WELLNESS: LONGEVITY OF ORCHESTRA CONDUCTORS
Who lives longer, joggers or orchestra conductors? The answer, according to an editorial in Modern Medicine (53#2:21) is that, in this country at least, one hears of many more conductors, virtuoso violinists, and concert pianists than sportsmen not only living to a very ripe old age, but also remaining on the job right up to the end. Eubi Blake, 100; Karl Boehm, 86; Adrian Boult, 100; Arthur Fiedler, 86; Paul Paray, 93; Arthur Rubinstein, 94; Arturo Toscanini, 90; Walter Demrosch, 85; and Leopold Stokowski, 96, are a few examples.
How musicians manage to live such long and active lives is not understood, at least not from any scientifically-proven point of view.
Nevertheless, it is widely believed that arm waving activities while conducting, and upper body movements while performing, may provide them with the ideal form of exercise. Because our arms do not bear weight, we can wave them as much as we wish without damaging the joints of the elbows, and shoulders. Furthermore, the editorial writer in Modern Medicine reports, Dartmouth Medical School has recently shown that rowing is the best type of exercise, so far as maximal aerobic stimulation is concerned. Rowers, too, he reported, live to a very ripe old age.
Until the proof of this idea has been provided, he believes, it would be prudent for us to give it the benefit of the doubt by performing arm exercises every day and even “conducting” the music we listen to at home.
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Tags: General health