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For musicians to enhance their performance, it is instructive to understand how performances are perceived and evaluated by others. This chapter sets out some of the musical and psychological factors that influence the assessment of performance quality. The first part attempts to deconstruct some of the assumptions of assessment, so that readers are aware of the flaws and limitations that are inherent in any form of evaluation made by humans. This leads to the central question addressed in the final part of the chapter, which details what performers can do, in addition to performing at their peak, to enhance how their performance is received and evaluated by an audience.

This first chapter provides a concise introduction to each part of the book, previewing the chapters contained therein and placing them in the broader context of performance enhancement research. It then considers the extent to which the physical and psychological skills required of today's performers are amenable to improvement through scientifically tested, systematic training procedures. Finally, it discusses how one may begin to embark on a personal course of enhancement using the pragmatic advice offered in this volume.

The ability to work with others to produce cohesive, well-coordinated performances is a hallmark of musical expertise. In such situations, verbal, aural, and visual cues are often established and shared between coperformers. This chapter weighs up the importance of these cues in driving successful rehearsals and performances. It examines a variety of ensemble types (from cello-piano duos to symphony orchestras) and the functions of members within those ensembles.

This chapter considers the potentially deleterious effects on performers of making music. These have been shown to include occupational stress, musculoskeletal disorders, and non-musculoskeletal disorders including performance anxiety. Such problems seem to be attributable, in part, to performers' lifestyles when they were students, according to the findings of research exploring music performance students' attitudes to health, health-promoting lifestyles, self-reported experiences of ill health, and levels of fitness. While many music colleges and university music departments recognize that it is important for health promotion to be prioritized within the curriculum, the chapter argues that the changes in training for musicians should be made from the earliest stages, so that they learn not only to prevent injury and avoid other disorders, but also to enhance their health and wellbeing.

This chapter outlines the AMU’s history immediately post 1918 and its moves towards merger with the National Orchestral Union of Professional Musicians (NOUPM) to form the Musician’s Union (MU) in 1921. It examines the resignation of Joe Williams and the problems faced by his successor as General Secretary, E.S.Teale and his successor, Fred Dambman. Changes within the music profession as musical tastes change are outlined. The advent of broadcasting is discussed and the BBC’s developing role as a key employer of musicians is highlighted. The development of the recording industry is discussed and the crisis in musical employment caused by the advent of the “talkies” in the cinema outlined. Problems caused for the Union by “alien” musicians working in the UK are noted.