Wolfgang Böhler

At the Swiss Society for Music Medicine, a change of presidency and the pandemic came together. We had to cancel our annual symposium and were confronted with an increased number of inquiries due to uncertainty, fears about the future and depression. After the pandemic, we will have to revitalize the society's networks because all smaller and larger meetings have been canceled.

Personally, I'm doing well. I'm used to organizing myself in my home office and thanks to diversified sources of income, I can always get through material crises to a certain extent.

For me personally, the situation in Manaus was very stressful. I have family there and am setting up a cultural workshop as a reconciliation project. The Brazilian jungle metropolis is a global hotspot for the pandemic. We are mourning a number of deaths among friends and family. Most of the musicians are desperate or in a life-threatening material situation.

I suspect that many young people will aspire to a career in music less naturally than before. In addition, there is likely to be a growing awareness of the psychological strain that the music profession entails. It may lead to a better appreciation of the importance of our therapists for the mental and physical well-being of musicians in their day-to-day work.

I would have hoped that the Federal Council would have better explained the nature of large-scale measures. Global measures can seem pointless or contradictory in the details. Criticism of the Federal Council has always been sparked by concrete, small-scale, seemingly absurd consequences. It is a sign of political maturity to accept measures in the interests of the big picture, even if they seem pointless in detail. In my opinion, cultural professionals are far more cooperative and insightful than other economic stakeholders. It would be nice if this were recognized.