Key words: Italian musicians, occupational well-being, COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative analysis
Objective: The purpose of the present study is to investigate and delve into the internal representations, common characteristics, and experiences associated with being a professional musician in Italy, in both a pre- and post-pandemic context.
Method: The research is qualitative in nature and involves the administration of short questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to a sample of 50 professional musicians with at least ten years of continuous professional activity and working in the context of major Italian cities.
Results: four core categories of analysis were derived from the interviews, which deal with professional identity, work areas that presuppose the use of the instrument (performance, study, composition, improvisation), work areas outside the use of the instrument (musician’s soft skills, criticality of the profession and context), and finally teaching in music.
The results show a great fragility in the identity definition of musicians due to the lack of social and institutional recognition of this professional category. Common personality traits of flexibility/adaptability and strong projection toward future were found. Moreover, the pandemic was experienced very heterogeneously depending on the internal and external protective and risk factors possessed, such as social support, economic support, and intrinsic or extrinsic motivation toward one’s work.
Conclusions: The research findings provide insights into a greater understanding of what it means to be a professional musician in an unstable work and psychosocial context such as the current Italian context. They open up for potential future research to further explore the topic and to cause concrete change on the social environment.
DOI: doi.org/10.36131/psichpsicoterapia230302