Joanna Latała on Musicians' Fear of Taking Time Off

Cellist and researcher Joanna Latała, founder of Achieve Performance Mindset, argues that classical musicians are conditioned to fear rest, equating time away from their instruments with lost progress. In a two-part series for The Strad, she debunks this ingrained belief, noting that many professionals—from conservatoire students to orchestral musicians and soloists—admit to avoiding breaks due to anxiety about losing discipline or skill. Latała contrasts this with elite athletes, who openly prioritize recovery as part of performance. She cites examples from the Australian Open, where players routinely speak of needing to recover, and points to physiological data: pianist Yuja Wang's heart rate during a televised concert reached levels comparable to vigorous exercise. Latała emphasizes that mental fatigue, often invisible, accumulates during performances through constant decision-making and emotional management. She calls for a cultural shift in how musicians view recovery, arguing that stress and recovery cycles are essential for improvement, not signs of weakness. The article references Matthew Syed's 'Bounce' and Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz's 'The Power of Full Engagement' to support the science of recovery. Latała, who has performed at Carnegie Hall and Berliner Philharmonie, plans to explore how recovery enhances musicianship in part two.