The Feldenkrais Method for Instrumentalists: A Guide to Awareness through Movement

by Samuel H. Nelson, Elizabeth L. Blades

Overview

Every musician is an athlete. Athletes hone their bodies, coordinate their reflexes, and train their minds seeking to perfect a balance of strength, skills, and agility. Complicated, demanding, and repetitious movements often result in unnatural and difficult positions which put instrumentalists at risk of injury. However, when movement and task are coordinated well and freely, the athlete-instrumentalists find themselves in “the zone” or “the flow,” a magical place where art and athleticism meet.
The Feldenkrais Method is a movement-based self-discovery process that aims for performance with minimum effort and maximum efficiency, thus reducing the chance of injury and even helping speed up recovery time from an injury. Samuel H. Nelson and Elizabeth L. Blades provide a guide to the Feldenkrais Method tailored specifically for instrumentalists. The book includes many “Awareness Through Movement” lessons and activities as well as case studies and examples specific to different instrument types.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538182604
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	12/19/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	220
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Samuel H. Nelson is a graduate of the Toronto Professional Feldenkrais Training Program (1987). He has offered Awareness Through Movement classes to the public since 1985. He held a seminar on the Feldenkrais Method each semester at the Eastman School of Music for many years and has presented seminars at music schools in Indiana, Ohio, and Virginia. Nelson also presented workshops for musicians at several area high schools, as well as for physical therapists and equestrians. He has a private practice in Rochester, New York.

Elizabeth Blades holds both doctor of Musical Arts and masters of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. She is currently adjunct associate professor of Music at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA. Previous appointments were at Heidelberg University (Tiffin, OH) where she served as associate professor of Music, coordinator of Vocal Studies and director of Opera; and as a visiting professor of Music at Nazareth College, Rochester, NY.
Samuel H. Nelson is a graduate of the Toronto Professional Feldenkrais Training Program (1987). He has offered Awareness Through Movement classes to the public since 1985. He held a seminar on the Feldenkrais Method each semester at the Eastman School of Music for many years and has presented seminars at music schools in Indiana, Ohio, and Virginia. Nelson also presented workshops for musicians at several area high schools, as well as for physical therapists and equestrians. He has a private practice in Rochester, New York. Elizabeth Blades holds both doctor of Musical Arts and masters of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. She is currently adjunct associate professor of Music at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA. Previous appointments were at Heidelberg University (Tiffin, OH) where she served as associate professor of Music, coordinator of Vocal Studies and director of Opera; and as a visiting professor of Music at Nazareth College, Rochester, NY.

Table of Contents

Title Page
Acknowledgements
Online Supplement

OverviewSelf Image and Kinesthetic ImaginationPhysics of Easy MovementNeuroplasticityThe Cost of Choice, Intention and, The Power of HabitThe Base of SupportPelvic PowerBreathingUpper Trunk FlexibilityShoulder Girdle and ArmsHead and NeckHands and MouthThe EyesBonus LessonsPerspectives from InstrumentalistsAppendix A: Functional IntegrationAppendix B: ATM Lessons and Areas of Major ImpactAbout the Authors

Editorial Reviews

Nelson and Blades effectively describe Feldenkrais Method in simple language. Their book dives into key topics that will be of vital interest to musicians of all kinds.

Geoffrey Burgess

No one knows more about how musician's bodies make music with ease and comfort than Nelson and Blades. This book constitutes several lifetimes of wisdom packed into a treasure trove of movement. My performing life was so much easier and richer using these techniques.

Anne Rardin

Nelson and Blades effectively describe Feldenkrais Method in simple language. Their book dives into key topics that will be of vital interest to musicians of all kinds.

No one knows more about how musician's bodies make music with ease and comfort than Nelson and Blades. This book constitutes several lifetimes of wisdom packed into a treasure trove of movement. My performing life was so much easier and richer using these techniques.

From the Publisher