Dr Bridget Rennie-Salonen, flautist, lecturer, and practitioner and researcher in Performing Arts Health, is Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Music at Stellenbosch University (SU). She is passionate about both the meaning of the performing arts in society and the meaning of the performing arts for the artists themselves.
Bridget’s PhD (utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) focused on content, implementation, and assessment in tertiary level musicians’ performance health education, with the incorporation of somatic learning. Her supervisors were Dr Frelet de Villiers (University of the Free State, SA) and Dr Judy Palac (Michigan State University, USA).
An interdisciplinary performance science researcher, Bridget is interested in the integration of optimal artistic performance with well-being and health promotion. Particular topics include musicians’ performance health and wellbeing (comprising the 4 interlinked areas of musculoskeletal, psychological, vocal, and hearing health); musicians’ health education; musicians’ health literacy, health promotion in and through music teaching, learning and performing; somatic approaches and embodied music teaching, learning and performing; sensorimotor retraining and rehabilitation through multidisciplinary collaborative teamwork; performance psychology; positive psychology; musicians’ thriving, success and joy; practising, skill acquisition and creativity in musicians; and relevance, transformation, and innovation in music curricula.
Bridget is a member of the international Musicians’ Health Literacy Consortium, researching musicians’ health education and health literacy. Read all about it: Health Education Literacy and Mobility for Musicians: a global approach.
Dr Bridget Rennie-Salonen, flautist, lecturer, and practitioner and researcher in Performing Arts Health, is Postdoctoral Fellow at the Africa Open Institute for Music Research and Innovation, Stellenbosch University (SU). She is passionate about both the meaning of the performing arts in society and the meaning of the performing arts for the artists themselves.
Bridget’s PhD (utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) focused on content, implementation, and assessment in tertiary level musicians’ performance health education, with the incorporation of somatic learning. Her supervisors were Dr Frelet de Villiers (University of the Free State, SA) and Dr Judy Palac (Michigan State University, USA).
An interdisciplinary performance science researcher, Bridget is interested in the integration of optimal artistic performance with well-being and health promotion. Particular topics include musicians’ performance health and wellbeing (comprising the 4 interlinked areas of musculoskeletal, psychological, vocal, and hearing health); musicians’ health education; musicians’ health literacy, health promotion in and through music teaching, learning and performing; somatic approaches and embodied music teaching, learning and performing; sensorimotor retraining and rehabilitation through multidisciplinary collaborative teamwork; performance psychology; positive psychology; musicians’ thriving, success and joy; practising, skill acquisition and creativity in musicians; and relevance, transformation, and innovation in music curricula.
Bridget is a member of the international Musicians’ Health Literacy Consortium, researching musicians’ health education and health literacy. Read all about it: Health Education Literacy and Mobility for Musicians: a global approach.
PUBLICATIONS
PEER-REVIEWED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
INVITED GUEST LECTURES
POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION
- Current MMus: Lyudmyla Heath – Contemporary commercial voice technique, pedagogy, and practices: A scoping study.
- Current MMus: Angus Warden – Neurodivergent learners in the music classroom: Exploring teaching strategies to harness strengths and address challenges.
- Current MMus: Damian Christians – Performance Related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Guitarists: A Scoping Review.
- Current MMus: Sarah-Anne Soltau – Exploring South African tertiary music students’ hearing health beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours.
- Current MMus: Amalia Reyneke – Cellists’ experiences of learning and teaching Body Mapping for musicians: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
- Current MSc: Erryn Green – Investigating performance-related musculoskeletal disorders in South African instrumental musicians. (Co-supervision)
- 2o23 BMusHons (distinction): Oluwagbenga Ajila – The Alexander Technique in the applied instrumental music studio: A narrative literature review.
- 2023 MMus (distinction): Caroline Walters. Self-perceptions of graduate employability among student musicians at a South African university.
- 2022 MMus (distinction): Estelle Kemp – Reflection IN and ON practice: a cellist’s search for meaning.
- 2022 MMus (distinction: Frances Levenderis. The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in double bass players.
- 2020 BMus Hons (distinction): Amalia Reyneke. Postural Recommendations in Cello Pedagogy: An Integrative Literature Review.
- 2010 BMus Hons (distinction): Frances Levenderis. Musculoskeletal symptoms in double bass and cello players: a literature review.
FUNDING & SUPPORT
Bridget is grateful for the funding she received to make her further training and research possible:
- 2009 – Cape Tercentenary Foundation grant
- 2013 – The University of the Free State A-list Scholar’s Bursary
- 2013-2015 – The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Scholarship
- 2016 – The University of Cape Town University Research Committee Start-up Grant
- 2017 – The University of Cape Town Emerging Researcher Programme Research Development Grant
- 2018 – Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) international research project grant
- 2020 – Residential Research Fellowship STIAS (Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies)