Welcome to my web page!

I'm a musician and I'm also a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. Because of my interest in music I am doing my dissertation research on musicians.

If you are a musician in the USA or Canada you are invited to participate in a unique study by completing a 30-minute online survey.

This study is different from all prior studies on musicians in that it will collect information from diverse geographic areas and many types of musicians. Although the media churns out a continuous stream of images depicting musicians, there is a profound lack of systematically gathered information about musicians' lives; their occupations, attitudes, and behaviors.

I hope to get 1000 musicians from the United States and Canada to complete the survey. I plan to share the results of the survey to help the world understand the way musicians think and behave. I have created a dedicated website http://www.musicianstudy.org to host the survey and will post results there when the study is complete.

This research is approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Pennsylvania http://www.upenn.edu/regulatoryaffairs/IRB.html protocol 804798. Anyone who wishes can call the Office of Regulatory Affairs at (215) 573-2540 to verify.

Here is an opportunity to weigh in as a musician on issues of importance to all musicians. The survey is very easy to take as nearly all the items are multiple-choice and are responded to with mouse clicks.

The Philadelphia Local of the American Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 77, is supporting this study by providing a link to the survey on their website, so you can be sure this isn't a marketing trick or Internet hoax.

Additionally, you don't have to provide any personal information; responses are 100% anonymous and confidential. All statistical analyses are at the group level. All results are stored on a private, secure, server.

Finally, may I ask you to forward a link to this page ( http://musicianstudy.gse.upenn.edu/ ) to other musicians you know throughout the USA and Canada so I can get as many varied participants as possible? I am seeking responses primarily from those whose main occupation is music. Semi-professionals who work part time as musicians are also welcome to take the survey.

You may also click here to refer others.

Musicians of all kinds are needed (i.e., classical, jazz, rock, pop, country, folk, Latin, Broadway, fusion, soul, R&B, worship, hip hop, reggae, funk, dance band, rap, etc.), as well as all musical occupations (i.e., composers, instrumentalists, vocalists, educators, arrangers, music directors, producers, songwriters, conductors, etc.).

The link below will take you to AFM Local 77. Once there you will see a red text box with the heading "Is music your life?" Simply click where it says CLICK HERE. (Or if you wish you may go directly to http://www.musicianstudy.org.)

To begin click on this link: http://www.local77afm.org

Thanks for your help!

Painting of jazz musicians courtesy of artist and musician Debra Hurd