Self-reported effects of singing on psychological well-being at professional solo singers

Učinki petja na psihično blagostanje pevcev je tema, za katero je v zadnjem času vse več zanimanja, je pa še relativno slabo raziskana. Večina predhodnih raziskav se je osredotočala na pevce profesionalnih ali amaterskih zborov in v njih so ugotovili predvsem pozitivne učinke petja na psihično blagostanje pevcev. V našem magistrskem delu pa smo se osredotočili na raziskovanje učinkov petja na psihično blagostanje profesionalnih solističnih pevcev. Zanimalo nas je predvsem, kako petje vpliva na njihovo psihično blagostanje, njihovo samozavest in razpoloženje, zanimale pa so nas tudi povezave profesionalnega solističnega petja in stresnih dejavnikov. Osredotočili smo se še na preverjanje razlik, ki bi se izkazale med ženskimi in moškimi pevci, udeleženimi v raziskavi, in pa na razlike glede na različne zvrsti petja, ki jih ti izvajajo. Pri raziskovanju smo uporabili kvalitativno metodo raziskovanja. Vzorec je zajemal 14 poklicnih pevcev (6 moških pevcev in 8 ženskih pevk), starih od 26 do 74 let. Ugotovili smo, da petje na splošno pozitivno vpliva na profesionalne solistične pevce in jim nudi sprostitev, srečo in zadovoljstvo. Pozitivni vplivi petja so se izkazali tudi na čustvenem področju (tj. izražanje in poglabljanje čustev, večja empatija) in na socialnem področju (tj. spoznavanje novih ljudi, sodelovanje z drugimi glasbeniki, večja splošna prepoznavnost) udeležencev. Petje prav tako večinoma pozitivno vpliva na samozavest in razpoloženje profesionalnih solističnih pevcev, vendar se zraven pojavljajo tudi številni stresni dejavniki (tj. občutek odgovornosti, trema, pritiski in pričakovanja ljudi, osebne težave idr.), ki jim občasno znižujejo občutek psihičnega blagostanja. Nekaj predvsem ženskih udeleženk je poročalo o tem, da njihova kariera zahteva več osebnega odrekanja v primerjavi z moškimi udeleženci, drugih bistvenih razlik med spoloma pa nismo zasledili. Največje občutene razlike pri petju glede na različne zvrsti so se izkazale med klasičnim oz. opernim petjem in popularnimi zvrstmi petja, kjer se je izkazalo klasično petje kot najzahtevnejša disciplina, tudi v fizičnem (kondicijskem) smislu. Pričujoče magistrsko delo omogoča boljše razumevanje tega, kako posamezniki udeleženi v raziskavi občutijo vplive petja na lastno psihično blagostanje. V primerjavi s predhodnimi raziskavami, ki so bile opravljene z zbori, naše delo nakazuje tudi to ugotovitev, da se profesionalni solistični pevci soočajo z večjimi stresnimi dejavniki, kar jim občasno omejuje občutke pozitivnih vplivov petja na njihovo psihično blagostanje. Ti zaključki nam torej ponujajo dobro iztočnico za nadaljnje raziskave teh ugotovitev.The effects of singing on psychological well-being of singers is a topic which has recently been more and more interesting, but it is still relatively poorly understood. Most previous research has focused on the professional and amateur choir singers, and mainly positive effects on psychological well-being of singing singers have been established. In our thesis, we focus on researching the effects of singing on the psychological well-being of professional solo singers. The question was how singing affects their psychological well-being, their self-esteem and mood, and links between the professional solo singing and stress factors were the subject of research as well. We focused on the verification of differences that stand between male and female singers involved in the study, and on the differences in the different genres of singing, which they do. In the research, we used a qualitative research method. The sample consisted of 14 professional singers (6 male singers and 8 female singers), aged 26 to 74 years. We have found that singing has a generally positive impact on the professional solo singers and offers them relaxation, happiness and satisfaction. The positive effects of singing have also been indicated in the emotional area (ie. the expression and deepening of emotions, greater empathy) and in the social sphere (ie. meeting new people, working with other musicians, greater overall visibility) of participants. Singing also has a largely positive impact on confidence and mood of professional solo singers, but numerous stress factors are present as well (ie. a sense of responsibility, stage fright, pressures and expectations of the audience, personal problems, etc.), which occasionally reduce the sense of psychological well-being. Some mainly female participants reported that their career will require more personal sacrifices in comparison to men, however, other significant differences between the sexes were not detected. The largest perceived differences in singing according to different genres were detected between classical and opera singing and popular genres of singing, where classical singing has proven to be the most demanding discipline, even in the physical (fitness) terms. The present study provides a better understanding of how individuals, who have participated in the study, feel the effects of singing on their own psychological well-being. Compared with previous studies, which were performed with choirs, our work also suggests that professional solo singers are faced with major stress factors which occasionally restrict their singing sensations of positive impact on their psychological well-being. These conclusions therefore offer a good starting point for further research on these findings