ClinicalTrials.Veeva

Menu

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Preventive Advice Supported by an App on the Health of Student Musicians: a Randomized Controlled Study (HarMoNie)

A

Anne-Violette Bruyneel

Status

Begins enrollment in 1 month

Conditions

Healthy Adults

Treatments

Behavioral: GApp
Behavioral: GappE

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT07033793
HarMoNie-129810
2025-00300 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Student musicians are particularly vulnerable to both physical and psychological health issues, with studies showing that 38% report pain from musical practice and over 50% experience high stress. Despite these risks, health resources tailored specifically to student musicians remain limited. This study aims to address this gap by testing a preventive, digital intervention to improve the well-being of this population. The intervention, delivered via a smartphone or tablet app, is designed to accommodate the unique demands of student musicians, such as frequent travel and time constraints. It includes health education, self-assessment tools, preventive health behavior advice, and interactive games designed to promote healthier work habits, daily routines, and overall health knowledge.

Full description

Student musicians are significantly affected by physical and psychological health issues. Previous studies highlighted that 38% of student musicians experience pain related to their musical practice over a 12-month period, and more than 50% report high levels of stress (general and speficic with musical performance).

Despite these concerning trends, tailored health resources and advice specific to student musicians remain rare. Improved work habits and daily health behaviors are crucial for primary prevention and could enhance both learning conditions and long-term health despite the high level of musical practice. Digital, evidence-based interventions, tailored to the specific needs of musicians, could offer a practical solution given their unique constraints, including frequent travel, limited resources, and demanding schedules.

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a smartphone/tablet-based preventive intervention for student musicians. The intervention is designed to improve their physical, psychological, and social well-being, as well as health knowledge. Given the health risks associated with pre-professional and professional music practice, these issues impact not only the well-being of student musicians but also their self-fulfillment and learning capacity. These issues justify the introduction of health support in music studies. It is currently recommended to develop approaches to health promotion that integrate health knowledge, self-assessment of risk factors, and good daily habits. These approaches are most effective when tailored to the specific needs of musicians.

This study will assess a preventive, digital intervention for student musicians over a 12-week period. The three groups involved are: GAppE (stand-alone app plus 5 educational group sessions), GApp (app intervention used independently), and GC (no intervention). Health knowledge, physical, psychological, and social well-being, as well as daily life and work habits, will be assessed at three time points: before the intervention, after 6 weeks, and after 12 weeks.

The health knowledge, the physical, psychological, and social health, as well as daily life and work health behavior habits, will be assessed at three times: 1) before the intervention, 2) after 6 and 3) 12 weeks in the 3 groups. After 6 and 12 weeks, participants in the GAppE and GApp groups will also evaluate their satisfaction with the app-based preventive intervention using standardized questionnaires.

The hypothesis is that the intervention will be feasible, useful, and appreciated, and that it will have beneficial health outcomes, particularly when combined with educational group sessions.

Enrollment

45 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • Age: Over 18 years old
  • Enrollment at the Geneva University of Music (HEM) as a Bachelor (1st, 2nd, or 3rd year) or Master (1st or 2nd year) student.
  • Primary discipline: Must be in musical performance (instrumental or vocal).
  • Physical ability to play an instrument or sing (no physical disabilities that prevent participation in musical practice).
  • Must be able to follow academic activities as planned.

Exclusion criteria

  • Unable to play their instrument or participate in singing.
  • Underwent surgery in the past 12 months that affects their ability to practice music (e.g., musculoskeletal surgeries).
  • Suffering from pain or medical conditions that are not related to musical practice (e.g., non-musical injuries or pathologies).
  • Unable to follow the planned academic schedule (e.g., missing classes or major academic constraints that would prevent full participation in the study).

Trial design

Primary purpose

Prevention

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

Single Blind

45 participants in 3 patient groups

GC
No Intervention group
Description:
Control group with no intervention.
GApp
Experimental group
Description:
Preventive advice with digital support
Treatment:
Behavioral: GApp
GappE
Experimental group
Description:
Preventive advice with digital support + 5 educational sessions
Treatment:
Behavioral: GappE

Trial contacts and locations

1

Loading...

Central trial contact

Anne-Violette Bruyneel, Associate Professor; Clara James, Full Professor

Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

Clinical trials

Find clinical trialsTrials by location
© Copyright 2025 Veeva Systems