Searchable database for wellness resources improved.(Forum Focus: Wellness)

In 1997, AMT published MTNA's first Annotated Bibliography on Musician Wellness. Since that time, the bibliography and the topic of wellness have become increasingly popular. In fact, wellness is so important to today's musicians, the MTNA Board of Directors has established a Wellness Forum to address these issues.

The purpose of the bibliography was, and still is, to provide a resource tool for teachers and students to address performance anxiety and medical problems musicians often develop. The list focuses on the prevention of musical injuries and the general wellness of all musicians--not just pianists--and lists a variety of the most valuable resource materials for all types of musicians.

From the beginning, Linda Cockey, professor and chair of the Department of Music at Salisbury University, has tackled the monumental task of sorting through the dozens of wellness-related materials that hit the market each year. And while the ubiquitous Internet has made searching for resources easier, wellness-related websites are proliferating and giving Cockey another area to review. For assistance with this aspect of the bibliography, she turned to another Salisbury colleague, Kathryn Kalmanson, head of reference at Blackwell Library.

"Kathryn does the research necessary for this bibliography and has taken on the full responsibility ...