Performer Guides

Use this guide to find resources for music performance, including LC call number browsing ranges for repertoire, books, and journals..

Banner art: musician wellness resources a curated guide for musicians

Along your music journey, you may experience challenges or want to develop other practices and routines for performance, wellness, and teaching. The Heath and Wellness guide is an overview of library resources and information available to you as a student. The Wilson Music Library collects information and prioritizes materials related to musician wellness and performance. The bookshelf contains selected titles using the subject headings above for mindfulness, injury prevention, performance anxiety, peak performance, success, and more. 

Note: this guide does not replace the importance of seeking medical advice, help, and assistance. If you are experiencing pain, anxiety, or need to talk with a professional, seek out your student care network at Vanderbilt. 

Recommended Reading

Search by Subject Heading

Searching by subject headings versus a keyword search gathers resources that are tagged under a particular subject or topic. Using the advanced search function, select subject and contains exact phrase from the drop down menus. Then, type in the subject heading of your choice. 

LOC subject headings: 

Other keywords and subject headings can be explored in your search like Motivation, Awareness, Imagery, Confidence.

Call numbers for resources may vary because of the multi-disciplinary nature of the subject. The Music Library holds interdisciplinary materials in the stacks NUMBERS. You may find other books online or at other libraries on campus including Central Library. 

Journals and Databases

Looking for articles? Search for articles using the library catalog or search within specific journal publications such as: 

You can develop keywords and phrases from a research question to input into a database or the library catalog search engine for searching and locating information. If you want to focus on your specific instrument, visit the performer guide related to your area and search recommended journals within your discipline for musician wellness and performance related topics. 

Blogs