A FREE event at St Nicholas Church, Dyke Rd; Brighton.
Saturday May 19th 2012, 4-5pm.
Part of the series, The Musicians Body.
Presented by Music Of Our Time and supported by BAPAM.
Violinists and viola players – would you like to find out more about how to optimise your playing?
Postgraduate student and violinist, Dr Alison Loram, is looking for student, professional and amateur violinists and viola players for her study.
The study, in collaboration with University College London and Manchester Metropolitan University, aims to understand more about the neuromuscular aspects of playing the violin/viola, and the effects that these may have upon musculoskeletal and other playing-related problems.
Alison believes that violinists and viola players taking part will benefit from the insights gained: “You will have the opportunity to see how your neck and shoulder muscles are involved in holding and playing your instrument, the bodily movements you make, and how these may be optimised to enhance your playing and reduce/prevent muscular tension”.
The study is open to any student, professional or experienced amateur (regardless of whether or not you have playing-related problems), and will involve attending one individual 2-hour session during May, July/August or September. The confidential session (to be held at Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester City Centre near to the Royal Northern College of Music), will involve standing and playing your instrument for very short periods whilst your muscular activity and movements are recorded and analysed using ultrasound scanning and movement analysis equipment. No preparation is required.
Participation is voluntary and you can leave the research at any time. If you agree to participate in the study, you will be given a detailed information sheet and a consent form.
For further details or to sign up for the study, please contact Dr Alison Loram directly by emailing alison@loram8.freeserve.co.uk
Please share this article amongst any family, friends or colleagues you think may be interested in participating.
Note: This research project is not being conducted by BAPAM. The project has official ethics approval from UCL (University College of London) and is covered by UCL’s data protection protocol.
Pianists, are you interested in taking part in research into arm tension and other painful conditions?
Medical doctor and pianist, Dr Hara Trouli, is looking for advanced students and professional pianists to take part in this project. Dr Trouli explains:
I am a medical doctor and a pianist, currently also a student of the first Masters Degree on Performing Arts Medicine at University College London that was developed by BAPAM (British Association of Performing Arts Medicine) in collaboration with the Royal College of Music and Trinity Laban. I am conducting research on pianists’ arm tension and other painful conditions under the supervision of Professor Howard Bird who is a UK specialist in performers’ health.
We need to see advanced students or professional pianists who have suffered at some point a medical or painful condition (either diagnosed or not) of the upper limb or the cervical spine (hands, wrist, arms or neck) and analyse their piano playing through a triple method of video/ MIDI/ Electromyography.
The idea is to see whether these conditions show signs on the graphs of muscle tension in the arms and neck (electromyography), velocity, force and articulation of piano playing (MIDI) and on postural images of the hand and arm (video). We are aiming to bridge the technical pianistic accomplishment with the clinical history and to measure parameters that would be reproducible and available to both the pianists and the doctors for evaluation. We are also trying to see whether these parameters can be used in monitoring the progress of the pianist during recovery from a painful condition or an injury, and to also enable the pianist to use this method as biofeedback when they re-train.
The assessment of each pianist lasts 2 hours, it takes place in a studio in North London and travel expenses are covered up to £10.00. Full information and consent sheets will be given to you before your assessment. We would need to see you in April or May and appointments can be made for any weekday or the weekends. We will also be pleased to share the results of your assessment with you and send you a full report of the recorded images. All information that we will receive from you is kept strictly confidential.
Please contact Dr Trouli directly if you’d like to get involved: haratrouli@googlemail.com
Guitarist, Tom Hunt, will swim a mile across the Thames as part of the Great London Swim 2012 to raise money for BAPAM.
I developed a shoulder injury that temporarily ended my music career and stopped me from being able to play the guitar. It wasn’t until I discovered BAPAM a year later that I found specialists capable of helping me recover.
One of the pieces of advice I received from BAPAM’s physiotherapist was to stay active and keep in good shape. This is why I’ve decided to take part in the Great London Swim 2012.
Can you help support BAPAM by sponsoring Tom? It couldn’t be easier. Take a look at this JustGiving page to make a donation:
Thanks Tom!
Practical Acoustics for Speech and Singing
The forthcoming British Voice Association Research Day on Sunday May 20th is all about acoustics. Acoustics of the vocal tract, vowel production, the way the ear processes voice signals plus a presentation on acoustic analysis software in the teaching studio.
Further details and application form here.
Friday March 16th: Neurology advisor to BAPAM (and keen musician!), Dr Mark Edwards, will take part in The Performing Brain, a fun, interactive evening presented by the Science team at the British Library and UCL Neuroscience, involving researchers from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and the UCL Institute of Neurology.
Have you ever wondered how a ballerina learns to pirouette? Or how musicians learn their art? Or even what happens to your own brain when you learn a new skill?
Join neuroscientists, musicians and dancers as together we explore how fantastically plastic your brain is, giving you the extraordinary ability to adapt and learn throughout your life.
More information and tickets here.
The next British Voice Association study day, at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, focuses on the effects of ageing on the voice and the vocal problems associated with ageing. Surgical, voice therapy and singing solutions will be discussed.
Follow the link for detailed information and to book your place:
“Weak, Wobbly or Working?” The Multidisciplinary Management of the Ageing Voice
Sunday 25th March, 2012 11.30am – 5.15pm
Speakers include:
•Sue Anderson (Singing Teacher and Researcher)
•Phil Jones (Consultant Otolaryngologist)
•Liz McNaughton (Specialist in the Singing and Speaking Voice)
•Jane Shaw (Voice Specialist Speech and Language Therapist)
•Mark Watson (Consultant Otolaryngologist)
