Welcome to mind.body.music. These three words capture the essence of how we make music and are the inspiration for how I teach and perform.
Why mind.body.music?
Musicians move to make music. This movement is very refined, it is very complex, and it is movement that we want to make throughout our whole lives. Often this movement is based on an inaccurate conception of the body’s anatomical design and can lead to technical limitations and playing-related pain and injury. Musicians who are attune to their kinesthetic sense and have an accurate and clear understanding of their anatomy learn to make music freely with an awareness of the whole body, and ultimately, with more artistry and spontaneity. A specialized approach, Body Mapping, is used to teach the anatomy of movement.
What is Body Mapping?
Body Mapping is the study of anatomy and physiology and its application to movement to make music based on the discoveries of Alexander teachers Bill Conable and Barbara Conable. The premise of Body Mapping is that we all have mental images of our body and how it works. How we perceive our body’s structure, size, shape, and function will impact how we move.
What is mind.body.music?
Mind.body.music is a holistic approach to making music. By integrating an inclusive awareness of the body in motion and building an accurate knowledge of the anatomy of movement musicians learn to move more naturally to reduce the risk of playing-related injury and pain and improve their playing technique.
- Mind.body.music is a practical and logical way to teach movement to play any instrument. It is rooted in the biomechanics of movement and neurophysiology.
- Mind.body.music is a powerful tool that enables musicians to learn to move to enhance their own playing and to reduce the risk of playing-related injury and pain.
- Mind.body.music provides a framework and structure to learn about how we use our body to make music. The material provides precise and accurate language to assess and improve movement in ourselves and our students.
For more information contact Michèle Wheatley-Brown