Be, Play Well is created and developed by Emma Thackeray, a violinist, teacher, and researcher passionate about building a more sustainable and human approach to music-making.

The project grew out of a combination of personal experience and academic exploration. After struggling significantly with burnout, Emma began questioning the constant push for more— more practice, more improvement, more perfection— and started looking for a different way to approach music.

Be, Play Well is the result of her exploration—a space shaped by both research and lived experience, grounded in the belief that musician’s do not have to sacrifice their well-being to perform at a high level.