Music, Mind, and Movement Podcast

Gwendolyn Masin is a violist, pedagogue, and artistic director with a passion for the promotion of holistic well-being among musicians. In this conversation, we talk about Gwendolyn's incredible and varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and recording artist; about Gwendolyn's own experience with injury and what the process of recovery taught her about not just playing and teaching violin, but about how she lives her entire life; about why it can be challenging to get young musicians to invest in habits that might increase the success and sustainability of their careers; and about her new course, The Exhale, which is coming up in April 2020. To learn more about Gwendolyn, visit https://gwendolynmasin.com/. To learn more about or to register for The Exhale, visit https://www.the-exhale.com/en/master-course.

Show notes, including links to any resources mentioned in this episode, live over at musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-1/

For more about Karen, visit www.musicmindandmovement.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram @musicmindandmovement.

Cody Weisbach is a Doctor of Physical Therapist with an interest in the prevention and treatment of playing related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians. In this conversation, we talk about the "water in the cup" analogy, the importance of intentional recovery, what musicians can and can't learn from the world of sports performance health, pain, resilience, and much more. To learn more about Cody's work or to sign up for his awesome newsletter, visit https://musiciansmaintenance.com/

Show notes, including links to any resources mentioned in this episode, live over at musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-1/

For more about Karen, visit www.musicmindandmovement.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram @musicmindandmovement

Barbara Tanze is a vocalist and breathing specialist based in Slovenia. She works with musicians and athletes all over the world to improve performance through better breathing. In this conversation, we talk about the MDH Breathing Coordination Method, rib cage mobility, recoil pressure, the diaphragm, and more. Barbara has a very nuanced understanding of breathing and is a wonderful communicator. There's lots in her for musicians and non-musicians alike. To learn more about Barbara and her work, visit https://www.voiceup.si/ or find her on Instagram @voiceup_institute.

Show notes, including links to any resources mentioned in this episode, live over at musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-1/

For more about Karen, visit www.musicmindandmovement.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram @musicmindandmovement.

Australian physiotherapist and anatomist Bronwen Ackermann is an international leader in the world of performing arts medicine. She has worked with professional orchestras throughout Australian and as a high performance consultant at the Australian National Academy of Music. She was the inaugural president of the Australian Society for Performing Arts Health and serves as editor-in-chief for Medical Problems of Performing Artists. And, she's an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney. In this conversation, we talk about how Bronwen, not a musician herself, became interested in working with musicians, efficient movement as a component of optimal performance, injury risks for musicians, and much, much more. To learn more about Bronwen and her work, or to contact her, visit https://sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/bronwen-ackermann.html

Show notes, including links to any resources mentioned in this episode, live over at musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-1/

For more about Karen, visit www.musicmindandmovement.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram @musicmindandmovement.

For the Season 1 finale, I am speaking with Dana Fonteneau. Dana is part consultant, part career coach, and part therapist. She is the author of It's Not (Just) About the Gig and she helps musicians connect with their deepest sources of vitality and inspiration in order to build meaningful and sustainable careers. In this conversation, we talk about how Dana's career has evolved (and continues to evolve), authenticity, why musicians need to think about success in a holistic way, financial health, and lots more. To learn more about Dana and her work, visit https://www.danafonteneau.com/

Show notes, including links to any resources mentioned in this episode, live over at musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-1/

For more about Karen, visit www.musicmindandmovement.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram @musicmindandmovement.

Christine Carter is a clarinetist and music psychology researcher who is interested in effective practice. In this conversation, Christine describes how we can learn to accept and work with our very human tendencies to lose focus during practice by structuring our practice sessions in such a way that they provide the novelty and variety our brains crave. This not only makes practicing more effective, but also more engaging. We also talk about motivation and how, instead of relying on willpower, we can set up our schedules and environments to support work that is in line with our goals and values. To learn more about Christine and her work, visit http://christine-carter.com/

Show notes, including links to any resources mentioned in this episode, live over at musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-1/

For more about Karen, visit www.musicmindandmovement.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram @musicmindandmovement.

Janet Horvath was the Associate Principal cellist of the Minnesota Orchestra for 32 years and is the author of Playing (Less) Hurt: An Injury Prevention Guide for Musicians. She has been a passionate advocate for musicians' health since the 1980s and has played an important role in building bridges between the the musical and medical fields and in improving working conditions for orchestral musicians. In this conversation we talk about how Janet became interested in this field following her own over-use injury during her graduate studies and about the process of writing her book at a time when there was very little awareness around musicians' health issues. We also discuss Janet's more recent experience with a severe hearing injury and the impact this has had on her life and career. To learn more about Janet and her work, visit http://playinglesshurt.com/

Show notes, including links to any resources mentioned in this episode, live over at musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-1/

For more about Karen, visit www.musicmindandmovement.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram @musicmindandmovement.

Rachel White Galvin is a violist as well as a CrossFit trainer and certified Feldenkrais practitioner. In this conversation, Rachel recounts her own experience with injury and chronic pain and the long journey toward healing. She describes how, in order to get out of pain, she ultimately had to let go of a mindset oriented around constant striving in order to cultivate a mindset of awareness and self-trust. Rachel and I discuss her unique way of working with musicians, the benefits of strength training for musicians, goal-setting, and more. To learn more about Rachel and her work, visit: https://performwithoutpain.com/

Show notes, including links mentioned in this episode, live over at musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-1/

For more about Karen, visit www.musicmindandmovement.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram @musicmindandmovement.

Tal Varon is a saxophonist and Focusing Trainer based in Isreal. In this conversation, we talk at length about Tal's musical background, including a long break from playing that he took after finishing his post-secondary studies and how he found his way back to music with a restored sense of connection and belonging. We talk about musical identity, the negative effects of comparison and ranking, and what it means to make music from the heart. Finally, Tal explains the process Focusing, a mind-body practice that involves tuning in to the felt sense of experience. Tal describes how musicians can use this practice to bolster and enrich positive experiences so that they become resources and sources of nourishment, as well as how bringing a accepting awareness to more negative or problematic patterns can help to shift them.

Show notes, including links mentioned in this episode, live over at musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-1/

For more about Karen, visit www.musicmindandmovement.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram @musicmindandmovement.

Ruth Phillips is a cellist based in Provence and the creator of The Breathing Bow, a holistic approach to working with musicians that uses the the breath as the starting point for the exploration of physical movement, musical expression, and grounded presence in both practice and performance. In this conversation, we talk about Ruth's musical background and how her relationship with the cello has changed and evolved over the years. We also dig into some ideas about fear and what's behind it and what it means to let go -- to get ourselves out of the way and to truly allow the audience to receive the music. To learn more about Ruth's work, visit: https://thebreathingbow.com/

Show notes, including links mentioned in this episode, live over at musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-1/

For more about Karen, visit www.musicmindandmovement.com or connect on Facebook or Instagram @musicmindandmovement.