The master's thesis The Effects of a Corrective Exercise Program on the Strength, Mobility, and Well-Being of Accordionists deals with the holistic physical posture of accordionists.
The first part of the thesis presents the specifics of playing the accordion: posture and technical characteristics, and then discusses possible injuries and pain that occur in accordionists. The listed injuries are not medically proven or scientifically confirmed, but are based on the experiences of elementary school students, high school students, students, and teachers. Psychophysical problems in musical performance are further discussed.
The empirical part of the thesis is based on a study conducted on students from 1st to 6th grade at the Art School in Poreč, who worked under the mentorship of teacher Romina Legović. At the beginning of the study, testing was conducted, divided into three parts. The first part of the testing consisted of performing a scale with a short bellows element and bellows to the maximum degree of bellows opening. This was followed by a questionnaire with questions about the intensity of pain, which the participants assessed with numerical ratings, and about the location of the pain. The final part of the testing included standardized tests to determine strength and flexibility, which were also evaluated.
After the initial testing, a six-week exercise program was implemented under the professional guidance of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Darjan Spudić, professor at the Faculty of Sports. The exercises were performed twice a week, at the beginning and end of each lesson. At the conclusion of the empirical part of the research, it was confirmed that physical preparation and preventive exercise significantly contributed to the reduction of pain in individual parts of the body, and that the physical fitness of accordionists significantly affects their psychophysical well-being. The task concludes with a presentation of exercises for repairing injuries and improving physical fitness for playing the accordion, which were systematically performed for six consecutive weeks.
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