What is psychology applied to music for?

It is clear that beyond the stereotypes about the world of music and the lives of those who dedicate themselves to it, Developing a professional career as a musician is far from giving oneself entirely to spontaneity and pure intuition. In the vast majority of cases, it is not possible to wait for the muses to do the work, and everything must be created from work routines, a deliberate effort to compose, interpret and take care of logistical details, etc.

This fact, that the work of musicians is full of rather prosaic responsibilities, might seem like a reason to become disillusioned with the profession, but in fact it is quite the opposite. And it is that although we cannot control the type of ideas and combinations of notes that come to mind (this depends rather on luck and randomness), where there are voluntary and conscious actions, there is room for maneuver to learn to perform better and squeeze our potential. And that is why from the management of certain psychological processes it is possible to find better solutions to the challenges of working in music day to day.

• Related article: "What is creativity? Are we all "potential geniuses"?

What psychological elements can be worked on and developed in the field of music?

Beyond the technical and theoretical knowledge about music theory, the use of musical instruments and complementary tools, Knowing how to take advantage of the profession of musician involves developing various “soft skills”, that is, professional attributes linked to the management of emotions, social relationships and behavior patterns. self-motivation and creation of contexts that predispose us to work better in what we we dedicate

These are skills and aptitudes that are not limited to a specific profession or trade and in whose development you have practice and training guidelines in these capacities weigh heavily both in working life and in private life.

For this reason, in psychology it is usual to provide support and assistance in this experiential learning process, both in cases in which the person goes to psychotherapy as in the context of coaching and psychological support for those who do not have a mental disorder but who want to improve some aspect of their lives. In the case of musicians, these are the main skills that can be trained from psychology.

1. Motivation

Learning to set goals and work in a way that predisposes us to give the best of ourselves is key to not not only reach excellence in our work, but also do it efficiently and without investing time in it excessive. Therefore, in psychology, training programs are created in self-motivation strategies, establishing work rhythms that offer both long-term and short-term incentives (and that are not limited to always focusing on economic compensation).

• You may be interested: "Types of motivation: the 8 motivational sources"

2. Development of self-esteem and learning from successes and mistakes

Having a good self-esteem is not a simple matter of feeling good or bad; In addition, it makes it easy or difficult for us when it comes to relating to ourselves (and to others) in the work, and it depends on it that we are able to identify our achievements or our mistakes as such.

Thus, from psychology, the person is helped to establish an adequate type of locus of control, that is, the way in which he learns to attribute what happens to his own merits or to circumstances beyond himself. And it is that not a few people are unable to advance in their work among other things because when they do something well, automatically they assume that it is due to luck or the intervention of third parties, and when something bad happens to them, they assume that it is always due to their guilt. In the same way, it helps to create self-reflection guidelines to take advantage of day-to-day failures and learn something from them, instead of limiting ourselves to suffering their immediate consequences.

• Related article: "Do you really know what self-esteem is?"

3. Activation Management Strategies

Knowing how to adapt the state of our nervous system to the type of activation that work requires at all times is key to performing well. In the case of musicians, exposure to stress can wear us down on numerous occasions, which is why psychology teaches how to regulate the degree of mental and physiological activity. For it training in relaxation techniques and focus of consciousness is usedsuch as controlled breathing exercises or progressive muscle relaxation.

• You may be interested: "6 easy relaxation techniques to combat stress"

4. care management

In the field of psychology, either in therapy or in other forms of psychological assistance related With personal or professional development, it is common to train in the use of management routines of the attention to optimize performance when performing key tasks. And it is not the same to approach a creative task or one focused on muscular coordination, maintaining a dispersed attention than one focused on what is being done; the second allows us to focus on the motor and mental processes involved in the task, and the Second, it exposes us much more to distractions, mistakes and intrusive thoughts. recurring.

5. Modification and substitution of limiting beliefs

Having one or another belief system can expand our creative possibilities or limit us professionally, leading us to the same dead end over and over again. For this reason, from the psychological accompaniment people are helped to detect and identify as such the limiting beliefs, check why they do not fit well with reality and are a professional and creative brake, and change them for others that are more adaptive and that correspond more to an objective vision of reality.

• Related article: "6 limiting beliefs, and how they harm us on a daily basis"

6. Creative work guidelines training

Although as we have seen we do not have direct control over what occurs to us, we do we can expose ourselves to situations that help us make the most of our creative potential. For example, learning to examine unusual connections between ideas and aesthetic elements, setting limitations for ourselves (paradoxically) that these are a creative support, use examples in a way that does not induce us to copy, but inspires us to create on our own, learn what our interests are at all times and what stimulates us most intellectually in every moment etc

7. Management of emotions

Finally, the management of emotions and the cultivation of Emotional Intelligence help musicians both to better manage their personal relationships (for better identifying the emotional states of other people and knowing how to better express their own) as well as create the contexts of work and creation of musical pieces that induce us to an emotional state that fit the tone and theme of what we want to create.

Conclution

Learning to manage the psychological skills we have seen with professional support helps professionals in the world of music to optimize their performance, creative potential, satisfaction and welfare. If you are interested in having this type of service, please contact us.

On UPAD Psychology and Coaching We have several years of experience supporting professionals dedicated to the arts and activities in which creativity is a fundamental element. We attend in person at our center located in Madrid, and also online in video call sessions.