9:00AM Morning Refreshments and Check-in Lobby of 921 Boylston

Morning Presentations in DFRH

9:30AM Welcome, Regina Campbell, PT

9:40AM Performance and Practice Techniques, a Survey of 387 Berklee Student Instrumentalists and Vocalists, Neil Olmstead, MM

This is a report on the first survey of its kind at Berklee on instrument-related injury of our students. Conducted in spring of last year, 303 (78%) of the respondents reported pain while they practice. This has been a wake-up call for faculty.

10:00AM The Sport of Arts Medicine, Clay Miller, MD, MFA • Music medicine will be reviewed including common injuries, dystonia, and how principles of Sports/ Musculoskeletal medicine are used for treatment. This talk will include a discussion of how the American Academy of Sports Medicine sees music medicine as an extension of sports medicine.

10:45AM Training our Bodies for Musical Performance, Regina Campbell, PT • This session will explore the sports medicine model of training for the musician as an athlete. The four major aspects of fitness training—cardiovascular, flexibility, strength, and body awareness—will be reviewed. Specificity in how to train for musical performance will be addressed. Practice strategies and posture for peak performance will also be discussed.

11:15AM Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for the Performing Musician, Aline Benoit, BM, MA and Patricia Normand, MD, ABIHM • Based on the program developed at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare and Society at the U. Mass. Medical Center, this presentation explores how MBSR develops mind/ body skills integral to performance. Topics will include:

Development of concentration and mental focus • Reduction of stress and anxiety • Increased body awareness and injury prevention • Cultivation of wellness through the individual’s ability for self care • Research findings in MBSR

12:15-1:15PM LUNCH  – Student Activities Center Lounge (b.good)

Afternoon Presentations in DFRH

1:00PM Strategies for the Prevention of Music-induced Hearing Disorders from Ensemble-based Instructional Activities, Kris Chesky, PhD  • Ensemble-based instructional activities offered in collegiate level schools of music are analogous to school sports in that the instructor/director determines and leads the type and pace of educational activities. However, unlike professionals trained in physical education, professionals directing ensemble-based instructional activities are often unaware of various health risks associated with learning music in an ensemble-based setting.

This session will describe recent educational and technical advances designed to empower individual instructors, students, and educational institutions to prevent music-induced hearing disorders This approach is being recognized by the NIOSH/NHCA Alliance through the 2010 Safe in Sound award for innovation in hearing conservation.

2:00PM Singing Strong: Training our Voices for the Rigors of Performance, Mary McDonald Klimek, MM, MS-CCC/SLP • Buzzwords in athletic training — power, strength, flexibility, range of motion, and agility — also apply to the singing voice. So do the terms “repetitive stress” and “strain”. How can singers train to develop and expand the dynamic capacity of the singing voice without injury? Learn general training guidelines as well as some specific “skills and drills” from this voice therapist who specializes in the rehabilitation of elite vocal athletes (established and aspiring professional singers).

Afternoon Breakout Sessions – 3:15PM-4:15PM in 921 and 939 Boylston Rooms

Vocal Techniques for Healthy Singing in Contemporary Styles, Jeannie Gagné, Assisted by PAMA member Mary McDonald Klimek, MM, MS-CCC/SLP • This workshop will present a holistic approach to singing including breathing techniques, healthy belting, visualization, mix placement, stress-free practice and performing strategies, and keeping up endurance for often demanding contemporary styles.  We will look at the whole body as the instrument, emphasizing a wellness and athletic approach to performing.

Piano Technique: Common Technical Problems and Their Solutions, Doug Johnson, Assisted by PAMA member Neil Olmstead, MM • In this workshop we will present many common technical issues that piano students deal with at Berklee College.  We will discuss solutions to these problems that I have found to be effective in my own studio.  Anatomy and Physiology, Body Mapping, Alexander Technique and the mechanics of the piano will be discussed.   We will explore how basic musical elements such as rhythm and phrasing have a direct analog in physical movement. There will be demonstrations at the piano and we will view video recordings of musicians playing a variety of styles

Guitar Injuries and the Faculty Learning Community on Instrumental/vocal Technique, Dave Tronzo, Jennifer Elowsky-Fox, Darcel Wilson, Assisted by PAMA member, Regina Campbell, PT • Dave Tronzo guitarist will discuss typical guitar injuries prevalent in college students. He will outline ideas for developing proper practice habits, strategies for injury prevention, post injury treatment and benefits of chi gong and yoga for injury prevention. Participants will have an opportunity to share their own experiences with holistic practices and effects on their instruments.

Three Berklee faculty will give a brief review of the topics discussed in the Faculty Learning Community of 2007-2009, entitled, “Healthy Instrumental Technique and Practice Habits”. Discussion will center on the benefits of alternate disciplines, such as yoga, tai chi, Feldenkrais, body-mapping and others, and their direct impact on instrumental/vocal technique and performance.

Woodwind Injuries, an Open Discussion, Wendy Rolfe, Assisted by PAMA member Vanessa Breault Mulvey, MM • Woodwind teachers, students, performers, and performance health care professionals are invited to share experiences. We will engage in a discussion of the gamut of approaches to preventing, understanding, diagnosing, developing attention to and mitigating performance injuries. Common woodwind injuries or health concerns like TMJ, challenges posed by wind instrument positions, potentially damaging practices developed in school band programs, hearing loss, will be discussed. Share your constructive approaches to developing “healthy practices”: Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, Body Mapping – bring your thoughts, concerns, and “solutions”!

Strings: Playing Pain Free, Mimi Rabson, Assisted by PAMA member Peter Stein, DC • Mimi will discuss strategies to help violinists and violists play pain free for years to come. Among other numerous topics she will discuss physical posture, warm ups, stretches, and hand positions.

Injuries of Brass Players, Kris Chesky, PhD and Tom Plsek • Many embouchure and upper-body musculoskeletal problems among brass players can be traced to the biomechanical forces generated between the mouthpiece and lips.  Based on extensive research of mouthpieces forces using sophisticated computer-based sensor technologies, characteristics of mouth piece forces will be explored along with practical ideas to mediate the negative effects of high mouthpiece forces.

Percussion - Physical Training and Ergonomic Considerations for Pain-free Playing, Ricardo Monzon, Sara Collamore DPT, PAMA member, Clay Miller MD, PAMA member • In this session, types and causes of percussion injuries will be discussed. An open discussion about ergonomics, drum sticks, and stools will be facilitated. Attendees will be guided through Pilates based core strengthening exercises and stretches which will promote optimal posture and endurance for drumming.

Become a Better Musician Through Yoga, Mia Olson, Assisted by PAMA member Jean Rife • By integrating yoga into your practice routines, you will develop a more focused and concentrated mind for performance. You will be able to increase awareness of how you use your body to allow for proper posture and ease of movement while performing, helping you to avoid overuse injuries and play with greater expression. These concepts, exercises, and practice routines are taken from Mia’s new book, Musician’s Yoga: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Inspiration. Yoga is presented from the musicians’ perspective, focusing on the direct relationships between using yoga and creating music. 

You will learn to:

Practice meditation approaches, breathing techniques, and yoga postures that will help improve musicianship • Play using healthy posture and technique • Get more out of your practice through improved focus • Use your breath to improve your phrasing and also to ease performance anxiety • Play with deeper expression through inspiration

Alexander Technique for Instrumentalists and Vocalists, Betsy Polatin, Assisted by PAMA member Aline Benoit, BM, MA • Musical performance demands a high level of energy, coordination, and balance. But many musicians perform with excess effort and tension, and unwanted habits. These habits hinder breathing, musicality, and the intuitive sense of rhythm and timing and can exacerbate performance anxiety. The Alexander Technique teaches musicians to prevent injury, recover from overuse, decrease excess tension, and improve performance. Then one performs with a fluidity that allows body and mind to move freely and interpret the music. With a deep sense of unity and connection and freer muscles, the musician is able to play/sing with an economy of movement, which allows the music to unfold with ease and specificity, creating a truly satisfying performance. I will explain the technique with hands on demonstrations.  Bring your instruments.

Exploring the Mind-Body Connection for Musicians through the Feldenkrais Method, Olivia Cheever • The Feldenkrais Method is a somatic educational system designed by Moshé Feldenkrais (1904-1984). The Feldenkrais Method is designed to improve movement repertoire, aiming to expand and refine the use of the self through awareness, in order to reduce pain or limitations in movement, and promote general well-being. It is a form of somatic/movement education that integrates body, mind, and psyche. Students are guided into non-habitual movement sequences by the touch and or voice.

4:15-4:30PM Wrap Up and Evaluations – in DFRH

PAMA thanks Jane Stachowiak and the Student Wellness and Health Promotion Center for co-sponsoring this conference and the donation of the use of the David Friend Recital Hall and other Berklee facilities.

The LiveWell Program

LiveWell at Berklee College of Music is dedicated to providing a collection of health, fitness and wellness programs focussed on the Berklee student’s unique needs as a professional musician.

The mission of the LiveWell Program is to enhance students’ fitness and wellness through knowledge, personal skills, and enjoyment. Offices and departments such as Counseling and Advising Center, Student Activities, Student Affairs, Performance Division, Liberal Arts, Music Therapy and others collaborate with LiveWell promoting positive lifestyle behaviors and choices, encouraging a holistic philosophy, and combining a pro-active and balanced approach to healthy living through classes, workshops, programs, events, and services. 

Among programs offered are subsidized fitness memberships, yoga sessions, dance classes, meditation, workshops on sleep, nutrition, movement, breath, injury prevention, and more.

For Faculty and Staff —It’s Free –To register email Jane livewell@berklee.edu – There is a limit of 30 staff and faculty

For Students — It’s Free to Attend – You Must Register by emailing livewell@berklee.edu–There is a limit of 70 students.

Jane Stachowiak

Director, Student Wellness & Health Promotion / LiveWell

Berklee College of Music

Boston, MA

Phone:  617-747-2411

Office:  939 Boylston St – Student Activities, Room 207