“Musicians understand why we’re here — because we need to be” — Interview with Enya, Service Delivery Officer

We often describe the support we provide as an organisation, but we know that for lots of musicians, their experience with us is more personal than that. They aren’t talking to an organisation, they’re talking to a person: the one answering the phone, responding to emails, and getting them the support they need. 

Enya, a Service Delivery Officer in our Wellbeing team, is one of those people. We sat down with her to learn about what our wellbeing services look like day to day, and the impact they have. 

I’m here to support musicians who are going through difficult periods or dealing with challenges affecting their lives and careers. I have a caseload of musicians, it’s my job to work out what they need, and what help they may be able to access. 

I start the day by looking at new messages I’ve received.  Sometimes urgent things come up, and those cases go to the top of my list — I’ll work with the musician and my team to consider how we, or another organisation, may be able to help.

I have lots of conversations with different musicians going on all the time. We get requests about all sorts of things, from housing support to accessing NHS care. Someone might be requesting guidance on how to access benefits or debt support; someone else might be sending us a report on their progress with physical health treatment. I spend a lot of time speaking to musicians to understand exactly what’s going on, how we can help, and what next steps are. Then I make those next steps happen –by providing practical support, processing requests for funding and signposting people to other support. 

As well as ongoing casework, I also regularly assess new applications. We take time to understand each person’s situation and how we can help. 

I work with a lot of people experiencing illness and injuries that are affecting their lives as musicians. Often, they come to us when they can’t access help anywhere else, or they need a specialist, or their work as a musician is being immediately disrupted. 

We work in partnership with BAPAM to help musicians access support which acknowledges what it means to be a musician. For example, with ENT (ear, nose and throat) appointments for singers – there are specialist voice clinics they should go to in the NHS, but both GP’s and musicians aren’t always aware, meaning they don’t always get access to the appropriate support. BAPAM are specialists in working with performers and provide recommendations for physical health treatment. If treatment isn’t offered through the NHS, or the NHS waiting list is lengthy, BAPAM may recommend someone to access private treatment.  We can sometimes offer grants to fund the private treatment that BAPAM recommend, to try to people get the appropriate care. 

It definitely can. A big thing for people is the pressure of the music eco-system. People fear that their reputations would be lost if they don’t keep pushing. 

Take theatre – it’s so intense and people work their whole lives for it. To admit they have a vocal issue, it feels like everything’s at stake. Sometimes people may push themselves too much and don’t access support as soon as they could. Orchestras and repetitive strain is another example. We hear so much from people that they’re told to play through it and that’s what makes them a great musician. This can lead to serious issues.  There often isn’t enough emphasis within the industry on how to look after yourself. 

Also, on the other side, sometimes people are really on it with trying to get support, but it might take too long, or they can’t access the right treatment. Musicians’ experiences are really mixed, and each person is different. 

Definitely talking to musicians and working directly with them. It’s so inspiring to hear people’s stories and how dedicated they are to music, despite all the financial and health challenges. People’s passion for music is very moving. We have such a variety of musicians from classical to punk. 

I do sometimes have a quick listen to the music that my musicians are working on.  It provides such an insight to their world of music and life. But don’t worry everyone, your music isn’t part of how we assess applications!

There’s absolutely a gap out there in support for musicians. Like we said, it can feel like there’s a lot of pressure to perform, and if they experience hardship or illness or injury it can have a huge impact not just on their lives, but on their careers in the long-term. If you break your foot and you’re a drummer, for example, that’s very different to somebody who works in an office.  Lots of musicians have experienced challenges like this at one point or another in their careers, and they know why we’re here: because we need to be.