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.
On Sunday 15th January 2012, the British Voice Association hold a study day suitable for all voice professionals (speech
therapists, surgeons, singing teachers, voice teachers).
More information and application form
Topics include:
Brain function in relation to voice, in both therapy and education.
Recent research into neural processing for both spoken and
sung voice
The role of brain plasticity in rehabilitation and learning.
Gender differences between child and adult voices explored from
an evolutionary basis.
SPEAKERS:
Prof Sophie Scott (Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL)
Dr Katie Overy (Senior Lecturer in Music Psychology, University of Edinburgh)
Prof John Rothwell (Professor of Neurophysiology, UCL)
Dr David Reby (Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Sussex)
Click on the image for the event flyer.
The London Cello Society‘s Well-being for Cellists workshop takes place on Sunday 13th March 2011 at the Royal Academy of Music. Expert presenters, Katherine Butler (Preventing Hand Injuries), Selma Gocken (Alexander Technique), Erika Klemperer (Psychodynamic Psychotherapy) and Felicity Vincent (Pilates Method) discuss:
How do we play our instrument in harmony with our design?
How can we take advantage of the wonderful natural coordination we possess as human beings?
How can we pass on to our students the knowledge that will prevent injuries?
What are the emotional challenges of our profession and how do they affect our well-being?
The event costs £50 or just £25 for students/concessions with a 25% discount for LCS members.
Click here for more information and to book your place.
Want free advice on injury prevention and hearing protection from a world class musician?
Janet Horvath, the associate principal cello of the Minnesota Orchestra, author of the book, Playing (Less) Hurt -An Injury Prevention Guide for Musicians, and long time member of the Performing Arts Medical Association, contacted BAPAM to tell us about her imminent Playing(Less)Hurt seminar.
The Minnesota Orchestra is performing at the Proms and while in London, Janet will be giving one of her seminars on injury prevention and hearing protection.
The workshop will take place at the Westminster Reference Library of the Performing Arts on Friday August 27th, 2:00 to 4:00 pm, 35 St Martins St. London WC2H 7HP (Leicester Square Tube).
The seminar is pertinent to all instrumentalists in any genre and at any level, and the teachers and health professionals who work with them.
The talk is free and open to the public. For more information please see Janet Horvath’s website.
Want to know how to help keep yourself healthy whether studying, rehearsing for a gig, or performing?
These tips are taken from the BAPAM factsheet, Don’t cramp your style – Warm-up exercises for performers, also available as an A2 poster or pocket-sized concertina version. To order printed versions have a look at our Health Resources page, where you’ll also find a lot more useful information for all performing artists. All our factsheets are produced with financial support from the Musicians Benevolent Fund.
Ten Top Health Tips for Musicians:
1. Don’t suddenly increase the time you spend rehearsing or studying (maximum 10-minute increase per day). You should increase by ten minutes each day for three days and keep at this level for the rest of the week.
2. Leave more difficult passages and pieces for towards the middle of your practice session, when your muscles are ready and not yet tired out. Increase the speed, difficulty and intensity of the pieces you are playing as you progress though the session.
3. Don’t become obsessed with repeating a passage or gesture that you can’t quite get right. Look for alternatives.
4. Take a five-minute break every half-hour.
5. If your muscles feel overloaded, do some stretching.
6. Do as much as you can to optimise your working environment: think about lighting, noise levels, temperature. Make sure your daily routine – eating, sleeping, exercise – works for you.
7. Don’t play at the time of day when you’re most tired.
8. NEVER play if you are experiencing pain. If you feel any pain, stop playing and do some gentle stretching. If such pain does not go away or if it reappears in subsequent sessions, see a specialist in Performing Arts Medicine.
9. Do exercises to stretch your muscles before playing and whenever you feel like or need it.
10. Make sure you find time for warming up and stretching. You know you will enjoy it and it will make you feel great!
Katherine Butler is a Clinical Specialist in Hand Therapy and a trained musician. She has worked with many performing artists with upper limb problems.
Articles authored or co-authored by Katherine Butler can be found on the publications page of her practice website and include, Injury Prevention for Musicians and Focal Hand Dystonia Affecting Musicians (an area in which she is currently performing doctoral research with Dr Karin Rosenkranz).
We’ve set up a mailing list for performing artists based in Ireland who’d like to receive quarterly emails with health tips and performing arts medicine information.
To sign up, please download this registration form and either print it out and return it by post or email it to Nóra Geraghty, whose contact details are on the form.
If you are an Ireland based performing artist with a work-related health problem, Dr Juliet Bressan, BAPAM’s doctor in Dublin, can advise you. Assessments are free for full and part time professional performers as well as students. To book an appointment please call us on 0044 (0)20 7404 8444. Click here for more information about BAPAM’s free assessment appointments.
Do you experience tinnitus? Complete this British Tinnitus Association survey by 16 July and you could win £100
The British Tinnitus Association is the primary source of support and information for people with tinnitus in the UK. They have a really useful web site which you can find here: British Tinnitus Association
