Melanie Ptatscheck Conducts DAAD-Funded Research in New York on Mental Health Among Musicians

Whether in music, theatre, or literature, the comedian Karl Valentin’s words hold true: "Art is beautiful, but it requires a lot of work." Ptatscheck speaks from such experience. Trained as a classical concert guitarist, she later performed as a jazz bassist and now works as a singer-songwriter alongside her academic pursuits. These experiences significantly inform her research.

"I also engage in autoethnographic research," the musicologist explains, referring to a method that incorporates the researcher’s own experiences into the study, ensuring full transparency about this approach, as communicated by all researchers applying the method. "As part of my research, I’ll even perform as a busker myself," says Ptatscheck, who earned her doctorate at Leuphana University after studying in Paderborn and Vienna.

During her doctoral studies, while working at the Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Centre in Berlin, Ptatscheck often spent her breaks near the Bode Museum, a popular spot for street musicians. It was here that the scholar of popular and health sciences conceived her research project. "I enjoyed the performances of the street musicians and began to wonder how they experienced their circumstances and what drove their work," she recalls. Personal challenges associated with a professional career in music had initially led her to pursue a different path, which ultimately inspired her academic inquiry.

In New York, Ptatscheck is examining the living conditions of street musicians and how the pandemic has impacted this community. Her focus is on the personal challenges faced by artists and the structural needs for better support systems. New York, often considered a haven for street performers, offers numerous opportunities, from its iconic parks to organised subway performances overseen by the city’s transport authorities. Musicians can apply for permits to perform at designated stations.

"Leuphana has opened doors for me from the very start," emphasises the postdoctoral researcher, citing support from the Graduate School’s qualification fund, the ProScience mentoring programme, and a Leuphana doctoral scholarship. Beyond her own research, Ptatscheck has been an active contributor to university life. She spearheaded the "EXP(ear)IENCE" festival, organised a summer school, and led several seminars related to her research topics, which she regularly presents at international conferences. During the pandemic, she pursued a part-time master's degree in Public Health – Prevention – Health Promotion at Leuphana, graduating in 2023. "This has complemented my expertise in musicology with a solid foundation in health studies," she notes.

Her time in New York is not Ptatscheck’s first research stint in the United States. Between 2014 and 2018, she conducted several research stays in California, investigating the "sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll" mythology within the history of pop music. Her biographical research on the self-conceptions and addiction trajectories of heroin-dependent musicians in Los Angeles was supported by institutions such as UCLA and the Goethe-Institut in Los Angeles. 

During this period, she also visited New York, where she had an aha-moment while immersing herself in the street music scene. "From that point on, I knew I had to include this city in my research," she says, adding: "This city resonates with music on every corner." And so she developed a scientific question that she is now using to research the urban music scene in New York.

Ptatscheck’s current project is affiliated with both Leuphana University and New York University and is funded by the DAAD under the "Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience" (PRIME) programme. This initiative provides for a 12-month research stay abroad followed by a six-month reintegration phase at a German university, aiming to enhance international mobility during the postdoctoral phase. The programme is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Over the coming months, Ptatscheck will conduct interviews with street musicians in New York. Her methodology prioritises conversational exchanges over rigid question-and-answer formats, allowing her to delve deeply into the musicians’ lived experiences and gain richer insights into their well-being.

The network for early career women in popular music studies also focuses on lived experiences. Together with Dr Monika Schoop, Professor of Musicology at Leuphana, she co-founded the Early Career Women in Popular Music Research network. "We aim to support women on their path to academic careers," Ptatscheck explains.

Her academic contributions extend beyond international projects. Melanie Ptatscheck also frequently travels in German-speaking countries. In Germany, she has served as a guest lecturer at institutions such as the University of Siegen, the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg, the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar, the University of Paderborn, and the University of Applied Sciences in Osnabrück. In 2020, she held a guest professorship at the University of Music and Dance Cologne.

Next autumn, Ptatscheck will return to Leuphana to begin the six-month reintegration phase of her PRIME fellowship. Yet, true to her interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, she will likely continue engaging with other institutions, further advancing her research and widely disseminating its findings.