Body Mapping for Musicians

In this workshop students learn about the structures and movements of music making in order to improve technical facility and enhance expressiveness. With activities based on the theory and practice of Body Mapping and the Alexander Technique, students gain a practical knowledge that can readily be applied to their performing skills. Topics addressed in each hour include: The Places of Balance; the Senses and Attention; Understanding the Arm Structure; and the Structures and Movements of Breathing. Workshops can be scheduled for four or six hours. Longer sessions often allow for participants to explore improvisation. Visit bodymap.org for more information about Body Mapping.

“Debussy’s Pour les huit doigts: Applying Body Awareness to Piano Technique and Interpretation”

This is an ongoing project involving my piano students at Texas A&M University. During studio classes and through weekly assignments we investigate the cultivation of body awareness and its effects on learning a specific piece, one of Debussy’s Twelve Etudes. Drawing heavily on the practice of Body Mapping and supporting evidence from neuroscience, students provide feedback from their own experiences learning and performing the piece. Some questions raised in discussions include: How did awareness and mapping of the atlas-occipital joint affect your first readings of the Etude? Why do you think Debussy chose this technical issue to explore – playing only with 8 fingers? How does Debussy’s composition betray his own knowledge and understanding of the body’s structure?

Check the events page for upcoming workshops, or contact me at info@kathrynwoodard.com to schedule a workshop, arrange private lessons, or set up a university residency.