Clinics/Masterclasses

Alignment, Support, and Kinesthetic Awareness for Percussionists

- an interactive clinic to help the audience develop kinesthetic awareness as a means to notice their own misalignment and lack of support, relying on Body Mapping from Alexander Technique to understand the musculoskeletal apparatus

First presented at Virginia Day of Percussion 2017

More than Just "buguda-buguda-plink-plink"

- a marimba clinic about four stroke types (full, up, "soppy," and muted/dead) and expression through two means:
1. Traditional Concepts
2. Complete Performance, which includes Inner-Body Movement, accepting and challenging our "Type," and Storytelling through creating and communicating a vivid atmosphere

First presented at TAPS East Coast, 2016.

Shoulder Anatomy: Easing Pain and Furthering Technique through Body Mapping

- a clinic exploring our misconceptions about arm/shoulder structures and how they can affect the sounds we make
- several playing examples are used to demonstrate that the feedback system of body/sound. and how mismapping and tension affect musicmaking

Download the Shoulder Anatomy Handout

Presented at PASIC 2015

A Kinesthetic Approach to Keyboard Fundamentals

- a clinic/lecture that correlates basics of grip, fulcrum, and stroke to Body Mapping and alignment
- a high experiential component allows attendees to build kinesthetic awareness
- developing kinesthetic awareness in students as a "check system" for learning stages; developing kinesthetic-friendly vocabulary as a teacher, and relating it to other instrumentalists

Download the Kinesthetic Approach Handout.
Download the Kinesthetic Approach PowerPoint.

First presented at Indiana Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference 2017

Handouts and PowerPoints are included for education purposes only.

Please don't steal them; I worked really hard on them. :)

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Marimba Body: Superfriends (aka Wrists part 3)

Tendons are like a muscle's alter ego: a superhero that manages to somehow make sure every scenario ends up ok, regardless of villainous plots. They have undeniable strength, can hold on to just about anything, and save just about anyone. Like Superman and Clark Kent, tendons aren't separate from muscles. They are simply two kinds of soft tissue, gently converging to form one shape. In a way, one without the other is functionless. Both are needed to form a cohesive whole. Any time a muscle attaches to a bone, a tendon forms the literal connection. Take a look at the diagram below. There's a tendon - drawn here in white - at each end of the bicep and tricep. Though it might be oversimplified to the MD's and DO's out there, each muscle in the body has a tendon at each end to anchor it to the skeleton. What is exceptional about the wrist is the number of highly active tendons running through such a small space. Not only are there tendons for the wrist,...

Marimba Body: Back Muscles

This essay is all about the muscles of the back, since we talked about the spine in my last segment. Since I get to talk all about shoulders at PASIC (woohoo!!!) on Friday, I thought a good connection between spine structure and the shoulder joint would be about the muscles of the back that help to protect both. Though I've never experienced it severely first-hand, it seems like there is nothing worse than constant back pain. Ask anyone who has dealt with it and they will say that you must protect your back so you never feel what they do. Doctors warn their patients that once they have one surgery, chances are they will need more. (This makes sense, as you can't fix one part of the long spinal structure without later needing to correct other areas.) There's good news, though: keeping the muscles of the back strong, and freely aligning the spine, can help us lead pain and surgery-free lives. Waterfall Muscles source source ...

Marimba Body: Aching Elbows

As we gear up for fall and the concert season ahead, whether as a student, professor, or touring artist, it's a good time to reflect on our technical habits. For those that took time off over the summer, there's the process of re-integrating hours of practice. For those that are preparing entire new programs (ehhem...yours truly), there's the challenge of not rushing through the learning process, mentally and physically. Throughout my time writing the Marimba Body series, folks have approached me with different questions of "do you have anything about ___?" Coming up a few times is the issue of elbow pain - what it is, how we get it, and how to heal and then prevent it. Here's what I've learned, experienced, and found. Three Common Pain Areas Most commonly, percussionists experience elbow pain: - on the outside of the elbow (lateral epicondylitis, aka: tennis elbow) - on the inside of the elbow (medial epicondylitis, aka: golfer's elb...

Laurel Black Music

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