Uwindsor professor snags Grammy grant to study drummer training
Drum roll, please!
Nadia Azar, a University of Windsor kinesiology professor who has carved out a research niche around the physical demands of playing the drums, has received a grant from the Grammy Museum to continue her work.
Azar will use the US$20,000 grant to investigate why drum instructors do — or don't — offer students training on how to prevent playing-related injury.
For the past four years, Azar has been collecting data on heart rate, energy expenditure and musculoskeletal disorders in drummers.
“I was surprised at how little research there was on the biomechanics of playing drums and shocked to see there was nothing on injuries or how to prevent injuries for drummers,” said Azar, who knows her way around a drum kit.
Now in its 34th year, the Grammy Museum grant program awarded $220,000 to 12 projects across North America this year. Five of those projects, including Azar's, involve scientific research. Others involve music preservation and archiving.
“To be recognized by the Grammy program is testimony to her dedication, hard work and knowledge,” said Jeff Burrows, wellknown Windsor drummer with The Tea Party. “The work she's doing is so fantastic and ahead of the curve. It can grow into so many different levels.”
With plans to tour in November, Burrows has resumed his workout routine to get himself physically in shape for the rigours of playing.
He credits an athletic background as a kid for helping him avoid serious physical issues over a long music career.
“I've been really lucky,” he said. “In the early days, all caution is thrown to the wind. We all play too hard, we play too heavy and we don't get enough sleep,” he said.
Throughout his career, Burrows maintained a stretching routine he used in his youth to keep injuries at bay. “You have to mitigate the risks of over extension.”
Azar plans to interview 30 drum instructors to find out what training they teach to prevent repetitive injuries and promote healthy behaviours. She'll seek out participants with the help of the Percussive Arts Society, which has members around the globe.
“I hope to interview drum instructors that teach at a variety of institutions — high school, university, college, private or independent. I'd like to get a mix,” Azar said. “At the end I hope to identify some resources.”
When Azar did an earlier survey of 800 drummers for another research project, she asked about formal training and if it included injury prevention. Less than half of the respondents who had formal training learned about injury prevention and that same group also reported lower rates of injuries.
“What I've really enjoyed is that Nadia's work has crossed over between academic circles to a lot of industry circles,” said Nick Papador, an associate professor of music at Uwindsor who specializes in percussion. “She's absolutely brought a lot of awareness around health and wellness. She's provided some data that's absolutely brand new to our conferences and she's just getting started on that front.”