"The practical application of Body Mapping and the Alexander Technique to making music. Body Mapping is the study of how our concepts of our bodies affect our experience and movement. The Alexander Technique is a method for improving freedom and ease of movement and physical coordination. This book is a graphic presentation of ideas drawn from these two disciplines that is of great benefit to music students and teachers and others." --Publsiher's description.

Gives singers and their teachers a body mapping resource - from anatomy and physiology to body awareness - that helps them discover and correct misconceptions about the way their bodies are built and the way they function. In doing so, the book provides maps with detailed advice and exercises to use their bodies effectively.

What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body, Fourth Edition gives singers and teachers a Body Mapping resource—from anatomy and physiology to body awareness—that helps them discover and correct misconceptions about how their bodies are designed and how they function. This book provides detailed descriptions of the structures and movements necessary for healthy and efficient body awareness, balance, breathing, phonation, resonance, articulation, and gesture. Many voice books focus on the anatomical facts, but leave singers asking, "How can I apply this to my singing?" What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body helps to answer that question, providing practical exercises and detailed illustrations. New to This Edition: * Updated and revised content throughout the text * Bulleted review sections for each chapter * New and updated links to recommended videos * Information on Biotensegrity and how it pertains to Body Mapping, along with helpful links to resources on the subject * An expanded glossary What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body includes audio and video recordings of the exploratory exercises. This book provides the technical foundation for singers of all styles. The authors do not espouse a single method or attempt to teach singing techniques or styles. Rather, they describe the movements of singing with accuracy and detail so that singers may experiment on their own and communicate with each other in a common language.

Describes and demonstrates the places of balance, standing and sitting in balance, structure, movement of the hands and arms, and other topics.

How can musicians express themselves and recreate the great masterworks with ease and expressiveness and yet avoid injury in the process? Musicians face many challenges: a highly competitive environment, performance anxiety, demanding repertoire, years of solitary practice, and awkward postures. The hectic pace of rehearsals and performances when added to the mix often results in the very real risk of physical pain and injury. This book is a readable and comprehensive guide and reference for all concerned with pain in musical work: professional and amateur musicians, teachers and students, doctors and therapists. This book is essential for all musicians. String, keyboard, percussion, harp, brass and wind players will play better and feel better. Read about: Why it may hurt to play; Injury susceptibility quiz; Risk factors & danger signals; Hearing, back, disc, arm and shoulder problems; 10 onstage tricks; TMJ, teeth, larynx and joint laxity; Stretching & strengthening; Rehabilitation & work-hardening; Musician's survival kit; 10 do's & don'ts; Instrument modifications; Guide to safe practicing.

Drawing on his extensive experience as a coach and world champion athlete, bestselling author Dan Millman reveals a path to success not only in sports but in any life endeavor that requires training and the integration of the body and mind — from golf and tennis to playing the piano. Body Mind Mastery is a revised and updated edition of Millman’s classic The Inner Athlete and includes a brand new Peaceful Warrior warmup, with photos and instructions on creating a daily exercise routine from Millman’s principles, as well as a new section on the aging athlete. Through personal experience, as well as anecdotes from teaching and coaching at such schools as Stanford, U.C. Berkeley, and Oberlin College, Millman directs the reader through the detailed process of attaining the optimum performance of body and mind, where “our minds are free of concern or anxiety, focused on the present moment; our bodies relaxed, sensitive, elastic, and aligned with gravity; our emotions free-flowing expression, uninhibited, spontaneous.” Body Mind Mastery includes overview chapters on developing mental, emotional, physical talent; practical chapters on training, competition, and the evolution of athletics; and Millman’s exploration of natural laws that govern mental and physical training. It is a seminal book that examines the psychology behind the search for athletic excellence, and shows anyone how to improve skills, accelerate learning, and unleash athletic potential. The skills it teaches are applicable in sports and daily life — transforming training into a path of personal growth and discovery.

Organized into four main parts, this book first explores the mind-body connection and then separately discusses the mind, body, and soul of musicians, scholars, performers, and teachers of all voices and instruments. With terms, questions for reflection, and assignments at the...

From Grammy-winning musical icon and legendary bassist Victor L. Wooten comes an inspiring parable of music, life, and the difference between playing all the right notes…and feeling them. The Music Lesson is the story of a struggling young musician who wanted music to be his life, and who wanted his life to be great. Then, from nowhere it seemed, a teacher arrived. Part musical genius, part philosopher, part eccentric wise man, the teacher would guide the young musician on a spiritual journey, and teach him that the gifts we get from music mirror those from life, and every movement, phrase, and chord has its own meaning...All you have to do is find the song inside. “The best book on music (and its connection to the mystic laws of life) that I've ever read. I learned so much on every level.”—Multiple Grammy Award–winning saxophonist Michael Brecker