MUSICIAN HEALTH
with Zoe Schlussel, M.M., LBME
WHAT ARE MUSICIAN HEALTH LESSONS?
Sound comes from movement so fundamentally what musicians do is MOVE.
Musicians are much like athletes, we have to keep our bodies and minds healthy.
This work is all about helping you make music without physical, mental, or emotional restrictions. It is about helping musicians who deal pain or tension, stress or anxiety, struggle with playing fast or playing for long periods of time, have performance or practice anxiety to overcome these restrictions and make music with freedom and ease.
What is Body Mapping?
“In Body Mapping, one learns to gain access to one’s own body map through self-observation and self-inquiry. The student corrects his or her own body map by assimilating accurate information provided by kinesthetic experience, the use of a mirror, anatomical models, books, pictures, and teachers. One learns to recognize the source of inefficient or harmful movement and how to replace it with movement that is efficient, elegant, direct, and powerful based on the truth about one’s structure, function, and size.”
Association for Body Mapping Education
In these lessons we will also be uncovering your emotional and mental maps, what you think of yourself as a musician, what dialogues and stories are running in the background, how you feel about making music.
Our bodies and minds are connected so only through addressing the cycle of mental-emotional-physical can we learn to make music with freedom and ease.
"During the first couple of days at camp, I was struggling to play during classes without resting and stretching every few minutes. Within a couple days after seeing Zoe and applying what we spoke about to my playing, the pain and discomfort was gone."
"I am finding it hard to put on paper this experience. In 20-30 minutes we dove so deeply into areas I was only slightly aware existed in my thinking and playing experience. I am walking away with many areas to explore."
"Zoe is an empathic observer, and an excellent listener. We worked with both emotional and physical issues and I experienced an increased sense of well being during and following our meeting."
ABOUT
Zoe Schlussel is a multigenre violinist, fiddler, performer, and educator with a passion for helping musicians overcome physical and emotional obstacles to creativity and performance. She approaches her teaching with over ten years of knowledge from her own injury recovery process, is a Licensed Body Mapping Educator, and has been teaching violin and fiddle privately and at the university level for over sixteen years. She works with all instruments, ages, levels, and genres backgrounds, helping musicians find freedom, ease, and joy in creating music.
Zoe holds a Graduate Certificate in violin performance from Portland State University where she studied violin ergonomics with Dr. Tomás Cotik and Body Mapping with Lisa Marsh, a Master of Music in violin performance from Western Michigan University where she taught as Graduate Assistant, a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music, and is a Licensed Body Mapping Educator. In addition to private lessons, you can find Zoe teaching as the musician health specialist at Sierra Fiddle Camp, Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School, and online at AltStrings Academy.
PRICING
1 Hour Lesson
$110
1.5 Hour Lesson
$165
30 Minute Consultation
$40
I care deeply about helping people play, move, and live with as much freedom and ease as possible.
Sliding scale available upon request.
LOCATION
Lessons offered Online or
In Person in Portland, OR
REGISTRATION
To get started with lessons, please fill out this registration form. If you have not done so already, please also reach out through the Contact page to set up your first lesson.
LESSON AGREEMENT
Before our first lesson, please review the Musician Health Lessons Agreement. A signed copy of this agreement needs to be on file before our first session. You can send a PDF, picture, or sign in person at the lesson.
Please reach out with any questions.
LESSON MATERIALS
Completed registration form
Lesson Agreement form
A notebook for session notes
A recording device if you would like to record the lesson for at-home reference
For your first lesson:
RESOURCES
Recommended reading and other resources to supplement Musician Health lessons
ASSOCIATION FOR BODY MAPPING EDUCATORS
The ABME website has resources and info that can help teachers and students alike. Select "more" on the website to find resources, recommended reading, research, and much more.
ABME BLOG
The ABME blog is full of useful tips and info from licensed Body Mapping educators. This is a fun, quick way to continue your education with great teachers.
WHAT EVERY MUSICIAN NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THE BODY
This is the original foundational text book by Barbara Conable. This is an important addition to your Body Mapping education and is recommended reading for all my students as a supplement to lessons.
WHAT EVERY VIOLINIST NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THE BODY
This is the violin specific version of Barbara's book, written by Jennifer Johnson. Recommended reading for all upper string players and an important supplement to lessons. This text is longer and more in-depth than the original, applying all Body Mapping concepts directly to violinists.
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
Your experience can help others find the help they need. If you feel you benefitted from our lessons and would be willing to share your experience, I would greatly appreciate it. You can use this form or contact me directly.
Thank you!