A 2-year longitudinal study.

Objectives: To identify factors in favor of or against establishing and working in private practice, to determine the quality of life and work-related behavior and experience patterns of German physicians working in private practice, and to analyze the correlation of those factors.

Material And Methods: A representative sample of physicians in private practice in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, was surveyed according to a 2-year longitudinal design (T1 - 2008, N = 549 and T2 - 2010, N = 414). The study included 22 items regarding the attractiveness of establishing and working in private practice, and the questionnaires: the Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12), and Work-related Behavior and Experience Pattern (Arbeitsbezogenes Verhaltens- und Erlebensmuster - AVEM).

Effectiveness of a Voice Training Program for Student Teachers on Vocal Health.

Objectives: The effectiveness of a preventive training program on vocal health for German student teachers was investigated on specific vocal parameters.

Methods: The voice quality as described by the Dysphonia Severity Index of 204 student teachers (training group: n = 123; control group: n = 81) was measured at the beginning and at the end of the student teachers training period (duration 1.5 years).

Music performance anxiety in young musicians: comparison of playing classical or popular music.

Objectives: Music performance anxiety (MPA) is an issue frequently experienced by musicians. It occurs not only in experienced musicians but also in children and adolescents. Furthermore, most research on MPA has been done with musicians who specialized in classical music.

Treatment and prevention of music performance anxiety.

Music performance anxiety (MPA) regularly occurs when musicians present themselves before an audience in performance situations, and thus, it plays an important role in the careers of professional musicians. MPA is expressed on the emotional and physical level, as well as on the levels of thinking and behavior, and extends along a continuum of varying severity. Its performance-impairing, afflicting form is considered to be a specific type of social phobia, which requires therapy.