here is increasing recognition today that professional musicians aren't the only ones vulnerable to performance-related injuries and high levels of stress. College-age music students and even students in middle and high school are experiencing many of the same types of overuse syndromes and similar levels of performance anxiety. Indeed, many aspects of musical activities are probably more stressful for a student than they are for an accomplished professional. Students may find practicing more taxing mentally and emotionally than professional musicians do. The mastery of complex skills takes years of hard work, requiring patience and a capacity for delayed gratification. Lessons and rehearsals mean hearing a lot of criticism. And then, performing may carry more emotional challenge for students who have not yet fully consolidated their technique or developed the kind of confidence in their abilities that professional musicians rely on. We should be concerned about the longterm effects of elevated stress in students.