ASTA AZ: American String Teachers Association

Fall Workshop 2008

ASTA Arizona’s Fall Workshop was held on September 20 at the Mesa Public Schools Creative Arts Center with guest clinician, Dr. Judy Palac from Michigan State University. Judy gave a lively, hands-on presentation to sixty ASTA members on “Wellness for String Players and Bodymapping.”  Surprisingly, 75% of musicians have experienced performance related injuries, so injury prevention is of great concern to all of us. As teachers and performers we must create a culture of wellness for ourselves and for our students.

Dr. Palac’s presentation focused on Bodymapping, an offshoot of the Alexander Technique, which seeks to promote a secure somatic foundation for all movement. This technique of learning anatomy in movement for musicians promotes maintaining good dynamic balance and aids in teaching students pain-free performance. The integrity of all movement depends on the integrity of the bodymap that governs it. Through the knowledge of anatomy and then training the senses, movement, and attention, a correct bodymap promotes facility and pain-free playing. Six places of balance in the body (skull to spine, shoulder to arm, waist to lower back, hips, knees, feet) must be recognized, as well as actual anatomy, to maximize healthy performance.

Here are just a few more key points from Dr. Palac’s presentation. Most injuries occur in these four areas:  hearing, vocal health, musculoskeletal health, and psychological health. Eighty-five decibels is the loudest the human ear can stand for prolonged periods without damage. Eighty-seven db. is the level of an average phone call. Preserve your hearing by reducing sound levels and exposure time as much as possible; use musicians’ earplugs, use half volume on iPods.

Preserve your voice by drinking lots of water, breathing deeply, resisting shouts and whispers, and resting the voice when ill or fatigued.

To prevent musculoskeletal injuries, promote dynamic balance in the body rather than “good posture.” Primary, of course, is fitting your instrument equipment to your body. Don’t play on a chair that slopes backward or where knees are above hip joints. Custom fitted chinrests are available to comfortably fill the space between the shoulder and jaw. (See American String Teacher, August 2007 for more information.) Warm-up slowly and gently by swinging arms from shoulder, bending fingers, rotating wrists, and then finally with slow, easy playing and shifts on your instrument. Save Bach and scales until you are fully warmed-up. Stretches should come at the end of practice sessions. Manage your workload by taking breaks every hour of practice, vary your repertoire, and schedule performances wisely. Become more physically active. Swimming is the safest exercise and volleyball is the worst for injuries to string players.

When injuries do occur, respect your body by resting. Then, play only until pain returns; start with two minutes, and increase gradually. Find a professional whom you can trust to guide you back to good health.


Learn more about wellness and Bodymapping:

Conable, Barbara, and William Conable.  How to Learn the Alexander Technique. Andover Press, 1995.

Conable, Barbara.  What Every Musician Needs to Know about the Body. Andover Press, 2000.

Dawson, William.  Fit As a Fiddle:  The Musician’s Guide to Playing Healthy. Rowman and Littlefield, 2008.

Freymuth, Malva.  Mental Practice and Imagery for Musicians:  A Practical Guide for Optimizing Practice Time, Enhancing Performance, and Preventing Injury. Integrated Musicians’ Press, 1999.

Horvath, Janet.  Playing Less Hurt. Morris Publishing, 2004.

Klickstein, Gerald.  Seven Habits for Healthy Performance:  A Practical Approach to Injury Prevention. American String Teacher, May, 2003, pp. 48-55.

Lieberman, Julie Lyonn.  You Are Your Instrument. Huiksi Music, 1991.

Medical Problems of Performing Artists---Journal of the Performing Arts Medicine Association.

Paull, Barbara, and Christime Harrison.  The Athletic Musician:  A
Guide to Playing Without Pain.  Scarecrow Press, 1997. Performing Arts Medicine Association.  www.artsmed.org

Also see:
Musicians’ Health and Wellness, Music Educators Journal, January 2008.  Entire issue devoted to wellness.

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Excerpt from new book

Strategies for Teaching Strings: Building a Successful String and Orchestra Program (2nd Edition)
Donald L. Hamann • Robert Gillespie
 
Our goal in this book was threefold: to provide teaching strategies that foster individual skill development on all the bowed string instruments, to offer rehearsal strategies that help instructors advance their large-group ensemble techniques, and to offer advice on building comprehensive school orchestra programs. In this second edition, we have expanded and updated the pedagogy and resource guides to keep the book current and as useful as possible for prospective, novice, and experienced string instructors alike. We are also pleased to provide an accompanying DVD, designed to enhance and clearly demonstrate the strategies presented in the text.

ORGANIZATION AND CONTENT
Organized into ten chapters, this text is designed for use in both undergraduate and graduate-level string methods, techniques, and pedagogy courses. It is based on the national content standards established by the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) in 1994 and by the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) in 1998. These standards delineate the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully teach string and orchestra students, and they serve as benchmarks for string instructor training curriculums and evaluation. Following these standards, the text begins by introducing the string instrument family and presenting an overview of the school orchestra program. Subsequent chapters—divided into three levels of string competency corresponding to elementary, middle, and high school skills—cover performance goals and objectives, strategies for teaching technical and performance skills, and solutions to common playing problems for each ability level. The text also covers rehearsal planning and preparation, rehearsal techniques, practical approaches to teaching improvisation, student recruitment and retention, and choosing literature for the school orchestra.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE SECOND EDITION?
• An integrated DVD goes beyond the text’s illustrations and photographs to demonstrate playing techniques, fingering positions, and teaching strategies in action. The DVD is designed to facilitate university students’ learning and to enhance even the most experienced instructor’s understanding of how to apply and use the strategies presented in this text. Throughout the text, we reference examples in the DVD by clip number, and an icon appears in the margin next to these references.
• Expanded appendixes include the national standards for school orchestra directors, tools for evaluation, correlated string orchestra music and teaching strategies to develop bowing and left-hand playing skills, and additional pedagogical resources.
• We have provided new and updated lists of resources at chapter ends, including many resources for jazz improvisation in Chapter 8, and we have thoroughly updated Chapter 10, on method books and music for the school orchestra program, to include the most recent literature.
• We have expanded and updated content in every chapter in accordance with the national standards for string and orchestra teaching and in response to feedback from users and reviewers.

TEACHING THIS TEXT
For string techniques instructors, the three extensive pedagogical chapters on instrumental skill development (Chapters 3–5) and the chapter on improvisation (Chapter 8) are of central importance. University string, band, or choral methods instructors may wish to begin with strategies from the chapters on rehearsal technique development (Chapters 6 and 7) and progress through the chapters on music selection (Chapter 10); recruitment (Chapter 9); the string instruments and school orchestral program (Chapters 1 and 2); and finally to
improvisation and beginning, intermediate, and advanced pedagogical information. This text can also provide a basis for student or instructor workshops, and we hope you find it valuable not only as a pedagogical tool but also as a lasting reference. Nothing is better than helping people learn, create, and live string music. We wish you success in your teaching.

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Mountain View HS to Be Electrified!

by Terry Alexander

Mountain View High School, (Tucson Arizona) began as a high school in 1988.  The orchestra, under the direction of Mrs. Terry Alexander, has grown from one string orchestra to three.  The students began an extra curricular orchestra club.  Our mission statement is “to promote string orchestra music in our school and our community.”
The orchestra kicked off their new year with a “meet and greet” evening for parents and students the first week of school.  The student orchestra council plans the night with fun activities for orchestra members while Mrs. Alexander takes the parents through her handbook information in the auditorium.  The Mountain View Orchestra Parents meet once a month (or as needed) to help support Mrs. Alexander and orchestra students with concerts, festivals and other events.
The orchestra has many varied activities from the typical school orchestra concerts to activities such as chamber music pizza parties to potlucks.  Our top ensemble members earn community service hours to tutor our younger members and also help out at our special elementary string events.  
Our biggest project this year is our guest clinician, Mark Wood.  Mountain View High School is the host for our Mark Wood “Electrify Your Strings” program for two days on February 17th and 18, 2009.  He will work with Marana and Mountain View High School String Players in the mornings and both our Marana Middle School and Tortolita Middle Schools in the afternoon.  On the 18th we will give an “electrified” performance in our auditorium with Mark Wood in the evening.  A pre-sale of tickets will take place for Orchestra Members and families.  If there are any seats left, tickets will be sold at the door.  Students, Parents and String Teachers are already electrified about his up coming visit.

(Editor’s note: Please see additional pictures of Terry Alexander’s Mountain View High School Orchestra in the Photo Gallery this month.)

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A Tribute to Sherry Gordon

Sherry was my colleague and my friend for 22 years. She taught elementary strings in the Mesa Schools and then went home every day to teach private lesson students. Sherry also performed with the Mesa Symphony. The teaching and performing were driven by her love of music and dedication to her students. Sherry continued to teach when I thought she was too ill because she could not imagine life without teaching. She positively influenced hundreds of young musicians during her teaching career- one such student, Emily MacPherson, has written a wonderful tribute to Sherry. Sherry’s musical legacy will live on through young people like Emily.

Sherry was also a single parent of Jeremy and Vanessa. She worked non-stop because she wanted the best for the kids at school but most of all, for the kids at home. Jeremy played trumpet and Vanessa followed in her mom’s footsteps and played the viola. Sherry always managed to provide them with good instruments, private lessons and any other thing they might need. She also made sure they had a strong religious education. Every conversation I ever had with Sherry included something about Jeremy or Vanessa. She was an incredibly dedicated Mom.

Sherry loved all holidays and traditions were very important to her. She made a Swedish meal on Christmas Eve and had the house decorated with multiple Christmas Villages. When the kids got married, she went “above and beyond” to make sure the weddings were beautiful and memorable. For the elementary string players, she bought things and opened a “store” in the classroom. They could purchase items with the points they had earned throughout the semester. She was always working to make everything the best for the kids, whether it was the kids at school or the kids at home.

I watched Sherry deal with cancer for the past three years. She never complained even though at times the pain was unbearable. She never failed to inquire about friends who were having problems before she would tell me what was going on with her. It seemed her doctors would get one cancer under control and then a new cancer would develop; one step forward and then three steps back. Sherry persevered and stuck to the treatment program like a disciplined musician preparing for the performance. She never wavered in her desire to keep on beating the odds. Sherry did beat the odds for a long time. Her oncologist explained, Sherry’s toughness in this cancer fight was unprecedented and she not only lived but continued to teach for a year beyond what any doctor believed was possible. This, of course, came as no great surprise to Sherry for she believed in miracles and the power of prayer.

The Metropolitan Youth Symphony has established the Sherry Gordon Memorial Viola Award which will be given each year to a deserving young musician. I was thinking about the criteria for the award. The student should have some of Sherry’s attributes- gifted musician, team player, service oriented, hard working, positive attitude, persistent, dependable, dedicated, loyal. So many lives were enhanced for having had Sherry be a part of theirs. I know mine was.

Written by Beth Gilbert
Beth retired from the Mesa Public Schools in 2007 and is presently active on the boards of National ASTA and Metropolitan Youth Symphony

Editor’s Note:  Sherry Gordon, our friend, colleague, ASTA Solo Competition chair, and teacher extraordinaire lost her battle with cancer this fall. We extend our love to her family.

My viola has become an extension of my body. And music, well music has become my life. I am playing, reading, or learning about music over fifty hours every week now, and I love every second of it. Though I’m sometimes overwhelmed by it all, I view every day as a gift. This gift was nurtured by a very talented and wonderful musician, Sherry Gordon.

As I think more and more about how much of an effect Ms. Gordon had on my life, I realize how lackluster it would have been without her. Every week for nearly ten years I walked into her house, set my case on the floor, and we chatted about the recent events of our lives as I unpacked my viola and prepared for another lesson. She continued to push me when I complained that something was too hard, and scolded me when I hadn’t practiced. I feel like she knew exactly what each of her students needed to advance to their highest potential.

Ms. Gordon also introduced me to many of the wonderful organizations Arizona has to offer for young string players, and helped me prepare audition material so I could participate in those organizations. She literally taught me everything I needed to know to succeed in the world of music I am in now, and I often find myself using her phrases or telling myself something she would have said to me to motivate myself to continue to work hard. I know that Ms. Gordon’s passion and wisdom for music affected all of her students in some way, and that through our music she will continue to enhance the music world for years to come.

Written by Emily MacPherson
Emily attended Poston Junior High and Mountain View Senior High School in Mesa
Emily is presently majoring in Music Therapy at Florida State University