<p>Supplement A: Questionaire “Embouchure Disorders“ in professional brass players</p><p>All data will be gathered anonymously and treated confidentially!</p><p>A. General questions 1. Gender: ( ) f ( ) m 2. Age: ______years 3. Instrument: ( ) Trumpet ( ) Horn ( ) Trombone ( ) Tuba 4. ( ) high part player ( ) low part player ( ) utility player 5. Professional status ( ) I’m an orchestra musician under permanent contract Length of employment: I’ve been in the orchestra for ______years. ( ) I’m a music student - I’m studying a brass instrument as my ( ) primary instrument ( ) secondary instrument - I’m in the _____ semester. ( ) I have an internship in an orchestra. ( ) I’m an instrumental teacher ( ) at a college ( ) at a music school ( ) privately ( ) I’m a free-lance musician. 6. I’ve played a musical instrument regularly since I was ____ years old. 7. I’ve played my instrument regularly since I was______years old. 8. My decision to become a professional trumpet/horn/trombone/tuba player was made when I was ______years old. 9. Before I began playing professionally, I studied my instrument at a conservatory or similar institution for _____ years. 10. Practice habits a) Duration (average daily amount of practice, not including practice-free days.) I practice an average of _____ hours a day. Weekly average (including practice-free days) I practice an average of____hours a week. b) Continuity ( ) I usually practice for a fixed amount of time on a daily basis. ( ) 0-1 hours ( ) 1-2 hours ( ) 2-3 hours ( ) more than 3 hours ( ) I don’t take practice-free days. ( ) I regularly take practice-free days. Weekly number: ( ) 1 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( ) more than 3 ( ) I usually practice on an irregular basis: ( ) when neccessary. ( ) depending upon the program. ( ) when my schedule allows. ( ) I don’t practice often since I play well enough without. c) Warm-up habits (multiple answers allowed) ( ) I warm-up every day. ( I use the same daily warm-up routine. ( ) I usually warm up extensively, but I also have an “emergency” routine for a quick warm-up. ( ) I warm up before every service. ( ) I try to warm up before every service and in most cases do, but I don’t always have the time. ( ) I often go to a service “cold”, without having warmed-up.</p><p>1 ( ) When I teach, I often play without having warmed-up. ( ) I don’t need to do a warm-up. ( ) Variable- not possible to generalize. ( ) Alternative warm-up routine: ______Usual duration of the warm-up: ___ Min. Duration of the “quick” warm-up: ____ Min. 11. General workload a) What is the weekly average number of hours you work? ______hours. b) Allocation of the weekly workload (aa) Orchestra service (full-time): ______hours. (bb) Orchestra service (part-time/free-lance/etc.): ____ hours. (cc) Chamber music/Solo work: _____ hours. (dd) Other activity on the primary instrument: _____hours. (ee) Teaching: ______hours. (ff) Practice time : ______hours. (gg) Other working times: ______hours. c) Do you have regular free days? ( ) yes ( ) no d) Do you have enough free time? ( ) yes ( ) no e) How do you feel in relation to your workload? ( ) bored ( ) satisfyingly motivated ( ) overly challenged(stressed out) f) Do you have one or more hobbies beside your profession that occupy your time? ( ) yes ( ) no 12. Instrumental stressors a) Is your embouchure often fatigued? ( ) yes ( ) no b) Which symptons of embouchure fatigue do you display? ( ) Muscle fatigue ( ) Lip pain due to mouthpiece pressure ( ) Redness (mouthpiece imprint) ( ) Soreness of the lip membranes due to dental pressure ( ) Tooth pain ( ) front teeth ( ) back teeth? ( ) Pain/pressure in or around the larynx ( ) Pain in the jaw joint ( ) Tension in shoulder/neck/back of head ( ) Other symptoms:______</p><p>B. Questions specifically for affected musicians 1. Have you ever had technical problems/embouchure problems (“the program doesn’t function“)? ( ) yes ( ) no (if no, please continue with C.) 2. In what area do the problems manifest themselves? ( ) High range ( ) Low range ( ) Flexibility ( ) Transition from low to high range ( ) Transition from high to low range ( ) Holding long notes (“shaking“) ( ) Tone quality (“it doesn’t sound good any more“) ( ) Beginning of notes (Attack “Blockage“) ( ) Accuracy (cracked notes)</p><p>2 ( ) Breaking off of held notes ( ) Attack in tongued passages ( ) Cramping ( ) Lip area ( ) Tongue ( ) Larynx ( ) Breath ( ) Coordination of the individual playing processes ( ) Other: ______</p><p>3. Possible reasons for problems a) I changed my practice habits. Before the problem started, I ( ) practiced more. ( ) practiced less. ( ) practiced differently. b) I changed my warm-up habits. ( ) I often neglected to warm up before a service. ( ) I changed my routine. c) I changed something on my technique. ( ) Embouchure change ( ) Breath technique ( ) Other: ______d) Before the problem appeared, was there a change in your attitude towards playing? (aa) Before, did you mostly enjoy playing? ( ) yes ( ) no (bb) Do you still enjoy playing now? ( ) yes ( ) no (cc) Before, did you practice more on your strengths? ( ) yes ( ) no (dd) Before, did you practice more on your weaknesses? ( ) yes ( ) no (ee) Do you now practice more on your strengths? ( ) yes ( ) no (ff) Do you now practice more on your weaknesses? ( ) yes ( ) no e) Directly prior to the problem, was there some physical event (e.g.. piercing pain in or around the lips/previous inflamation oder hardening of the lips etc.)? Which?______f) Directly prior to the embouchure problems were you exposed to any particularly psychologically demanding situations? ( ) yes ( ) no 4. How did you react to the embouchure/technical problems? ( ) I spoke with my colleagues about my problems. ( ) I spoke with my superiors about my problems. ( ) I tried to conceal my problem. ( ) I consulted a doctor. ( ) I took lessons from an instrumental teacher. ( ) I utilzed other additional methods? ( ) Relaxation techniques ( ) Psychological help ( )______( ) I took time off. ( ) Less than a week ( ) One week to a month ( ) One to three months ( ) Longer than three months ( ) I reacted by changing my practice habits. I now practice ( ) more ( ) less ( ) differently 5. How did your associates react to your situation? ( ) sympathetically ( ) supportively ( ) unkindly</p><p>3 ( ) I was denied help 6. Were you on sick leave because of the embouchure problem? ( ) yes ( ) no 7. Does the crisis persist? ( ) yes ( ) no 8. Would you say that you’ve mastered the crisis? ( ) yes ( ) no 9. How long did the crisis last, or if ongoing, has it lasted till now? _____ years, ______months.</p><p>Thank you very much for having taken the time!</p><p>4</p>