Method
Becoming a musician means: FOR LIFE.
1 : learning about music
2: Getting to know and master your instrument
3: learning how to use your body to get the sound you desire.
4 :learning how to use your mind and brain (imagery)
Singers and wind players generally learn by doing.
The body and mind will co-operate in this proces, getting better at the good things and filtering out what is not desired. Getting to “know your body” is a vital aspect for a healthy musicians life , not only to “avoid pain and discomfort” but even more to open up your possibilities!
Getting to know yourself
Teaching cues on breathing are quite often an explanation of what it“feels like”. What it feels like is often translated into images that may be mystical or hard to transfer., as they are the result of a long and personal proces.
Use of anatomy is very often wrong, incomplete or confusing. However impressive anatomical terminology may sound , it is useless unless you really know it is a) correct and b) can be felt in your body as correct.
This requires a proces of
1) getting to know yourself and what you feel
2) Looking at what is possible
3) exercising in various ways
4) compare with 1
Becoming a teacher
I learned this method of “embodiment of function” (and Much more) becoming a teacher L3 of the Franklin Method. (franklinmethod.com)
The Franklin Method made me see how musicians generally move and how this movement can be greatly optimized.
Another aspect in breathing education is to be able to see the link between intentional breathing (music making), posture, tension, expectation, physiology , psychology, movement, posture and more.
Developing an “eye and feel” for this will make it possible to effectively see what needs work and how to target your cues .
We need to understand that musicians “move” , where this movement takes place and how it is connected to posture, balance and attention.
All this (and Much more) I learned becoming a teacher of Body Mapping. (Bodymap.org)
Experience and goals
Motorcycling and cornering opened my eyes to he physicality of phrasing . Suffering a lung collapse made my aware of the need to know and understand physiology and anatomy.
All this, and Much more, is combined in these workshops.
Turning 60, the time to share has come.
My goal is to empower musicians to be able to improve much faster in a safe way, to become “really free” , to eliminate misunderstandings and foggy ideas and to help us all into becoming the best version of ourselves.