Programme
The first focus week of the year tackles one of the big topics. Wellbeing - mentally and physically - is the foundation for both thriving in the here and now and being able to keep performing in the long run.
We are therefore looking forward to welcoming you to three exciting days focusing on musician health and how to maintain a healthy body, mental wellbeing and avoid hearing and musculoskeletal injuries.
PRACTICAL
With a mix of both specialised presentations and practical exercises, there will be time to listen, but also to move - so remember to wear clothes you can move in.
If you have a yoga mattress, you are welcome to bring it for the first day.
Programme
The program is the same for Esbjerg and Odense, but staggered by one day, so the days run as follows:
ESBJERG:
Monday 18/9: 10.00 - 15.15
Tuesday 19/9: 10.00 - 14.30
Wednesday 20/9: 11.00 - 15.30
ODENSE:
Tuesday 19/9: 10.00 - 15.15
Wednesday 20/9: 10.30 - 15.15
Thursday 21/9: 10.00 - 14.45
You will be meeting researchers, musicians, therapists and mental trainers and read more about both content and speakers below.
FIND THE PROGRAMME IN YOUR ASIMUT SCHEDULE!
...or as direct links here (requires you to be logged in):
We expect all students to participate and look forward to seeing you!
LUNCH:
Remember to buy tickets for the buffet before Wednesday 13/9, if you plan to eat food from the canteen/café. There is a healty menu containing vegetables and some degree of meat.
Tickets are available in the canteen/the café. SDMK pays half, so tickets are available for 30,- per meal.
To avid wasting food, it is not possible to buy food in the canteen/cefé on the day of the event(s).
Ýou are of course welcome to bring your own food.
Stephanie Mann
INTRODUCTION TO MUSICIAN HEALTH, PILATES AND MINI EXERCISES
Stephanie Mann is a PhD student at the Department of Sports Science and Biomechanics at SDU. She is part of the research group Physical Activity and Health in Working Life, which focuses on how physical activity can affect working life, whether the physical activity is done at work or in leisure time. Stephanie Mann's project is about occupational injuries among musicians.
"Having previously opted out of becoming a trained violist, my passion became finding a way to help classical musicians with their physical issues. I trained as a physiotherapist and focused on musicians and their muscular problems in both my bachelor's and master's thesis. "
LINKS:
Mette Lund Franck
THE BODY IN PERFORMANCE ART
As musicians and singers, we are our own instrument. In this interactive presentation, you will learn and feel in your own body how you can alleviate performance nervousness, avoid overload and harness the inherent powers of your body and plastic brain in your art.
The presentation will provide an introduction to:
- Breathing, relaxation and phrasing
- Mindfulness in rehearsal and performance
- Performance nervousness and the nervous system
- Expressiveness through grounding, centering and flow
- Stretching and relaxation of selected muscle groups
- Readiness and presence
- The musician as a top athlete
- Homeostasis and performance flow
- Case examples (singer, wind player, violinist)
BIO:
Mette Lund Franck is a classical singer, singing teacher, speech therapist specializing in voice disorders and atypical breathing difficulties. She is the owner of Stemmens Portal - Voice Clinic and Course Portal. She is an external lecturer at the University of Southern Denmark, where she teaches Personal Voice Formation and Assessment and treatment of the professional voice user in the Master's program in Audiologopedics. She holds courses in Public Speaking at HR-Udviklingen at SDU.
LINKS:
Michelle Nora Lind
INTRODUCTION TO YOGA
This yoga introduction introduces you to the fundamentals of Ashtanga yoga, which focuses heavily on the breath and support from the foundations of the body, called bandhas. Michelle guides sun salutations, a selection of standing and seated poses and demonstrates moderations along the way so everyone can join in.
BIO
Graduated as a classical singer/musician performer from the Danish National Academy of Music in Odense in 2015. Trained as a yoga teacher from Ashtanga Yoga Mysore in India in 2014, and teaches at Nordisk Yoga in Odense. Self-employed with concert activities in various constellations.
LINKS:
Maria Skuratovskaia Jensen
INTRODUCTION TO PILATES
In Pilates we train strength, endurance, flexibility and posture correction.
Our starting point is a mix of Winsor, Stott and Power Pilates.
You will be guided through the 5 basic principles in a Pilates flow with the opportunity to decide along the way what level of difficulty of the exercises you want to do.
BIO
Trained as a classical organist and choir director at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and the Danish National Academy of Music.
Trained as a Pilates instructor at Fitness World in 2011. Pilates instructor at Fitness World, Maven og mig and PilatesMind, The Danish Church in Paris and in the church ship in Nordhavnen 2011-2019.
Sanne Fiedler Rasmussen
SELF-COMPASSION
In this presentation, you will be introduced to what evidence-based mindfulness is - the basic theory behind mindfulness and the values that mindfulness is built around. You will also learn about the concept of self-compassion and the impact of implementing it in your everyday life.
You will learn about the importance of the breath in mindfulness and how mindfulness can be used to experience more peace in the body. You will be guided through meditation exercises where you have the opportunity to feel how mindfulness can affect your body and mind. After the exercises, there is an opportunity to reflect on the exercises.
Finally, you will be introduced to how you can continue to practice mindfulness in your everyday life, including an audio file that you have the option of receiving.
BIO:
"I graduated with a prof. bach. in physiotherapy in 2008 and for the first 10 years I worked with rehabilitation in the specialties neck, shoulder and back. During this time, I learned that body and mind are undeniably connected and mutually influence each other.
When the body is in pain, the mind is often affected and mood can be affected, among other things.
When the mind is under pressure, stress and anxiety can set in, and the muscles and nervous system often tense up. In 2012, I trained as a mindfulness instructor. This opened the door to combining physiotherapy with mindfulness and the cognitive psychotherapeutic approach.
Since then, I have worked to integrate physical rehabilitation with mental rehabilitation - both in municipal settings and later as a consultant. I give presentations on what happens when the body gives up, what to do when it happens and how to prevent it from happening.
I am the owner of Self-compassion Center for stress and rehabilitation, where I offer individually tailored treatments and courses for people who are affected by overload and feel symptoms physically or mentally.
In May 2024, I will complete the 4-year psychotherapist training in integrative psychotherapy. My approach to communicating health therefore consists of both the physiotherapeutic and the psychotherapeutic component.
I believe that we can all learn to feel ourselves, listen to ourselves, our needs and our limits.
We can learn to better choose what nourishes and gives us energy. We can become better at rejecting what is draining and can drain us of energy. In this way, we can each live a more value-based and meaningful life.
The more you listen to yourself - the more you know what you need."
LINKS:
Jesper Hvass Schmidt
Hearing Loss and hearing symptoms of musicians in relation to sound exposure
The presentation will provide some information about how the ear works and how sound can damage our sensory cells in the ear. I'll go through what is known about music as a sound source and how it affects the ear, both in terms of hearing loss and the development of tinnitus, and a bit about sound sensitivity. In connection with this, I discuss the differences between different instrument groups in terms of the sound load the ear is exposed to.
BIO:
I am employed as a consultant at the Ear, Nose, Throat and Hearing Clinic at Odense University Hospital and am also a clinical associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark. I work with hearing and balance function in my work as a doctor. In this connection, I also take care of hearing problems in musicians who are referred to Odense University Hospital's Clinic for Musicians' Health. Back in 2011, I completed a PhD thesis on hearing problems among classical musicians.
LINKS:
Barbra Coco Laurré
STAGEFRIGHT AND OTHER CHALLENGES
How to perform your best under pressure
As a musician and performer, you're exposed. You have to perform at your best, the stakes are high and the competition is often intense. That's why it's important to talk about mental health and the challenges that come with developing as a performer, including performance anxiety. For many, giving your best on stage is associated with a lot of nervousness. The fear of not performing well enough, of being judged or failing - or of disappointing your audience - can destroy the joy of sharing your expression.
This presentation will look at the complexities of performance anxiety and provide you with exercises to help you regulate your tension levels and preventative exercises you can work on leading up to an exam, audition or stage performance.
BIO:
Barbra Coco Laurré, trained as an actress, has a background within theater. She currently works at Norwegian Academy of Music in topics such as The Art of Practicing, and Stage Performance. She also works as Creative Coach, Therapist, and is the founder and director of Creationwork, one of the leading institutes in Norway for mindfulness and stress reduction. Barbra is a well-known tutor among stage performers and loves inspiring others developing their artistic and creative skills, and free their potential.
LINKS:
Christina Holm Dahl
THE COMMUNITY - WHAT IS IT?
What can a community do and what does it even mean to be part of a community? Which communities are you part of? What do they give you and what do you give them? What does musician health have to do with communities? (quite a lot). What can the community do when the individual is challenged? What is a robust community and how do we create one? Through various exercises and conversations, we try to answer these questions and gain clarity on what a good community is for each of us individually - and together.
Bio:
Christina Holm Dahl teaches at SDMK and is also a singer and artistic entrepreneur. She is also the coordinator for artistic entrepreneurship at SDMK and is passionate about what creates good musician lives, for the individual and for society. She uses conversation and the individual's personal experiences as a starting point for new learning.
Links:
Thommy Andersson
TO PRACTICE PRACTICING
I will focus on practice methods and look at the word practice from three main areas:
PRACTICE
Something you can't play, hear understand // something that requires brain activity // something that happens slowly at first // something that focuses on details // let all inputs in learning come into contact with your instrument
MAINTAIN
Something you already know // something that requires less brain activity but more muscle memory // something that happens in real time in different tempos and feels // something that strengthens your stamina
PERFORMANCE
Letting go // Enjoying // Sensing
Use improvisation in your practice.
I will try to demonstrate how improvisational elements can be a natural part of practicing.
The depth of improvisation refers to the extent to which a musician or performer is able to create and express new ideas in the moment, while drawing on their existing knowledge and skills.
Creating new exercise content on the spot. Starting to explore more complex musical structures and techniques, as well as experimenting with different methods such as call-and-response, repetition and variation.
The depth of improvisation can also be measured by a musician's emotional depth and expressiveness. This can clearly be used to speed up your practice processes.
BIO:
Thommy Andersson is a bassist and cellist working at the intersection of composition and improvisation in a wide range of musical genres. He is a composer for various ensembles, arranger and orchestrator for orchestras and soloists.
He is described as having a personal playing style rooted in the Swedish folk music tradition and has been part of projects in a wide range of genres all over the world.
His main influences are folklore and roots music and he doesn't pigeonhole himself into a particular genre.
Over the past 25+ years, Thommy has collaborated with many different musicians from different cultures.
He has released 8 albums under his own name and is featured as a musician and composer on more than 300 releases.