PercussionMind

Mike Cerreto, Sports and Performing Arts Psychologist

PercussionMind is a research-based project collaboration with Virginia-based Sports Psychologist Mike Cerreto. A chance meeting at a JMU Graduation celebration resulted in conversations about the need for insight and self-care in the Performing Arts, and the potential of using tools that already exist to make that happen.

Mike already works with musicians through his partnership with the Richmond Symphony, and runs the state's most recognized Sports Psychology program at his practice: A Talented Mind Clinic.

What is PercussionMind?

By utilizing a psychological tool known as TAIS, PercussionMind categorized the mental performance habits from 28 of today's top percussionists in the field among four career categories: Soloists, Orchestral Players, Teachers, and Diversifiers.

TAIS, or (The Attentional Interpersonal Style Inventory), measures 20 traits. Data from our top professionals was compounded and analyzed for each career category, giving us a strong idea of correlation between mental performance trends and each career path. We make that data anonymously available for comparison of one's own TAIS results to a professional already in the field.

Some professionals include Casey Cangelosi, She-e Wu, Cynthia Yeh, Pius Cheung, and Dame Evelyn Glennie.

Interact with PercussionMind

This project created a new resource for today's upcoming professionals and their educators. With a database of categorical trends, we designed an interface where anyone can take the assessment and compare themselves against one of the four categories. The comparison provides insight into a person's mental style - how the mind prefers to operate - and how it relates to a possible career path. A feedback session with Mike and I explains the results and provides potential strategies to improve mental performance.

Learn more at percussionmind.org

Comments

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

Search This Blog