Eureka! Institutional Repository

This study is a literature review that in the content of which is examined the effect of wind (woodwinds and brass) instruments on the human respiratory system. Not only is music a universally loved form of art, but it is quite demanding as a profession as well and should one wishes to exceed in it, countless hours of daily practice are required. The main point of this study is to define whether this diligence in practice impinges positively upon a musician’s health or deteriorates it and to assess the possibility of using woodwinds and brass instruments as a way of healing on patients who suffer from respiratory disorders. For this cause clinical trials were mostly researched online on the platforms PubMed and Google Scholar. From the 29 trials that were found, 13 were ultimately used. The results are vague and ambiguous. Some of these trials indicate that wind instrument players showed lower lung function whereas other trials indicate that they manifest higher lung function. Given the evidence existent to this day it is impossible to confidently come up with a certain conclusion. As for occupational diseases, the wind instrument musicians have the tendency to develop chronic respiratory disorders, most famous of which is asthma.